MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS, #516
Single, unrelated letters, chiefly from the nineteenth century, especially from southerners
prominent in literary and political spheres. Topics include social life and customs, local
and national politics, and slavery. Includes:
-
1816 letter from William Buell Sprague, clergyman, biographer, and
collector, written from Woodlawn Plantation, Mount Vernon, Virginia, while he was employed
there as a tutor. His letter relates at length the state of slaves in Virginia and the
effect of slavery on Southern society and standards.
- 1849 letter from Joseph S. Hartly (?) of King and Queen County, Virginia, to Captain
C. H. Bonham, discussing runaway slaves. The letter suggests that Hartly was involved in
aiding runaways.
- 1854 letter from Charles Ward, artist and member of a
distinguished New York family, to his mother, recounting a visit to Georgia. The author
remarks upon the institution of slavery.