A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses her troubles finding affordable lodgings and food in Greenville, South Carolina. She also offers recommendations on the management of enslaved people such as Prince, Morris, Fred, old Molly, young Molly, Tenah, Jim, and Tony Ward.
A handwritten, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses the order to send enslaved people to Charleston, urging Charles not to send any as they will escape to the Union Army.
A handwritten, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses her search for a new house in Columbia, Greenville, and Pendleton, South Carolina.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses the possibility for illness, specifically typhus fever, spreading in crowded South Carolina cities. In addition, she expresses her wartime fears and advises him on the management of enslaved people. Attached to this letter is a note requesting that he bring books on farming to Greenville. On the front of the envelope, a list of items is written; on the back, a list of names of enslaved people is written.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she confirms her purchase of a farm in Greenville and lists the names of enslaved people she wants Charles to bring to work on the property (Tom Gibbs, Mitchell, Peter McCants, Alfred, Abraham, Charles, little Alec, Guy, Philander, Tyra's Tom, Philemon, Damon, Warley, Porter, Prince, little Morris, Prince's wife, Brown's wife, and Peter Brown). On the front of the envelope, names with checkmarks beside them are listed; on the back, a list of items and groceries is written.
A handwritten, five-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she expresses her fear that enslaved people will escape immediately if Charles leaves their plantation. She also remarks on the gender imbalance present in Greenville during the war years.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she notifies him of her purchase of a farm in Greenville and lists the names of the enslaved people she plans to have work on the property. She also encourages him to purchase a new plantation on the interior of South Carolina to avoid the dangers posed by the Union Army, including the prospect of enslaved people escaping.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Susan Alston to her father, Charles Alston, in which she describes life in Greenville during the Civil War and expresses her concerns regarding the Union Army's actions in South Carolina and Mississippi.
A handwritten, two-page letter from Susan Alston to her father, Charles Alston, in which she informs him of his ability to send enslaved people inland on the railroad for half-price, mentioning a specific person (Sancho) who she wants Charles to send to her. She also mentions a recent Civil War skirmish in South Carolina.
A handwritten, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she relays her knowledge of the Confederate war efforts. In addition, she considers what should be done for the enslaved people left at the Alstons' Charleston home and at their plantation in Pee Dee.
