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Papers of the Carter and Wellford Family of Sabine Hall, Accession #1959, 1959-a, 1959-c, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
The diaries of Col. Landon Carter were deposited by Miss M.R. Weisiger on September 22, 1952, and by the Rev. T. Dabney Wellford through Richard Heath Dabney on April 16, 1947. The Sabine Hall papers 1659- 1871 were also deposited by the Rev. T. Dabney Wellford, on June 23, 1944, and the Robert Wormeley Carter papers (1959-a) on August 26, 1947. Both of the Rev. Wellford's deposits were made gifts on July 25, 1977. The Sabine Hall Account Book and Surveys which compose accession 1959-c were transferred from the University of Virginia Library's Rare Book Division on May 20, 1988.
The Papers of the Carter and Wellford family of Sabine Hall, Accessions #1959, 1959-a, and 1959-c, comprise ca. 1075 items spanning the years 1650-1918. The collection encompasses an extremely broad range of Carter family concerns, ranging from the personal and political to agricultural, financial, and legal. Taken together, the papers constitute the foundation for one major Virginia planter family's history and opens by-ways to scholar interested in the social, economic, and political life of the South.
The entire collection to the year 1797 (which witnessed the decease of Robert Wormeley Carter I) is available on microfilm. A somewhat less comprehensive listing is available to 1778 (marking the death of Landon Carter of Sabline Hall) in Walter Ray Wineman, The Landon Carter Papers in the University of Virginia Library: A Calendar and Biographical Sketch (Charlottesville, 1962). A richer and more detailed sketch of Landon Carter's life is available in Jack P. Greene, editor, The Diary of Colonel Landon Carter of Sabline Hall, 1752-1778 (2 vols.; Charlottesville, 1965). This volume provides complete transcripts of the Carter diary (which constitutes a part of this collection), and rich annotation. This guide has been divided into three sections: the papers for 1650-1779 which have been calendared by Wineman; the papers for 1780-1918; and the diary of Landon Carter which has been published by Jack P. Greene.
Sabine Hall Papers, 1650-1779
The Sabine Hall Papers, ca. 250 items, 1650-1779, relate to the Carter family and particularly to Landon Carter (1710-1778).
Included are deeds,
patents, maps, surveys, and indentures dating from 1650. Personal correspondence begins ca. 1736, and comprises the majority
of items from that point to Carter's death in 1778. The correspondence and papers
reflect the everyday concerns of a planter: money, crops, land, slaves, family and health. Early correspondence is largely
focused on dealings with factors who handled the tobacco produced on the Carter
plantations. This correspondence is interspersed among the various documents cited above.
With the advent of a new British colonial policy after 1763, Carter's correspondence took on a different complexion. There is a strong and sustained interest expressed in issues dividing the Parliament and the colonies, with Carter taking a firm stance against taxation without representation both in his private correspondence and writings for the press. For Carter, acquiescence in British policies would open the door to infringements on American liberties, indeed, to the enslavement of the American people.
Perhaps because he was such a large slaveholder, and witnessed the debasement attached to dependency, Carter was, as Edmund Morgan has suggested in a broader context, particularly sensitive to anything that smacked of dictation. Overt references to slavery are interlaced through Carter's writings at this time. See, for example, a twenty-four page "letter" in response to an article written by William Pym and published in the "Public Ledger" on August 25, 1765. Pym's article set forth the British view on parliament's right to tax the colonies. Carter offered a detailed rebuttal, observing that he wrote as he did to "give a hint, that nothing can be pictured terrible enough to make an Englishman relish slavery, and give up his liberties on this side of the Atlantic...." In this connection, consult also an undated document, probably 1768, "To the Members of the Late House of Representatives of Massachusetts Bay," a draft of a circular in Carter's hand; Carter to William Rind, 177[?]; and Carter to the Virginia Gazette , 18 July 1774.
Carter was for all intents and purposes retired from public life after his defeat for re-election to the Burgesses in 1768, but he remained in touch with legislative affairs through the correspondence of his son Robert Wormeley Carter and later a nephew, Ralph Wormeley Carter. He also served as chairman of a meeting of the County of Richmond Committee Respecting the Association for American Freedom (see the minutes, October 27, 1774).
Carter was less active once independence was declared, and his correspondence reflects this. There are fewer letters during the first years of the war (1776-1778), though Carter was evidently keeping up with the progress and problems of the infant republic. In a letter to Virginia Gazette publisher Alexander Purdie, September, 1776, Carter attempted to caution the public about the consequences of a lack of available money, and went on to question the wisdom of Congress promising to pay off part of its loans in June, 1777. In an undated letter, probably written in 1777, Carter questioned whether General Burgoyne should have been allowed to surrender on the terms reported.
Not all of Carter's correspondence, of course, relates to the large matters of the Revolution and war. There are mundane family letters mentioning health, recent activities and small purchases of varying kinds, and some medical observations by Carter. Undated items include a petition regarding a river division near Carter's property; Carter's proposal to establish a school in Luneberg Parish in Richmond County; an essay on the cultivation of hops; Carter's method of making harnesses for oxen and horses; and miscellaneous papers. There is also an inventory of Carter's estate, dated February, 1779.
A calendar of these papers has been published by Walter Ray Wineman for the University of Virginia Press as The Landon Carter Papers in the University of Virginia Library: A Calendar and Biographical Sketch (Charlottesville, 1962). Wineman provides useful abstracts of the individual items. His listing is marred by numerous errors in dating and transcription.
