Letter from James Clay to John H Clay, South Carolina, USA, relating to sale of Negroes.

ISM.2024.2

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Letter from James Clay, Greenwood, Abbeyville, South Carolina to John H Clay, Woodsdale, Person, South Carolina, USA, 2nd November 1837. Transcription [including original spelling and language]: Dear Son, We got hear last tuesday and we have been gathering up our negros and we find them all in tolerable health and we expect to leave hear tomorrow. There have been severell wishing to bye but they want to get them as low as they were selling in the summer but I think that we can do better in Georgia. There is very little money hear yet but the farmers is taken there cotton to market and they are getting from 10 to 11 [dollars?] at Hamburgh and 12 in Charleston and they are all selling and do not store there cotton this fall and I think by January money will be much more plenty and times will be much brisker in the negro market. There have been more selling hear since we last hear and there is no price established yet and I can't tell what they will be worth. We shall go from hear to Macon in Georgia and stay there a while by that time we will be able to let you know something more about the prices and I should like for you to wright to me there and let me know how you and your family is and how my family is and if you wish to give me any instructions about the negros I will be there a week or two and I will wright to you as soon as I can find out the prices of negros or we can sell some of them and can let you know what they will be worth. Mr Yalock [?] and negros are all well nothing more but remain yours etc James Clay