Letter from A. J. Samson to James B. Heyward notifying him that he has been elected an honorary member of the newly formed association of Charleston area survivors of the 1st regiment of South Carolina Volunteers. The association aims to help comrades still suffering from the war and to preserve the regiment's history. 1p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson at Dean Hall Plantation. McBurney discusses the recurring problem of obtaining a steady supply of labor for Dean Hall and sends Ferguson several bushels of "Fripp" cotton seed. 6p.
Letter from James B. Heyward to William Henry Heyward about their business agreement with John Chadwick at Fife Plantation. James dislikes the terms of the agreement and doesn't want it extended beyond the one year. He would rather sell Fife "than go into these extortionate bargains for cultivating it." 2p.
Article of agreement between James B. Heyward, William Henry Heyward and John Chadwick to replant Fife Plantation. John Chadwick, from New York, agrees to provide $15,500 in capital for two-thirds share in the resulting rice crop. 4p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning Dean Hall Plantation, including news that one of Ferguson's newly purchased mules has lost its tongue. 2p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson at Dean Hall. McBurney alludes to problems Ferguson is having with the lack of good labor and discusses cotton and rice options for the next planting seasons. 6p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning a shipment of supplies that arrived without an invoice. McBurney wants Ferguson to inventory the contents of the shipment to compare later to the invoice. 2p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning supplies for Dean Hall Plantation and a mix up with an order for a mill through Cameron Barkley & Co. He also writes about the labor contract created with the freedmen at Dean Hall and tells Ferguson he should be the first to sign the contract kept at the Freedmen's Bureau and that "the one to be retained should be signed by the Darkies first." 4p.
Lengthy contractual agreement between Thomas B. Ferguson and the freedmen and women workers at Dean Hall Plantation. The contract, approved by the Freedmen's Bureau, outlines the conditions of employment for the freedmen including, "comfortable quarters" and one acre of land, monetary penalties for unexcused absences, ten hour work days, and rules concerning tools, work animals and plantation upkeep. One term in the contract, crossed out, specified that the freedmen were to receive one-half of the entire crop though it was amended later to one-third. 4p.
Letter from William McBurney in Charleston to Thomas B. Ferguson at Dean Hall Plantation concerning the hiring of freedmen. McBurney writes that after a survey of other Cooper River plantation owners he finds that most are offering a share of the crop instead of monthly pay "whether from a want of ability to pay wages or because they believed an interest in the crop would secure a more steady course of labor and prevent stealage." McBurney informs Ferguson that he has written up a contract and submitted it to General Scott at the Freedmen's Bureau for acceptance. He fears the general will alter his submitted contract in favor of the former slaves and writes that officials in the bureau think the "freedman and the white northern laborer" are the same. 2p.
Letter from Capt. H. S. Hawkins to the Asst. Adjutant General of the Military District of Charleston regarding the freedmen at Thomas B. Ferguson's Dockon Plantation. Capt. Hawkins writes that Ferguson had come to Dockon to inquire if the freedmen living there would contract to work the plantation and the freedmen replied, according to Hawkins, that they "would not work for any rebel son-of-a-bitch." Since the time for the freedmen to legally reside there has elapsed and the Freedmen's Bureau has sanctioned their removal, Ferguson wants them evicted and Capt. Hawkins, in his letter, is requesting explicit authority to "put off the objectionable negroes by force." 2p.
Letter from Freedmen's Bureau agent F.M. Montell to Lt. James Hann concerning the former slaves still residing at Dean Hall Plantation. Montell writes that Thomas Ferguson wants the freedmen removed "as they have no rights to reside on the plantation after the division of their crops" and that he doesn't want "to have the bad example of idle men" influencing his future hires. Montell also writes of several cases of small pox on the plantation and asks the lieutenant for military help to resolve the situation and provide the "care and attention which the Freedmens Bureau have not the means of affording them." 2p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson informing him that he is sending "8 Irishmen" to Dean Hall Plantation "with six spades and three long handled shovels." 4p.
