Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning supplies for Dean Hall Plantation. Included among the supplies is a barrel of whiskey that is to be mixed with quinine and taken as a prophylactic and McBurney hopes this "judicious use of the preventatives will aid in keeping off sickness." 1p.
Second letter of June 12, 1866, from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson. McBurney writes that Ferguson's brother thinks the mule thief will cross the river at "Bacon Bridge" and head towards Adams Run and suggests that Ferguson go to "the neighborhood of the 18-mile" house to offer "John Donnelly" a reward if he can capture the thief. 1p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson. McBurney acknowledges Ferguson's letter regarding the theft of a mule from Dean Hall and sends Ferguson supplies and laborers. 2p.
William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning operations at Dean Hall Plantation. McBurney describes two different kinds of rice he is sending to Dean Hall and suggests that Ferguson plant the better rice "in a field by itself" for next year's seed crop. He is sending more laborers and supplies to Ferguson, remarking that "Bacon is up in price today." 4p.
Third letter of May 5, 1866, from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson. McBurney discusses the ongoing struggle to obtain a saw blade of the correct dimensions claiming the company he ordered it from cannot forge one because the proper sized plate "is on board the colera (sic) ship and cannot be had until she is permitted to discharge cargo." 2p.
Second letter of May 5, 1866, from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson. McBurney asks Ferguson to finish the tax returns on Dean Hall and sends him a mill worker. The laborer has agreed to the $15 per month salary with rations "consisting of one peck corn, or ten quarts of meal and three lbs of bacon pr week and one quart of Salt and one quart of molasses pr month." 2p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning operations at Dean Hall Plantation. McBurney writes that he is sending more mill hands that he contracted in a similar condition as previous laborers. He suggests to Ferguson, however, that instead of charging 75¢ for absences he could take some rations away as punishment and, conversely, up the rations for particularly good service. 2p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning operations at Dean Hall Plantation. McBurney writes about a mix up in an order for a saw blade and mentions that he visited a laborer in the hospital who had been injured at Dean Hall. 2p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning operations at Dean Hall Plantation. McBurney relates that he has been approached to provide lumber for building houses in town and asks Ferguson if the mill can provide it. 2p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson at Dean Hall Plantation. McBurney writes about supplies for Dean Hall and the best strategy of repairing a dam on one of the mill ponds. He claims that they will be able to get enough labor to keep the mill running but reports difficulty in securing "rice hands." He comments that someone has offered to buy Dean Hall or takeover management after Ferguson's agreement to do so expires. 3p.
Letter from William Henry Heyward at Savannah to James B. Heyward at Combahee. William Heyward has come to the conclusion that the destruction of slave labor will prevent them from ever turning a profit again on the scale seen in the past. He claims that the bargaining power exercised by the freedmen "makes the Planter a slave, far worse than his slave used to be." Because of the scarcity and high price of labor he believes that he and James should sell most of their properties and concentrate all their efforts on a few. 4p.
Letter from William McBurney to Thomas B. Ferguson concerning supplies and carpenters for Dean Hall and a load of lumber received from the plantation. 2p.
