Ledger book, 1859 - 1888

Series — Box: 4313.001

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: Two account ledger books belonging to the Dillard family of Lovingston, Virginia, containing business and farming records, laborers and slaves’ specific activities, labor contracts, worker wages, and personal opinions from the Dillards on their workers and slaves between 1859-1888.

The entries pertaining to labor contracts describe the terms of involuntary servitude placed upon African American workers in exchange for food, meals, and housing. Included in these entries are instances when pay would be docked and under what circumstances. A laborer, Jim Wilson, is described as going to the doctor instead of ploughing and therefore has his pay reduced by the Dillards. Another laborer, George Miller, was told to quit the farm after traveling to find a home to move to.

The Dillards expressed their opinions of their slaves and laborers throughout the pages. One such entry from 1880-1882 in the larger of the two ledgers describes a laborer, Stepney Edmonds, wounding one of the Dillard brothers. Edmonds was killed shortly after this incident. The ledger does not disclose if Edmonds’ killing happened at the same time that one of the brothers was shot and it is unclear if he selectively omitted it from his account.

Dates

1859 - 1888

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materialswith sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations.Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may requireadditional advance notice.