MARY SUSAN KER PAPERS, #1467, 1785-1958
Personal correspondence, records, and diary of Ker of Natchez, Mississippi, daughter of
cotton planter and American Colonization Society Vice-President, John Ker. Correspondence
prior to 1852 discusses plantation management, such as the purchase
of slaves. Ker's diary (1886-1923) documents the political and social climate of the period
in Vicksburg, Natchez, and surrounding areas, and notes local lynchings; her relationship
with black servants; political conflicts centered on race; the naming of a black to the
position of postmaster; a prank played on black students by white Tulane students (1895);
Ker's dismay over her niece playing with black children; a black baptism in the Mississippi
River (1921); and holiday activities in the black community. The collection also contains
John Ker's letters about colonization (1831-1849); a slave list and a list of clothes
purchased for slaves (1858-1861); and several photographs of a black woman and her
granddaughter. Microfilm available.
