Isaac French letter
Content Description
This collection contains a letter from Isaac French to J. Huntsman dated June 17, 1849. French was a guest at Robert Buckner Bolling's plantation in Charles City County, Virginia, called Sandy Point. The letter has no postal markings or stamps, indicating an individual carried it. French describes to his friend his trip to the plantation, the weather, the size of Bolling's fields, the condition of the crops, and the epidemic of cholera and smallpox in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Richmond. Robert was part of the prominent Bolling family and directed the operations of their holdings. The Sandy Point plantation, on the banks of the James River, was included in the dowry of his wife, Sara Melville Menge. Bolling had more than 500 enslaved workers and was active in the American Colonization Society, which worked toward gradual emancipation and establishing a freedman's colony in Liberia. The Bolling's city home, Centre Hill, was located in Petersburg, VA, and is today a city-owned museum.
Acquisition Type
Purchase
Provenance
Purchased from Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC, 5 May 2024.
Language of Description
English
Script of Description
Latin
Restrictions Apply
No
Dates
- Creation: June 17, 1849
Creator
- French, Isaac (Person)
Extent
.03 Cubic Feet (1 letter folder)
Language of Materials
English
Metadata Rights Declarations
- License: This record is made available under an Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license. The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library of the University of Virginia makes its bibliographic records and the metadata contained therein available for public use under the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Designation.
Inventory
2 items: 1 letter and 1 transcription provided by vendor