Dublin Core
Title
Letter from John Moore to J. A. Johnson, July 7, 1863
Description
Moore writes from Starrville, Smith County, Texas, about a recent letter received from W. F. Weeks about opportunities for hiring out slaves to do railroad and other work in the Houston area.
Creator
John Moore
Source
Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations, Series I, Part 6, Reel 18, Frame 116f
Publisher
Image scanned from 35mm microfilm published by UPA. Published here by W. Caleb McDaniel.
Date
July 7, 1863
Rights
This item is published solely for personal research and nonprofit educational use under the terms of fair use. No copyright in the item is asserted or implied by its publication here.
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
7E752A92-6520-4FFE-AF4F-F697ECD72200
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
... Mrs. Meade received a letter from W. F. Weeks her brother dated Houston Texas, Jun 27/63 advising her that since the Evacuation by the Enemy he had taken twenty nine of his negro men remaining on the Island and had gone out to Houston and obtained a contract to furnish X ties to the Rail road at 65 each cutting them along side of the track lining not more than 100 yards to haul and deliver, that $3 per cord is given for cutting wood & putting it along the track 100 yards to haul, that $40 a month is offered for negro men to work on the road & $20 for women.
I have thought that it will possibly be well for us to go there to get employment for our hands, if we can get provisions & I have written to him to ask him to let us know about provisions &c. He states that his cooper makes $15 a week making light barrels at $3 each & $24 making flour barrels at $1.50 each---good wages. The distance from Mansfield to Liberty by an air line on the map is 150 miles probably by the road 180 which could be travelled with a train in about 10 to 12 days should no accident happen, and we would then be about 180 miles by the road travelled from New Iberia making it very little farther by that route if at all, than the one we came with a better road. Make inquiry about the road to Nacogdoches, thence to Liberty.
By the last advices Genl Taylor had taken Brashear City by [storm?] and recovered about two thousand negroes, a great number of Horses & mules and carriages and Buggies covering an acre of Ground. Property thus taken by the Rules of War is considered a prize to the captors, but heretofore our armies have delivered Slaves thus taken to the owners when applyed [sic] for. If so in this case I hope that your son William will have gone to the Bay to recognize and claim any of our Slaves found among them, also any Horse & mules. ...
I have thought that it will possibly be well for us to go there to get employment for our hands, if we can get provisions & I have written to him to ask him to let us know about provisions &c. He states that his cooper makes $15 a week making light barrels at $3 each & $24 making flour barrels at $1.50 each---good wages. The distance from Mansfield to Liberty by an air line on the map is 150 miles probably by the road 180 which could be travelled with a train in about 10 to 12 days should no accident happen, and we would then be about 180 miles by the road travelled from New Iberia making it very little farther by that route if at all, than the one we came with a better road. Make inquiry about the road to Nacogdoches, thence to Liberty.
By the last advices Genl Taylor had taken Brashear City by [storm?] and recovered about two thousand negroes, a great number of Horses & mules and carriages and Buggies covering an acre of Ground. Property thus taken by the Rules of War is considered a prize to the captors, but heretofore our armies have delivered Slaves thus taken to the owners when applyed [sic] for. If so in this case I hope that your son William will have gone to the Bay to recognize and claim any of our Slaves found among them, also any Horse & mules. ...
Original Format
Manuscript