Letter from Gabriel Edward Manigault to James B. Heyward describing the enormous changes that have occurred in Charleston "since the new regime" took over. He laments the loss of his servants and writes that, given the economic stagnation of the times, "I see nothing but starvation staring the negroes in the face." 4p.
Record of transactions at Bennett's Mill, Charleston, concerning the sale of 1185 bushels of rice. The miller's receipt was apparently used in support of Thomas Ferguson's petition to be remunerated for the seizure of his father's rice. 5p.
Certified statement from the former overseer concerning rice taken from James Ferguson's Dockon Plantation. The note was apparently used in defense of Thomas Ferguson's petition to reclaim or be remunerated for the confiscated rice. 2p.
Second certified statement from the former overseer concerning rice taken from James Ferguson's Dockon Plantation. The note was apparently used in defense of Thomas Ferguson's petition to reclaim or be remunerated for the confiscated rice. 2p.
Third certified statement from the former overseer concerning rice taken from James Ferguson's Dockon Plantation. The note was apparently used in defense of Thomas Ferguson's petition to reclaim or be remunerated for the confiscated rice. 2p.
Certified statement from a miller at Bennett's Mill concerning the purchase of rice taken from James Ferguson's Dockon Plantation. The note was apparently used in defense of Thomas Ferguson's petition to reclaim or be remunerated for the confiscated rice. 2p.
Printed circular from the War Department, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned lands, concerning the confiscation of property in the "insurrectionary States" with detailed instructions on how said lands can be restored to the previous owner. 3p.
List of property identified by Thomas Ferguson from two homes on East Bay and Broad Street in Charleston, SC. The note gives Ferguson the right to reclaim the named items. 2p.
Certified list from Thomas Ferguson of articles belonging to James Ferguson at two Charleston, SC, residences. The list is signed by the Provost Marshall, Levi Stuber, head of the U.S. military police controlling Charleston. 1p.
Receipt of note for $400 from Thomas B. Ferguson to his lawyer, Theodore Barker, to be held as security in a claim for back wages brought by his former overseer, William Dowdey. 1p.
Letter to James Heyward from J.H. Trapier concerning ideas about crops and livestock for their various properties. Trapier suggests giving the newly freed laborers a stake in the crops grown, noting that he got the idea from a book on "European Agriculture" and that the practice had worked well in Germany. He mentions the difference in labor required for field crops versus the "special cultivation" skills needed for rice propagation. Finally, he asks James for a copy of a blank "Petition for pardon" claiming the hand crafted one he had sent earlier might be rejected because of his refusal "to surrender my ideas in reference to State Sovereignty." 4p.
Memorandum between Thomas B. Ferguson, William McBurney, John J. Darcy, Michael Darcy, and John O'Mara to repair the engine and boiler of the rice mill at Dean Hall Plantation. 5p.
