A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she relays rumors of enslaved people being impressed into service in Charleston. She advises him on the management of enslaved people such as Andrew, Johny, little Alec, and Brown's wife, and she informs him of the health of relatives in the Confederate military. She also reveals that she has been attempting to hire out an enslaved man, Jack, to various people in Greenville, South Carolina.
A handwritten, two-page letter from James A. Pringle to Charles Alston, forwarded to him by his wife, Emma Alston, in which Pringle updates Charles Alston on his finances, including his payment of the Confederate War tax and holding of Confederate bonds. Emma Alston adds to the letter to inform Charles of the arrival of an enslaved person, Tom Gibbs, to their Greenville farm and express her concerns for the future of Charleston and South Carolina amid the Civil War.
A handwritten, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she describes the situation at their new farm in Greenville, including the growing prices and scarcity of food. Throughout the letter, she mentions the work done by enslaved people such as Tom, Winnie, and Toby.
A handwritten, three-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she encourages him to provide additional provisions, including meat and tobacco, for the enslaved people to prevent them from running away to the Union Army. She also discusses the necessities for the repair of their farm, requesting that he arrange for enslaved labor and materials to be sent.
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, two-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she arranges the arrival of six enslaved people in Greenville. She also advises him on the management of their house in Charleston and warns him to not allow enslaved people to travel without the accompaniment of a white person so as to prevent their impressment.
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.
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, four-page letter from Emma Alston to her husband, Charles, in which she laments her experience house-hunting in Greenville, South Carolina, amid wartime inflation. She also worries for the situation of Charleston following a battle on James Island and advises on the management of enslaved people such as Tom Gibbs.
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.