Sabine Hall Papers, 1780-1918
The Sabine Hall Papers ca. 1780-1918, encompass 815 items relating to the Carter family, and particularly the affairs of Robert
Wormeley Carter
(1734-1797) and his grandson Robert Wormeley Carter (1797-1861).
By no means an exhaustive collection, these papers nonetheless cover a wide range of personal and financial matters, and provide a fairly comprehensive picture of the daily life of a large Virginia planter. Included are indentures, maps, and surveys of Carter family properties; miscellaneous receipts and business papers, deeds, stocks and bonds (the latter for the Confederate States of America); miscellaneous copies of Virginia newspapers and pamphlets; Robert W. Carter I's journal for 1783; election statistics; commodity price quotations; Robert Wormeley Carter's account books (mid-19th century); a published journal of the 1836 Whig Convention in Virginia that nominated William Henry Harrison for President; inventories of items in the estate of Landon Carter (1760-1820) and his son Robert Wormeley Carter; and personal correspondence of the Carter family. There is also an official pardon issued in September, 1865, to Dr. Armistead Nelson Wellford by President Andrew Johnson following Wellford's declaration of allegiance to the United States.
The personal correspondence is not extensive, and focuses primarily, though not exclusively, on business matters. There is some correspondence of Robert Wormeley Carter (d. 1861), most notably with his sister Virginia Tayloe; with his brother-in-law Dr. Armistead Nelson Wellford; and with Bishop William Meade agreeing to search for materials relevant to Meade's projected history of the Virginia Episcopal Church.
Correspondence touching upon political, economic, and social life in the Old dominion includes two letters from John Tyler to Robert Wormeley Carter. The first (January 7, 1836) mentions Tyler's political break with the Jackson Administration (probably over Jackson's fiscal policies), and his course in the United States Senate relative to the policy of Instruction. The second letter from Tyler (ca. 1843) invited Robert Carter to dinner at the White House.
Although he preferred the private pursuits of farming to the hurly-burly of political life, Robert Wormeley Carter did run for and hold political office. A staunch Whig, he served two terms in the Virginia Senate, in which capacity he chaired the Senate Banking Committee. A letter from John Wellford (February 17, 1836) relates to Carter's Senate role. In the letter Wellford, a proponent of a new bank for Fredericksburg, explained that he sought to provide more capital for local enterprise. "Allow me to remark that the vacuum occasioned by the withdrawal of the U.S. Bank must and will be filled in one way or the other and if our Legislature withholds the requisite facilities, Pennsylvania will supply them, and ridicule our folly in affording the opportunity of doing so--I am not an advocate for excessive Banking Capital, but surrounded as we are by those who are forcing internal improvements by means of Banks and thereby taking our legitimate trades from us, we are left without alternatives...."
In 1846 and again ten years later there were efforts to pull Carter out of political retirement, the first time as Whig nominee for the State Senate, the second as Union Candidates for Congress (Virginia's 8th District). In each instance Carter politely but firmly declined to be a candidate. See, for example, his letter to the Richmond Whig , July 21, 1856.
Robert Wormeley Carter died in 1861 and the great bulk of material in this collection following his decease relates to his estate and the protracted settlement of claims upon it and owed to it. E. J. Tayloe, George W. Lewis, and Dr. Armistead N. Wellford were the joint executors of the estate, and their correspondence for several years (especially 1867-1873) details their financial concerns. There are periodic references in these letters to family matters and weather conditions. Some of them, moreover, discuss politics. Of these, Judge George W. Lewis to Armistead Wellford, January 17, 1868, is perhaps the most revealing. "There never has occurred in our history," Lewis wrote (in part), "a more tremendous & alarming crisis to stir the blood & rouse the energies of our White people than now. The issue is distinctly presented, whether we are to govern ourselves or be governed by negroes--whether we are to continue the proud old Virginia that we were--with our cherished institutions & civilization, or to be a Jamaica or San Domingo. The contest is a fearful one, & the result doubtful. I believe we can save ourselves with United & strenuous effort." A month later Lewis explained to Wellford that "we are organizing for the contest with the negroes & Radicals this Spring. There was a large attendance at last Court, and the people seemed interested and sound." Referring to the "nefarious" work of a recent "Congo" Convention, Lewis promised to do his best to preserve the purity of Southern institutions. Other letters, however, refer more disgustedly to the "Chaos" reigning in Virginia under military rule (Lewis to Wellford, April 24, 1869).
In June, 1873, Lewis mentioned the possibility of Dr. Wellford obtaining a Senate nomination on the "Conservative" ticket, adding that there were difficulties in procuring it. Apparently the difficulties prove insurmountable, since there is no further mention of politics in the correspondence.
Landon Carter and the Diary
On the face of it, Landon Carter of Sabine Hall lived an enviable life. The son of Robert "King" Carter, he was born in 1710
with all the advantages.
Scion of the wealthiest and perhaps most powerful Virginia family, Carter was raised with every expectation that he would
take his place among the natural leaders of the Virginia Commonwealth. Educated in London
until age sixteen, Carter returned to learn the methods by which a large plantation operated. He married (for the first of
three times) at age twenty-two, the year his father died. Through inheritance and his own
acumen as a speculator, Carter accumulated some seven estates totaling over 20,000 acres, including on this property 261 slaves,
seventy horses, and 368 cattle. (cf. Jackson Turner Main, "The One Hundred," William and Mary Quarterly , 3d, series, XI, 1954, esp. pp. 364, 372; an inventory of Carter's holdings in February of 1779, a year after his death,
indicated that he possessed 401 slaves.
