18th cen.: Correspondence including enslavement and servitude documents
Dublin Core
Title
18th cen.: Correspondence including enslavement and servitude documents
Subject
Original documents and annotated transcriptions related to servitude at this property, or produced during the period 1745 - 1883 during which people were enslaved at this Hadley farmstead.
Description
Original documents and annotated transcriptions related to servitude at this property, or produced during the period 1745 - 1883 during which people were enslaved at this Hadley farmstead.
Creator
A project of the Amherst College American Studies course "Global Valley" in collaboration with the Porter Phelps Huntington Foundation and University of Massachusetts Special Collections and University Archives.
Source
These documents are the property of the University Massachusetts Special Collections and University Archives. This is an ongoing project and additional materials will be added over time.
Rights
Contact UMass SCUA for permission to publish or reproduce these materials.
Collection Items
1783.02.11 – Indenture document for David Searl, Feb. 11, 1783
This document records the indenture of the twelve year old David Johnson by Elisha and Rachel Searl on February 11th, 1783. The record states that Johnson will work under Charles Phelps for eight years and eight months, during which time he will…
1787.09.22 – Charles Phelps Jr. to (Moses) Charles Porter Phelps, Sept. 22 1787
This letter was sent from Charles Phelps to his son, Moses Charles Porter Phelps on September 22cd, 1787. At the time, Moses was a student at the University of Cambridge, and his father lived in Hadley. Phelps begins the letter by letting his son…
1769.06.09 – Elizabeth Porter Phelps to Penelope Williams, June 1769
Over the course of eight days in June 1769, Elizabeth Porter Phelps wrote four letters to her dear friend Penelope Williams. In the first letter, Phelps conveys sincere gratitude for Williams’ expressed affection in their last letter exchange, while…
1787.08.31 — Charles Phelps to Moses Porter Phelps, August 31, 1787
Charles Phelps is writing to his son, Moses Porter Phelps, who is currently enrolled at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The letter is dated August 31, 1787. He sends a bond via Mr. White of Watertown and instructs Moses to deliver the…
1769.01.27 - 1769.05.27 — Elizabeth Porter Phelps to Penelope Williams, January 22, 1769 through May 27, 1769
Elizabeth Porter Phelps sends four letters to Penelope Williams, spanning from January 1769 to late May. In the first letter, Elizabeth expresses her conflicting emotions about her faith and relationship to the church. She goes back and forth in…
1786.01.25 — Promissory note from Charles Phelps Jr. to William M’Kean, January 25, 1786
Charles Phelps Jr. writes to William M’Kean promising to pay the sum of eight pounds, three shillings, and two pence by the end of May 1786. Phelps explains that he will pay off this debt as the descendant of his late father.
1775.05.10 — Charles Phelps Sr. to Charles Phelps Jr., May 10, 1775
In this letter, Charles Phelps is writing to his son Charles Phelps. Charles Sr. first lets his son know that he has received and plans to take care of the cattle that his son sent. Next Charles Sr. asks his son to bring a number of things including…
1813.01.22 — Receipt from Charles Phelps and the Hampshire Missionary Society, January 22, 1813
The receipt states that the congregation in Hadley sent $40.70 to Charles Phelps to fund the Hampshire Missionary Society. The Hampshire Missionary Society is essentially an organization dedicated to the support and spread of Christianity.
1787.12.11 — Charles Phelps Jr. to Moses Charles Porter Phelps, December 11, 1787
Father Charles Phelps sends a letter to his son Moses Charles Porter Phelps at his college in Cambridge (Harvard University). He explains that the family has not heard from their son in some time, and offers him an opportunity to send a letter back…