Newton Plantation Expense Book 1843 - 1867 and Slave List 1828 - College of Charleston Libraries

NEWTON PLANTATION EXPENSE BOOK 1842- 1867
 
This is an overall general journal for accounts held between Newton plantation and other plantations, individuals and companies.  This book was one of the bigger ones and a bit more fragile.  Due to its size, it was a bit challenging to get a high quality picture.  One had to be conscious of the need to preserve the book and the scanning had to be carried out carefully as the book was literally falling to pieces.
 
Slave List 1828
The slave list was by far the more interesting of the two.  Within these few faded pages were the names of each and every slave on the plantation, along with their occupations. This was a mind blowing experience as we often hear about slaves and so on, but never did I get a chance to hold a piece of history in my hand and be a part of the team that allows it to be preserved and  available to the public.
What was also interesting was the way in which the plantation owner, not only kept such detailed records of who he had on the plantation, but also of the ways in which the population was either increased or decreased.
As my time is now counting down, I will be moving onto the next book on the list, the other expense book. However, I would have loved to be able to also complete the largest of the journals (not included on the list) which covers the period 1805 to the 1840s, as so much more information seems to be in that book…and of course the maps.
But let’s hope for the best.
Until next time!
Gloria