As a gentleman of standing in the community, Carter held many offices in Richmond County. His astringent personality, however, did not win him the hearts of his neighbors. Carter was defeated three times in bids to enter the House of Burgesses (a remarkable comment given his wealth and status) prior to his first success in 1752. He served there through 1768, when he was retired by the voters. Although Carter declined ever to run again for public office (partly, no doubt, to avoid the mortification attached to possible defeat), he did not entirely cut himself off from current affairs. He was an interested spectator, then an active participant in the protests against England over the shift in colonial policy in the 1760s, and wrote some of the strongest attacks on taxation without representation. Though staunchly conservative and leary of a too assertive citizenry, Carter supported the Revolutionary movement, and contributed what he could to it, convinced as he was that the King and Parliament were engaged in a deliberate plot to undermine the liberties of the colonists and to "enslave" them.
Carter's life and career, though rich in many ways, was not outstanding. He authored no groundbreaking laws, made no significant agricultural discoveries, penned no memorable phrases-failed, really, to leave an impression on his times. As Jack P. Greene has noted, "there is little in the general pattern of his life to distinguish him from any number of his contemporaries among the Virginia gentry." ("Introduction" to The Diary of Colonel Landon Carter , I, p. 9).
Yet if Carter's life was in many ways representative, it was also distinctive, and quite bluntly, less happy than the surface story would suggest. We know this because of his diary, which is rich in commonplace observation, reflection, and above all, indicative of the thinking of at least one member of the planter elite in eighteenth century Virginia.
Carter's diary gives the lie to assertions that the planter elite was preternaturally disposed to leisure. His ethic of work and pursuit of self knowledge and, for that matter, his constant references to God's will, was as stringent as any Puritan's. Carter kept a tight rein over his properties, and was engaged in overseeing all phases of plantation operations. His diary reveals him alert to the latest trends in farming, and willing to experiment with new methods where they might bring him higher yields (see, as one example, his use of decayed corn stalks as "manure"; entry of 17 March 1771, in Greene, Diary , I, 548-549).
The basic tasks and cycles of agricultural life clearly dominate the diary. It is not surprising in this context that observations about and reflections on the weather are so common. Lack or surfeit of rain proved alternately the banes of Landon Carter's existence as a planter. He captured the situation nicely in an entry of 7 July, 1757: "The poor farmer must always feel the weather and rejoice when it is good and be patient when it is unreasonable." (Greene, I, p. 161). Or, more plaintively and succinctly, the comment of 12 March 1767: "O for a little good weather." (Greene, I, 337).
Too much or too little rain had broader ramifications than crop growth and yields. Intensely hot weather, for example, was almost inevitable accompanied by sickness among Carter's family and his slaves. Carter was extremely solicitous of his slaves in such periods, overseeing in great detail the prescriptions for their recovery. It might be added that the same master who prescribed any number of remedies for his slaves' ailments was equally adept at applying the lash, both verbally and literally, when they displeased him. Negative references to slaves are riddled through the diary.
So too, to a somewhat lesser extent, are negative references to Landon Carter's son and heir, Robert Wormeley Carter (1734-1797). One of Landon's early diary references to Robert (14 January 1764) mentions a "graceless" son. Others refer to Robert's "extravagance" and disrespect and his unwillingness to apply himself to proper work. Relations between the two men were increasingly strained as Robert Wormeley continued to live under his father's roof into his thirties while sedulously declining to emulate his father's strict life-style. Ironically enough, one of their most explosive encounters, as related by the troubled father, was provoked by the son rebuking his father for extravagance. In July of 1766, Robert Wormeley Carter and his father were relaxing together, and the latter ordered a slave to fetch some tea. Robert passed a remark about the impropriety of doing so more than once a week, whereupon Landon exploded: "What Sir! Can't I spend my own money?" "By god," Robert replied, "You will have none to spend soon." (entry of 6 July, 1766, in Greene, Diary , I, p. 314). So it went. The diary shows that the two men never did reach an accommodation, and this estrangement helped color Landon's later years. He became more irritable, reclusive, self-pitying, and in his fears that his son might actually assault him (or worse), took to carrying a pistol with him around the house. (cf. Louis Morton, "Robert Wormeley Carter of Sabine Hall: Note on the Life of a Virginia Planter" Journal of Southern History , XII (1946), 347-348). "Surely it is happy our laws prevent parricide," one diary entry reads, "or the devil that moves to this treatment would move to put his father out of the way. Good god! That such a monster is descended from my loins!" (Diary entry of 16 March 1776, in Greene, Diary , II, p. 1004). (For a good, brief account of the enmity between Carter pére and fils, and an interesting context for it, see David Hackett Fischer, Growing Old in America , New York: Oxford University Press, 1977, esp. pp. 73-76).
Relations with his son Robert aside, Landon Carter did not have a very happy old age. Part of the explanation for this is the fact that he outlived all of his wives. Moreover, from his family and friends he received little of the attention, respect, or comfort he craved and expected as his due. He was worried about the "democratizing" influences of the war, and unhappy with the conduct of that conflict. Where in the early 1770s Landon Carter had embraced the Revolutionary movement as a war on corruption and the "imperfect nature of man," (cf. Introduction, Greene, Diary , I, p. 48), he was in his last years increasingly jaundiced about his family and his world, and did not look confidently to the future.
