George H. Thompson plantation records

Collection

Identifier: W-0073

No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

This 550-page ledger documents the expenses of Russell County, Alabama, planter George H. Thompson. Entries, dated from 1855 to 1874, are arranged alphabetically and document plantation expenses. A brief notation at the beginning of the ledger describes land purchases in Russell and Barbour counties.

Dates

Creation: 1855 - 1874

Creator

Thompson, George Hargraves (Author, Person)
Williams, A. S., III (Collector, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

None

Biographical / Historical

George Hargraves Thompson was born on October 14, 1814, in Georgia. He married Sarah Willis Richardson and had two sons.

A planter and slave owner, Thompson owned land in Russell and Barbour counties in Alabama. In 1840, Thompson traded his home and a portion of land to Massilon Glenn in exchange for the Cedar Heights Plantation. Initially, the Thompson family grew cotton on the 12,000 acre plantation, but one of his sons later cultivated pecans on the land. The 1870 census valued Thompson's real estate at $20,000 and his personal estate at $4,000. Thompson died on June 26, 1896, in Russell County.

Sources: Census records online and Glenn-Thompson Plantation Nomination Form, National Register of Historic Places Inventory, http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/80000735.pdf.