Freed persons

Scope and Contents

This document is a letter from Calvin Rice, a Union soldier from Massachusetts, to a family member, Oscar Rice. Written while stationed on Edisto Island, South Carolina, the letter provides firsthand insights into one of the main colonies of escaped formerly enslaved individuals during the Civil War. The letter offers a perspective on the role of Union soldiers in occupied Southern territories and the experiences of freed people during the war.

Scope and Contents This signed letter by former Congressman and Confederate diplomat Reuben Chapman, is addressed to Alabama lawyer and former Confederate officer Septimus Douglass Cabaniss. Written on February 5, 1869, from Sumter County, Alabama, the letter discusses Chapman's interactions with freedmen sharecroppers, his concerns about cotton prices, and various business dealings. Chapman describes purchasing the freedmen's share of the cotton crop amid concerns over price fluctuations and their growing...

Scope and Contents The collection consists of a single signed document dated June 8, 1865, from Charleston, South Carolina, granting Thomas M. Holmes permission to take possession of the property located at No. 62 Liberty Street. Issued on Holmes’s behalf, the order states that Holmes has paid the United States property taxes on the premises and instructs the current occupants to vacate by June 16, 1865. The document reflects the shifting property ownership and civil rights dynamics during the early...