Taken as a whole, Landon Carter's diary is a document of major import for students of Southern history. Providing insight into the ideology of a leading representative of the planter elite, the diary has much to say as well about agriculture, medicine, weather, family, social life and governance in Virginia. It is a necessary if not sufficient guidepost for anyone seeking to penetrate one crucial element of life in eighteenth century Virginia.
The Papers of the Carter and Wellford Family of Sabine Hall are arranged in eleven series: Series I: Correspondence of Landon Carter; Series II: Financial and Legal Papers of Landon Carter; Series III: Papers of Landon Carter; Series IV: Diary of Landon Carter; Series V: Correspondence of Robert Wormeley Carter; Series VI: Correspondence of Armistead Nelson Wilford; Series VII: Correspondence of Robert Carter Wellford and Armistead Nelson Wellford; Series VIII: Financial Papers of the Carter and Wellford Families; Series IX: Legal Papers of the Carter Family; Series X: Miscellaneous; and Series XI: Larger Bound Volumes. All series are arranged chronologically within themselves, except for the items in Series VIII, the Financial Papers of the Carter and Wellford families, which are arranged categorically in some parts, particularly within items concerning the Estate of Robert Wormeley Carter.
land for glebe and poor house
patriotism; American army; French army; British army; John André Benedict Arnold; Revolution
discharging debts
Landon Carter estate
bond held by W. Fitzhugh; fishing in the Rappahannock and the James River
requests money for passage to her native country
widow of James Ford; details family woes; requests money
discusses the constitution, presidential caucus, Electoral College, principles of government
birth of little sister
advice on education and ladies; instructions to buy a coach in Lancaster
advice on establishing character and the temptations faced; specifications for a coach to be bought by his son; raising a company of cavalry; British army
retreating to Clermont; evacuation of slaves from Sabine Hall to the upper country
epidemic; death of Senator Richard Brent; family news
leaving Fredericksburg; poor health
humor regarding the latter's upcoming marriage to Mary Walker Carter
practicality of trip to Richmond; upcoming marriage of Mary Berkeley Minor to [William Mathews] Blackford; value of Jessy
Dr. Archer; improvements that will be highly beneficial to this section of our State
copy-original in Autograph Collection; Jackson's fiscal policies; Virginia; violation of the Constitution; Benjamin Watkins Lee; current resolutions
on broadside "Public Meeting in the Borough of Norfolk"
establishment of a new bank in Fredericksburg to provide more capital for public improvement and individual enterprise
Rebecca Dulaney and her education and guardianship; Mr. Daingerfield
children's recovery from measles
family news; dental work; grandmother's birthday celebration on January 17th; Madame Paolina Bonaparte in attendance; lessons in school and piano; Charles Carroll and his daughter, Violetta
daughters attending dancing school; Mr. [John Quincy] Adams
burning of Shute's Hill near Alexandria; spending summer in London with Uncle Armistead Carter; Mr. Daingerfield
party at the Rives' home with Emily [Amelie] and Ella; piano lessons; Methodist Preacher Stanley from Alabama
French studies; family news
wedding of Lane Lomax and Sarah Barnard; living with grandmother; Octagon House
copy-original in Vault, Autograph Collection; requests his attendance at dinner
provides character letter for Armistead Wellford and family as suitable for marriage to Carter's daughter; sowed clover-seed; Bishop Meade; Edward McGuire
dispute between the families; effect on his daughter's happiness
arrangement to procure a suitable house and lot in Fredericksburg for his daughter's comfort; offer to reside in his home
suitable home for his daughter
expresses surprise and concern over Carter relaying an accusation that he was inhospitable to Messrs. Conrad and Faulkner; discusses their many communications and the intent to get together; the Whig Convention of Baltimore in 1844; the current political torrent, with John Janney being defeated in Loudoun County and Jefferson electing two democrats to the House of Delegates; negative comments on his expected results of the Virginia Reform Convention
expresses surprise over the charge that Carter had been inhospitable to Mr. Conrad or himself; Whig Convention of Baltimore in 1840; claims that Carter has always been very open in extending invitations to visit
relaying that he had been informed that Mason had circulated a report of Carter's inhospitality; denying any occasion where he treated Messrs. Conrad and Faulkner with anything less than respect and kindness, claiming it to be false and malicious
Anderson's performances; Sabine Hall; Villette by Charlotte Bronte
Baptist association in session; Dr. Bacon and his wife
winter storm; State Society [of the Agricultural and Mechanical Society]; guano monopoly; Southern Planter
Tayloe lawsuit; difficulties with Ogle Tayloe; statesmen Clay, Webster, and Calhoun
death of Mrs. Lomax
Rappahannock River Agricultural and Mechanical Society; request for Carter to address their annual meeting; wheat and corn crops
dispute between the families over the settlement of the estate; family news
land dispute with W. Henry Tayloe
law suites; dispute between the legatees and his father's executors; past settlements
desire to reduce debts; dispute between the families; plan of arbitration proposed by Judge Lomax; contested claim of interest; payment to Dr. Wellford
draft owed Carter from Benjamin Ogle Tayloe; delay in the arbitration due to Carter's withdrawal of assent
reasons for not uniting in the proposal for arbitration
intention to examine the census of the defendants in the case; proposal of Judge Lomax; opinion on law suit
health of "Lizzie" [Elizabeth Landon Carter] Wellford following childbirth of second child; son Carter
