James Dellet Plantation Collection
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the economic operations of James Dellet's plantation in Claiborne, Monroe County, Alabama, with a particular focus on enslaved labor. It includes:
A letter from political figure John Murphy to Dellet (1829) discussing debt repayment likely tied to plantation or labor dealings.
A list titled “List of Negroes sent to James Dillet's Plantation,” detailing 15 enslaved individuals, mostly women, valued at $9,180.
A second inventory, “Memorandum of Negroes given up to J. Dillet Esq.,” naming 17 enslaved individuals and two unnamed children, with age and health notes.
A legal document (1838) recording the sale and mortgage of nine enslaved people to secure a $2,700 financial agreement.
These materials provide insight into the financial structure and human cost of plantation slavery in early nineteenth-century Alabama.
Dates
- Creation: 1829
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 materials with 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 require additional advance notice.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.
For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
James Dellet (1788-1848) was an influential lawyer, politician, and plantation owner in early Alabama. Born in Camden, South Carolina, and educated at South Carolina College, Dellet relocated to Claiborne, Alabama, in 1818. He quickly emerged as a foundational figure in early state politics, becoming the first Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives in 1819 and later serving multiple terms in both the state legislature and U.S. Congress as a Whig between 1838 and 1845. A fierce opponent of Andrew Jackson, Dellet aligned with John Quincy Adams in the polarizing presidential election of 1828.
Dellet’s economic power derived in part from his substantial landholdings and slave ownership. His estate, known as Dellet Park, included a plantation house and outbuildings on 4,000 acres. Census records show he enslaved fifty-three people in 1830 and 132 by 1840. The documents in this collection provide evidence of his role in the regional slave trade and the growth of his estate during this period. His correspondence with John Murphy, an equally prominent Alabama politician and rival, reveals how political and economic networks were intertwined with the institution of slavery in early Alabama.
Dellet died in 1848. Dellet Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The University of Alabama Libraries acquired materials from the James Dellet Plantation Collection from McBride Rare Books in 2022 and 2023.
Processing Information
Processed by Courtney Tutt, June 2025.
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the James Dellet Plantation Collection
- Status
- Needs Approval
- Author
- Finding aid created by Courtney Tutt, June 2025.
- Date
- June 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository