MenuInventory of the William Sims papers, 1770-1860
Collection Overview
Correspondence, financial papers, and legal documents, concerning William Sims' extensive plantation holdings in South Carolina. Includes two account books. Correspondence is primarily related to business matters, including cotton trade and prices; the price and availability of slaves; and the beginnings of a textile industry on the plantation. Local and state politicians in South Carolina are often mentioned, as is the general economic plight of the Southern planter in the period (ca. 1819-1830), and currency problems in the state (ca. 1826-1830). One personal letter effusively describes newly settled land in Mississippi and the quality of the cotton grown there.
Detailed financial papers form the bulk of the collection, and concern the cotton trade (including weights, bale numbers, shipping, prices, and sales), and household and plantation expenses. Legal papers are confined to deeds, documents of land litigation, military commissions, and documents relating to slaves, such as indentures and lists of slaves on the plantation. Also includes genealogical information on the Sims family.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Sims, William.
- Title
- William Sims papers, 1770-1860
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 3.6 Linear Feet, 385 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Administrative Information
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Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
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William Sims was a cotton grower in Union County, South Carolina.
Subject Headings
- Cotton growing--Mississippi.
- Plantation owners--Correspondence.
- Cotton trade--South Carolina.
- Plantations--Records--South Carolina.
- Plantations--Economic aspects.
- Business records--South Carolina.
- Money--South Carolina.
- Slavery--South Carolina.
- South Carolina--Politics and government.
- South Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
- South Carolina--Economic conditions.
- Southern States--Economic conditions.
- Mississippi--Description and travel.
- Deeds.
- Indentures.
- Account books.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William Sims papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The William Sims papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a purchased between 1978-1990. This collection forms part of the Harry L. and Mary K. Dalton Collection, 1695-1955, undated.
Processing Information
Processed by Rubenstein Library staff
Encoded by Kimberly Sims, March 2011
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.