death of mother Virginia Tayloe with herself, Benjamin Ogle Tayloe and his wife, Lewis (their old servant) in attendance; request their presence at the funeral
Carter's reluctance to change position concerning law suit; actions preventing his brother's invitation to attend their mother's funeral; "restoration of miserable, personal relations"
[inquiries about the family; feelings about moving from Octagon House, Washington, D. C. to Virginia Place; effects on the family of George W. Lewis while he is sent on a three year cruise; settlement of an account with Mr. Scott; limited accommodations for herself and her sister, Anne, and her children
Senator, their thoroughbred horse; the latter's health
Meade's history of the Episcopal Church [Old churches, ministers and families of Virginia]; gleanings, recollections, anecdotes and descriptions of their church and its people; Reverends Isaac William Giberne and George Young; purchase of the family Massey silver vessels by John Tayloe and presented to Saint John's Church; influence of the Carter, Tayloe, Lee, and other powerful families; Church in Farnham Parish; Reverend Brockenbrough; Miss McCall's grammar school; time without religious instruction
agreement between the two men concerning Elias working for Lackey, earning journeymen's wages
Col. Tayloe's proposal of the restoration of the social relations of their families; Carter's refusal
declining his nomination to Congress signed by "Essex" in the Whig, with the clipping
egotiation on debt; bad crop year; owns real estate and wishes to sell some of the tracts
privilege to witness the Christian death of Elizabeth Landon Carter; recollections of her last few days; advice on the treatment of his remaining daughter, Ann, as a rational, sensible woman; determination of their homes and of the boys
agrees to undertake Kate's commission
heavy liabilities; portion of debt now liquidated; pressing not to sue him; will give a confession of judgment
elected as life-member of the Virginia Historical Society by nomination of Charles Carter Lee and recommendation of the Executive Committee
acceptance of proposition
news of the children, Carter and Randolph; news of Richmond and "the number of negroes, who fill the streets..."
auction sale of stocks of local estates; expected large attendance at the Convention; news of the children, Carter and Randolph
Bank of Commerce business; agreement between Carter and Mays; suggests getting a deed of trust for the tract
sent statement of interest due; requests deed of trust on the stock sold
Mays requested negotiation which failed
Hays has given a confession of judgment; struggling to relieve himself of debt
Carter has deed of trust for tract of land on James River
concern for brother's health; Shelby's promotion; note to John Minor about 'Kit Kat' post rates; sons in the Army; Richard H. Dulaney; "death of poor Washington, killed under Gen. Lee..." and earlier death of his wife, daughter of Wilson Seldon of Exeter, leaving eight orphans; death of Robert Armistead, leaving his wife and three daughters alone in Arkansas
arising from an accusation of desertion from the British Army in 1778 by the latter against the former
debt owed to the Carter estate
promises payments on debt owed to the Carter estate
Col. Carter advanced money to Caperton, Morton and himself for the bonds to be used by the R. H. Maury & Company
debts owed to the Carter estate; payment schedule; has some old rum in his possession belonging to the estate
inconvenient to pay on small note to Col. Carter having just bought a furnace property
debt paid last July
evidence of payment to Col. Carter on September 6,1861
notice to the debtors of the estate to pay interest
interest on bond due to the Carter estate; ability to make payment depends on selling land; laws on interest
suggestions toward the settlement of the Ward debt; deed of trust upon negroes; suggestion to expedite his qualification as guardian for his eldest son, thereby having the Sabine Hall real estate solely under his control; separation of profits of the land stock and the personal estate
interest on bond due to the Carter estate; war has left farmers destitute; his financial schemes depended on the success of the Confederacy; has crop of wheat and cattle; mentions Willoughby Newton; recent elections of Conrad, Stewart and Benjamin Johnson Barbour
debts owed to the Carter estate
court obligations; suggestion of obtaining judgments in debt cases where debtors own land; advises him to make an inventory of the personal estate to which Carter is entitled; legal requirements
list of bonds for taxation; debts owed to the Carter estate
principal of the debts; difficulty in ascertaining payments made and balances due; promissory note from F. H. Mays
concern over a matter in the administration of the estate of Col. Carter; conversion of State Stocks to Confederate securities; cases where executors involving infants may be held liable for change of investments
Judge Lomax's debt to the Carter estate; proposal to sell the certificates of interest of Kate Carter's Virginia Stock; Kate's health; severe winter; mention of sensational trial and impeachment of President Andrew Johnson; note from W. S. Barton
"stag laws" negative effect on collectors; impending judgments; comment on present legislature and the effects of reconstruction laws, including the repudiation law
collection of debts owed to the Carter estate; insolvent condition of the White Sulphur Springs Company
in debt to the executors and the estate
opportunity to draw Kate's interest on Virginia Stock; disfranchised under General Schofield's Order; pardoned by the President; seeks assistance for this dilemma from Judge William Wood Crump; monument in memory of lost soldiers; contrabands outnumber in Hampton District; hostility toward Congress
letter from Alexander Tayloe demanding interest on bonds of Col. Carter; response to the demand; confer with Maury and Capterton; debts owed to the Carter estate; John Seddon's land
draft from E. C. Marshall
arrangements with one of the debtors
various judgments for interest; unproductive to serve judgment against certain debtors
arrival of Kate Carter at Powhatan Hill
Kate's request for money weekly; interest due her; certificates of stock
Kate's January dividend; contact the auditor for the certificates for the arrears of interest not paid on the State Stock
William Henry Tayloe ready to settle debt of Newman
unproductive to serve judgment against certain debtors assumed character of Mr. May; demoralization of the times; Miller to foreclose the deed of trust; broken promises to pay interest on debts; suits against some of the debtors; regret in being appointed by the Conservative Convention to the Consulting Committee of the District; thoughts on the proceedings of the Convention; scheme of organization too complex; harsh comments on the radicals pushing for the black vote; negative opinion on the future of the government; lengthy discourse of his fears and opinions of what black civil rights would bring; "diabolical scheme of radical policy" to secure the presidential election with the black vote
trustees account; Kate's debt; the France accounts
meeting with ladies who are the legatees under the will of Dr. Hooe; debts owed to the Carter estate; May debt; decision on best course to pursue; theatre of operations so far away; judgments on debtors; organized to battle the radicals in the spring; promise to do everything to save the Commonwealth
War debt owed to the Carter estate; Congressional Convention's rejection of repudiation or scaling of debts
advice on handling the bankruptcy of Ward; consultation with Beverley R. Wellford on the Morgan case; debts owed to the Carter estate
Beverley R. Wellford to attend to the interests of the estate; debts owed to the Carter estate; enclosed letter from Beverley R. Wellford concerning the Morgan case
statement of debts paid through Dr. Beverley R. Wellford; Kate's debts to Wellford
location of the Mays bond; questions of antagonistic interests between the legatees; suggests that Beverley R. Wellford attend to this matter; General Schofield has suspended proceedings under deeds of trust
Miller's debt; enclosed letter from Miller; possible consent to an estate sale for cash
Kate's request for money; family news
urged payment of the interest on Caperton's note
H. A. Risley's payment of interest on the Kemper account; news that Tom Jones conveyed all of his property to his family to secure other creditors
propositions from S. A. J. Salter, John Carnell and F. B. Miller concerning their respective tracts
advertisement of the May's land; May's intention to avail himself of the bankrupt act
advises attendance to the sale of the May's land; proposal of involuntary bankruptcy to Tom Jones and advice against this action; E. C. Marhsall's debt
request to Miller to postpone the sale of May's land due to a conflict with the election
discussion of May's bankruptcy
request to Garland to pay his bonds to R. W. Carter
proposals set before Wellford; Mays case to go in front of Court of Bankruptcy; assignees acquire legal title by the deed of assignment
unclear as to the effects of May's bankruptcy on the sale of his land; letter from F. B. Miller
opinions on the bankrupt law; difficulties explained by Miller
Mays' bankruptcy should not interfere with the sale under the trust bond; six months before the adjudication of the bankruptcy; assignee in bankruptcy elected by creditors; in interest of the estate to facilitate the proceedings in bankruptcy
sale of Mr. Mays' property; consulted with Judge William David Cole of the Court of Appeals
saw Mr. Scott, president of the Bank of Commerce in Fredericksburg; examination of the transfer book revealed several transfers six months prior to Carter's sale to Mays
report and account of Carter's executors to Mr. Chew; personal property transferred to Wellford as guardian of his son, Carter; discussion of charging the expenses and profits of the land to his ward; inquiry as to his commission
Col. Tayloe's approval in relation to borrowing money to discharge the bonds; Tyler's debt; advises to borrow sufficient funds to pay off the whole debt owed to Gordon
Col. Allen stated that the estate of Mr. Mays was turned over to the assignees; Col. Allen does not feel authorized to take further steps in the case
payment depends on the result of a negotiation
payment of James Marshall on his bond and J. C. Mays' debt
called as witness to the prosecution in the Postmistress at Oak vs. C. C. Jett; Mays' draft
clerk recorded the executorial account
action concerning the Missouri bonds; the Gordon suit; discounted debts
"obstinate inaction and paralysis in public affairs"; Wallace and Coleman debts; Lemoine suit; Dr. Mays' draft; wish to dispose of the Warsaw City property; Missouri bonds; all court business suspended; possible loss on the Lee debt; William Little defense in suit against the Seddon estate
draft of Dr. Mays to be paid; incidental expenses; Council in Fredericksburg
bankruptcy of Fletcher H. Mays; question of usury in the sale of the Bank of Commerce stock to Mays; Judge Raleigh Travers Daniel
served by the Circuit Court of Richmond on Figgatt vs. Williams assignees of Fletcher M. Mays in banktruptcy; B. T. Johnson solicitor for complainant; charge of usury; Beverley R. Wellford and Judge William Daniel to assist in such proceedings; need to prove if stock was a sale or a loan; wishes to retain Judge Joynes of the Court of Appeals and Christian (Joynes, Christian and Joynes)
copy of the bill of Mays' assignees
power of attorney; Judge Richard Cassius Lee Moncure's award as to the interpretation of the will
petition of Mays' against the Carter executors; Beverley R. Wellford familiar with the case; Judge Raleigh Travers Daniel
case of Mays' assignees vs. Carter's executors; importance of the presence of Beverley R. Wellford; Judge Raleigh Travers Daniel
important to attend "this dishonorable proceeding of May"; Judge R. C. L. Moncure's award on the construction of the will
information from the books of the Bank of Commerce concerning transactions between Carter and Mays
personal and professional financial difficulties; suffering from neuralgia or rheumatism; plans for a meeting with Col. Tayloe. Armistead Nelson Wellford, and himself; Morgan debt; some of Belfield's bonds are insolvent
judgment for costs in Carter executors vs. Morgan; suit terminated when a agreement was made between Morgan, his attorney, and himself; explanation and reasons for agreement
power of attorney to draw the dividends on Kate's [Catherine Carter's] stock
proposal to adopt a course to raise the gold to meet the demands of Gold & Taylor; debts of Jones, Marshall and Kemper; Morgan property at Warsaw; Judge Moncure's charge for the arbitration case; case against Miss Carter
Judge Moncure's fee as arbitrator; Risley and Marshall debts; explanation of the debt owed to Moncure and Barton
no deed of trust on James Marshall's land to secure the debt; courses to take in collecting the debt; character of James Marshall as highly honorable and quite elderly; Edward C. Marshall's case is obstinate and chronic; may be compelled to resort to a sale under the deed; Kemper date to be paid in gold; election of judges; relates a "murder, arson & robbery marked by the most barbarous & atrocious circumstances" in the neighborhood of "Claymont"; actions blamed on the negroes; bitter feelings and threats to hang those guilty
assumption of the Kemper debt by Col. H. A. Risley; arrangements to pay debt in silver; requirement of assignment before payment
received the Morgan deed; advice from Beverley R. Wellford as to a suitable lawyer for the suits; own preference is James Neeson; death of Pendelton, the trustee, causing some impediment; Kemper bonds and Missouri bonds will enable the proper funds to be raised to discharge Col. Carter's liability to Gordon & Taylor; suggestion that all parties unite and raise the amount in greenbacks to pay the debt; to consult with Allen Taylor Caperton; debts of the Marshalls; old-fashioned ideas about judges; talk of himself nominated for county judge
problem with procurement of silver by H. A. Riggs; Riggs is a gentleman and honorable man
constitutionality of the legal tender notes was before the Supreme Court; Riggs attempt to secure silver; payment of portion of Judge Moncure's fee; Judge Herndon; authorized Beverly R. Wellford to engage the services of James Alfred Jones in the May case; Warsaw shop property
pleasant visit with Kate Carter at Sabine Hall; appointment of W. A. Brockenbrough as clerk; payment of Lemaine debt by Capt. Harding
large portion of Lemaine debt paid; awaiting word from Riggs
delay in payment from H. A. Risley
circumstances of Kate in regard to money; White Sulphur Springs to advance greatly in value from the construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad
his account with the estate; suggests that James Alfred Jones take the depositions from Wellford and Miller
wishes to apply for the settlement
sale of the residue of the Missouri bonds; proposal to Gordon; Marshall, Risley and Jones debts; no personal property at Sabine Hall to levy; title transferred to Wellford, the guardian of Robert Carter Wellford
estate provisions for Kate; responsibility for supplying her needs; convention at Matthew's Court House to nominate a candidate for Congress
no word from Risley; instructed Lawrence B. Taylor, trustee to proceed with the sale of "Clifton" to pay the debt
insurance paid on the house; Wellford elected as a member of the Board of Vickers of William and Mary College
deed of trust from Morgan to Pendleton; Mr. Sydnor wishes to purchase portion of the property; Kemper and Marshall debts; deposits made by H. A Risley
examined the answer he proposes to file in the case of Carter vs. Mays
Kemper debt paid through Riggs and Company
D. H. Gordon's debts against White Sulphur Springs; payments received from D. H. Gordon, Allen Taylor Caperton, Gen. F. H. Smith, Philip St. George Cocke
receipt to Wellford for payment to D. H. Gordon by the White Sulphur Springs obligors; several accounts as guardian of Robert Carter Wellford and executor of the estate of Robert Wormeley Carter
mortgage on property
debt to the Carter executors by Thomas R. and Lawson Waring; proposals to clear debt; visit to Tappahannock by W. L. Waring and Robert Baylor; R. M. T. (Robert Mercer Taliaferro) Hunter; the Warings and R. M. T. Hunter protect their property from creditors when drawn to deeds of trust and settlements; accuses these "most trusted & worthy men a great relaxation of morals"; deed of trust from Robert Waring; delinquent debt of E. C. Marshall; W. L. Waring not willing to make a confession of judgment
Mr. Llewelyn's payment and intent
John M. Carty qualified as township clerk; value of a certain property will be decreased if the Shaw house is not included
Bradley T. Johnson's propositions of compromise to Judge Beverley Randolph Wellford; objections to the propositions
account of Mr. Little for publishing circular notices of the change of the courts
anxious for settlement of the claim due by the Waring brothers; suggests proposition; claims they hold against Col. Tayloe
explanation of payment distribution of Wellford's check
explanation of payment distribution of Wellford's check
agreement to the terms proposed by Mr. Figgat
Kate's July remittance; corn crop
arrangement of debt of Edward C. Marshall; Jacqueline A. Marshall and John T. Grant subsequent purchasers of the land; united deed of trust and bonds
enclosing sketch of the chart with the soundings off Tappahannock; corn and wheat crops and prices; election of Critcher, Montague and Braxton for judge
conversations with Allen Taylor Braxton about his proposition concerning his debt; Braxton's transactions
rejection of Waring's and Gordon's proposal; award of Richard Cassius Lee Moncure; debt of Allen Taylor Caperton
receipt of check from Warings; proposal from Carter
Carter collected first payments due by D. A. Marshall and I. T. Grant; instructions to remit the money to Wellford; approve proposal pertaining to the Warings' debt; effort to settle with Allen T. Caperton
order on Col. McDonald; roads bad from Sabine Hall; unusual accident where a ferry was hit by a steam boat which was "a cold act of impudence that none but a Yankee would have been guilty of"; deteriorating condition of the ferry and the rope; judiciary question before the General Assembly
Carter's request to hold the previous check
proposition from Allen Taylor Caperton; Caperton's claim against the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company; problem with the Warings and their debt; Col. Gordon's assistance; Mr. Figgat's delay in writing; business with Mr. Nevitt; prosecutions against Burk Stuart ended in his favor; fishing cases of James and Frank Stuart; request him to consult with Col. McDonald and get copies of Grattan's Reports
nomination of Dr. Armistead; Whig and Radical parties; "colored gentry may elect" a popular man, if found by the Radicals
check from J. A. Carter; general meeting of the alumni of the University of Virginia on July 1st; request to Judge James Mercer Garnett to delay court date; Wellford's nomination to the Senate; caution among the politicians; districts in the State; choice of leaders should be for their capacity and qualifications; Robert Hall has declared himself a candidate; prejudices often enter into making decisions; J. D. Rodgers anxious for the position; radical party strong in the Northern Neck
bond requested by the Warings; Kate's ill health; Anne may not be able to leave home to go to Sabine Hall because of delicate nature; good quality of wheat crops
informed of Kate's death by Judge Lewis; necessity of closing their trusteeship; praise of her character
attempting to collect from the present holder of the Carter tract; debts to the Carter estate
negative comments on the County Court system and General Assembly; debt of Col. Frank Jones to the Carter estate
offer for letters of George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, and others; describes content of some letters
describes deteriorating condition of some letters
offers on group of letters, including from Washington, and Gov. Gooch and Faquier, and a copy of Sir Henry Clinton's proclamation; inquires as to whereabouts of Col. John Tayloe's papers
received Gooch, Fauquier and Squire Lee letters; read account of the silver spoons; John Tayloe's daughter married Francis Lightfoot Lee and acquired "Menokin"; inquires again about the whereabouts of John Tayloe's papers
returns one bundle of letters; advises that the letters should never be folded but laid out flat and open; inquires about "Landsdowne," home of Arthur Lee and the old mansion where Francis Lightfoot Lee used to live
instructed by John Stewart Bryan, president of William and Mary, to offer $500 for the letters offered to the Library; wish to preserve Virginia manuscripts; identification of writers of some letters; list, 1892, of letters sold by Robert Carter Wellford and another handwritten list enclosed; whereabouts of the Havemeyer collection; Duke University may have bought Havemeyer collection; copy of the inventory of Landon Carter I
Estate of Landon Carter in account with the Estate of the Rt. Hon. Thomas Fairfax; taxable property of Robert Wormeley Carter
issued to and signed by Jeremiah Morton, Allen Taylor Caperton, John Prosser Tabb, Robert Wormeley Carter, Richard Henry Dulaney, Robert B. Bolling, and Philip St. George Cocke; bonds were later signed over to Douglas H. Gordon, and A. F. Taylor
in account with Armistead Nelson Wellford and Beverley R. Wellford and the Bank of Virginia
made by Griffin Garland for Robert Wormeley Carter
Rust desires Carter to release his claim on the tract of land; Carter has consented; agreement to sell land to William L. Waring and John Waring; agreement to sell negro slaves Sarah and her daughter, Wennie, to Bramham and McCarty
with certain provisions, and granting forever the fourth cottage in Baltimore Row under said terms and limitations
five negro slaves to wit Bladen, John, Frank, Randal and Phil belonging to Wellford together with negroes from A. H. H. Bernard and Benjamin R. Baird absconded from their owners in a small boat down the Rappahannock River
three negro men slaves to wit Elias, William and Jesse left under circumstances that predict that they went to the public enemy; good character and work traits of these slaves; two negroes to wit Harry and Daniel ran away to the north side of the Tappahannock River; draft of Wellford's statement to Lowry
rules and regulations for said employee
to hire the latter to construct and lay down a causeway across Jugs Creek and permission to use said causeway
terms and conditions of lease
Edward Thornton Tayloe desires to secure the repayment of the sum
judgments covering the years 1860-1875
stating that she has rented the marsh shore as a fishing shore and the marsh for game of all kinds; notice to stop using land
"In imitation of Burn's Lassie we the lint-while Cocks" "Lines on revisiting Jordan's Springs" by Robert Wormeley Carter; An old "Scotch Ballad"; "Leaves from the Note Book of an old Virginia Plantation"; and a brief essay on the American Revolution
containing mill accounts, 1831 July 2-ca. 1838; slave registers for 183?, 1838, 1844, and 1852; inventory of stock and tools at Poplar Hill (Sabine Hall), and House Farm; list of net profits, 1835-1844, for Poplar Hill, Mangorike, and House Farm; cement recipes; crops planted, 1822-1845, with commentary on them; clothing issues, 1839; wine accounts, 1836-1845; miscellaneous accounts of cloth, shoes, corn, and the like; pages 82-195 ripped out
containing Robert Wormley Carter's notes, 1860 January 4-1861 July 14; R.C. Wellford's agricultural diary and accounts, 1878 July 10-1904; and some miscellaneous accounts
copies, mostly of oversize or pre-repair documents already in this collection