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Pierce Butler letterbooks
The son of Sir Richard Butler, Pierce Butler was born in Ireland in 1744. He served in the British military, and was assigned to serve in Boston in 1768. He married Mary Middleton, of South Carolina, and he soon relocated to the Charleston area to become a planter there. He owned plantations in S...
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| Collection: | Pierce Butler Letterbooks |
| Collection Number: | Am.0368 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
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| LEADER | 02563ntc a2200193 u 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | ead-Am.0368 | ||
| 008 | 190426i xx eng d | ||
| 040 | |e dacs | ||
| 041 | 0 | |a eng | |
| 099 | |a Am.0368 | ||
| 100 | 1 | |a Butler, Pierce |d 1744-1822. |e creator | |
| 245 | 1 | |a Pierce Butler letterbooks |f 1787-1822 | |
| 300 | |a 0.4 Linear feet |f ; 2 volumes | ||
| 520 | |a The son of Sir Richard Butler, Pierce Butler was born in Ireland in 1744. He served in the British military, and was assigned to serve in Boston in 1768. He married Mary Middleton, of South Carolina, and he soon relocated to the Charleston area to become a planter there. He owned plantations in South Carolina and Georgia, but lost much of his land during the Revolution. In the 1780s, he served in the South Carolina assembly, as adjutant general in the South Carolina militia, and as a delegate to both the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention. He served in the Senate from 1789 to 1796, and again in 1803 to 1804. Butler later moved to Philadelphia, where his daughter lived with her husband. He died in Philadelphia in 1822, and was buried at Christ Church. Butler's letterbooks contain detailed accounts of the business of running a plantation, including descriptions of crops, discussions of quality and prices, orders for supplies, and notes about the enslaved people who worked on the plantation. A great number of Butler's letters dwell on the difficult financial situation in the country after the Revolutionary War. His personal financial situation, as well as that of the country, suffered great setbacks as a result of the war, and he writes to many of his correspondents about the difficulty he is having collecting and paying debts. Butler also discusses the African slave trade, making suggestions to a friend about good markets for slaves in the Southern United States. In one letter (1787), Butler provides the name of a reputable slave trader in the South with whom James Fraser's "African friends" might find a good venue to sell their people. Other topics in Butler's letters include the cultural and political events of the day, like the Jay Treaty and boundary disputes; health concerns; debates within the Senate, and his political views. | ||
| 541 | 1 | |a Purchased, 1984. | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Agriculture--South Carolina--18th century. |2 Local sources | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Politics and Government--18th century |2 Local sources | |
| 650 | 7 | |a Politics and Government--19th century |2 Local sources | |
| 852 | |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania |b Pierce Butler Letterbooks |c Am.0368 | ||