Catherine Osborn Barnwell writes her mother from Laurel Bay plantation where she describes how she is the "principal" of the house in her mother's absence.
Letter from Capt. Edward Barnwell, Combahee, to daughter, Catherine Osborn Barnwell, in Charleston. Edward asks Catherine to look after her little sisters when they visit Charleston and writes of his plans to see Marquis de Lafayette should he stop in Beaufort. March 9, 1825.
Capt. Edward Barnwell, Beaufort, writes to daughter, Catherine Osborn Barnwell, cautioning her about over-doing the social scene in Charleston. He also writes of gardening and his crops, including the propagation of orange trees, and asks that Catherine care for her sick sister by giving her "tincture of bark & brandy & water." March 2, 1827.
William H. W. Barnwell, from Laurel Bay Plantation, writes to friend Edgar Day in Catskill, New York. After 4 years without correspondence, Barnwell apprises Day of his marriage, the birth of his first child and his religious conversion during a revival in Gillisonville, SC. He also speaks of forming a local temperance society and hopes to establish "one upon my plantation among my Negroes." January 18, 1832.
Robert Woodward Barnwell writes to brother, William H. W. Barnwell, about his travel plans and the last will of their recently deceased sister, in which William was bequeathed $5000. Robert tells William that the amount is enough to clear his debts and the sale of his slaves is now unnecessary, though he still encourages William to do so, writing, "at Laurel Bay they cannot support themselves and will inevitably be exposed to the dangerous temptations of idleness." February 18, 1833.
Letter from Robert Woodward Barnwell to mother, Catherine Osborn Barnwell, concerning a trip from Charleston to Beaufort. Robert details a bout of seasickness while traveling, reports on the status of his parents' and grandparent's plantations at Laurel Bay and Keans Neck and relates family news from Beaufort. August, 1847.
Letter from Edward Barnwell to father, William H. W. Barnwell, describing visits to Bay Point and their family plantation, Laurel Bay, near Beaufort. Barnwell writes of a large devil fish caught off Bay Point and informs his father of the status of the crops and slaves at Laurel Bay. July 18, 1851.
Robert Woodward Barnwell writes to mother, Catherine Osborn Barnwell, from Laurel Bay Plantation. Barnwell writes of the well-being of the family, the health and spiritual training of the servants and neglect of the livestock by the slaves, and requests his mother to send a pineapple from Charleston to be served as dessert for an upcoming dinner party. January 22, 1853.
Letter from Robert Woodward Barnwell at the family plantation, Laurel Bay, to mother, Catherine Osborn Barnwell. Barnwell writes of an upcoming visit to Beaufort, slaughtering hogs for sausage and trading mutton for chickens. January 15, 1853.
