About the Collection
The Porcher Family Papers, 1740-1968 (bulk 19th century), collection contains a bound prescription book kept by Dr. Francis Peyre Porcher (1824-1895) between 1856-1859. A Berkeley County and Charleston County family with descendants from France, Dr. Francis Porcher was the son of William Porcher (1800-1833) and Isabella Sarah Peyre Porcher (1803-1890).
The prescription book states the names of the patients including enslaved people, the types of medicines that are being prescribed and specific ingredients for those medicines. The enslaved persons are referenced by their first name and their names are accompanied by the name of the slaveholder who owns them. The names of the enslaved people are listed as: Alfred, Ananias, Annette, Annie, Belinda, Blake, Buriah, Celia, Charlotte, Cuffee, Dandy, David, Delia, Emma, Flora, Frank, George, Grace, Hector, Hester, Jane, Jenny, Josh, Judy, Lucy, Lydia, Malsey, Margaret, Marion, Martha, Nat, Nelly, Patrick, Patty, Peggy, Peter, Phillis, Richard, Samuel, Sandy, Scipio, Sue, Thomas, and William.
