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, 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.