A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses the management of enslaved people at Beneventum plantation. She also briefly mentions reports of the military efforts of their sons, John Julius and Joseph, in the Civil War.
An estate inventory of Robert Pringle's plantations from October 19th, 1863, listing 128 names of enslaved people worth a total of $155,850. These names were divided into lots which were drawn by Charles Alston, William Bull Pringle, John Julius Pringle, and Elizabeth Pringle Smith.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles Alston, in which she discusses her fear of the Union's destruction of Georgetown, South Carolina. She also mentions the dissatisfaction of the enslaved people from one of their plantations and encourages him to visit them in order to dissuade them from escaping.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she implores him to supply the enslaved people on their plantation with meat, milk, tobacco, and textiles to discourage them from escaping. She also updates him on their acquisition of a farm and Greenville and the general economic state of the town.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she writes of her efforts to find an affordable house in Greenville. She also discusses the Civil War and rumors of enslaved people escaping plantations. Attached to this letter is a note that further specifies houses available to purchase.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she discusses their upcoming move to Greenville or Pendleton, South Carolina, and expresses her concerns about the effects of the Civil War. She also focuses on the management of enslaved people such as Fred, Fred's wife, Ransom, and old Ben at the Alstons' plantations.
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, 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.
