Jane H. and William H. Pease Papers

 

 

                                          Avery Manuscript #1019

 

 

 

 

 

Biographical note:

 

 

Jane H. Pease (b. 1929) and William H. Pease (b. 1924), professors emeritus from the

 

 

the University of Maine, Orono, and former associate professors at the College of

 

 

Charleston, wrote numerous books and articles on abolition, slavery, the history of

 

 

Charleston, and many other topics.

 

 

 

 

 

Scope and Content:  Approx 6 linear feet;  15 reels microfilm; 6 fiche

 

 

         (ca. 1970s - 1992)

 

 

 

 

 

The collection consists of research notes, computer print outs, photocopies, and micro-

 

 

forms amassed and created by the Peases in working on numerous projects, some

 

 

completed (Bound With Them in Chains, 1972; and They Who Would be Free,1974)

 

and some unfinished.  Photocopied primary and printed materials document slaves

 

 

and free blacks in Charleston, SC, national abolition societies, disunion addresses

 

 

and pamphlets and writings from figures prominent in the abolition movement, including.

 

a memoir and other materials re abolitionist Samuel J. May, materials by and about

 

 

 Joshua R. Giddings, an antislavery congressman,  and abolitionist Stephen S. Foster.

 

 

Collection contains several feet of 4 inch by 6 inch paper cards abstracting information

 

 

on Charleston slaves and free blacks, and abolitionists and their societies; with many

 

 

bibliographic entries on these and other subjects as well.  With a lengthy computer

 

 

print out of a statistical database of Charleston free people of color (ca. 1830-40),

 

 

with a code partially explaining the database and what various columns report. The

 

 

microfilm reels include information re abolition societies and their activities (ca.1820s-

 

 

1860s), newspapers (ca.1826-ca.1868), correspondence of important abolitionist figures

 

and various records from government and private sources re black labor and education

 

during the Civil War, especially in the Port Royal region of SC.  Of note is the minute

 

 

 book of  Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia (1839-1844), arm of  the Vigilant 

 

 

Association that provided aid for runaway slaves. Also worthy of mention is the

 

 

William  F. Allen diary (1863-1865); Allen, a southern agent for the Freedmen's Aid

 

 

Commission, describes his trip from New York to Port Royal, commenting on

 

 

freedmen, the Union Army, and the War. With the partial papers of William F. King

 

 

(ca.1830s-1850s) an abolitionist minister and founder of Elgin Society and settlement

 

 

in Canada. for free blacks and slaves..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Box #/

I.

Scholarly articles

  Folder #

 

 

 

1

Photocopies of eleven journal articles by various scholars re slavery and free blacks.

1-1

 

 

 

2

Photocopies of  eleven journal articles re abolition, Reconstruction and Civil Rights by

1-2

 

scholars, other than the Peases.

 

 

 

 

II.

Primary documents ( photocopied) re slavery, free people of color and abolition

 

 

 

 

2

Photocopied materials re slavery and free blacks includes a list of those involved in 

1-3

 

Denmark Vesey conspiracy, burial records (1831-1845) and marriage records (1824-

 

 

1844) including some African Americans at St. Stephens Chapel and broadside (1819)

 

"Rules and Regulations of the Coloured Ministers, Elders and Members of the Baptist

 

 

Church, in Charleston, SC."

 

 

 

 

3

Photocopies of  "Charleston, SC, Free Negro Book"s  (1828, 1838, 1841) that list

1-4

 

the names of Charleston's free blacks and their addresses.

 

 

 

 

4

Photocopied court and legislative materials re slaves, slavery and free blacks includes

1-5

 

a portion of  Magistrate's court register (1829-1831) with some references to slaves;

 

 

court case of SC v. Edward Smith (1830) a sailor who distributed abolitionist material

 

 

to Charleston blacks; "Petition for Change of Trustee and Relief" for William & Laura

 

 

Decoster (1850) and copies of  Charleston laws (1820-1835) pertaining to slaves.

 

 

 

 

5

Photocopied selections from B.C. Pressley, The Law of Magistrates and Constables

1-6

 

[n.d.] for Charleston, SC re laws and regulations for the city.

 

 

 

 

6

Photocopied antislavery/abolition materials include an "Address of the American

1-7

 

Convention for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery" (1804); "Declaration of Sentiments"

 

and the constitution (1833) of the American Antislavery Society; an "Address to the

 

 

Abolitionists of Massachusetts" (1835) from the Massachusetts Antislavery Society; 

 

 

random pages from the Antislavery Advocate (1859-1863); "To the People of  the

 

 

United States…" (1836) from the Antislavery Examiner; the "Last Speech of John

 

 

Brown" (1860); proceedings of  "National Emigration Convention of Colored People,"

 

 

(1854) re abolition, Fugitive Slave Act, the settlement of African Americans in Canada

 

 

and their emigration to such places as the West Indies, Central and South America, etc.

 

With photocopies of addresses from the American Antislavery Society (1845), the

 

 

Cleveland Disunion Convention (1857) and the Worcester, Massachusetts Disunion

 

 

Convention (1857) explaining their desire to separate politically, economically and

 

 

socially from slaveholders.

 

 

 

 

8

Materials by Joshua R Giddings includes copy of 1842 pamphlet published under his

1-8

 

pseudonym "Pacificus" titled "The Rights and Privileges of the Several States in Regard

 

 

to Slavery, By a Whig of Ohio," re abolition and politics;  and photocopy of pamphlet

 

 

entitled, "A Letter From Hon. J.R. Giddings, Upon the Duty of Anti-Slavery Men in the

 

Present Crisis" (1844), portions of which were drawn from the 1842 pamphlet.

 

 

 

 

9

Photocopied pamphlets from noted abolitionist Stephen S. Foster entitled, "Letter to

1-9

 

Nathaniel Barney and Peter May of Nantucket" (1851) in which he discusses the views

 

 

of American churches in respect to slavery and abolition and "Revolution the Only

 

 

Remedy for Slavery" (1855) wherein he advocates immediate abolition. Foster worked

 

to infuse abolitionist principles into northern churches and was involved in many reform

 

 

movements.

 

 

 

 

10

Photocopied autobiographical sermon delivered by the abolitionist Unitarian Samuel

1-10

 

J. May entitled, "A Brief Account of His Ministry Given in a Discourse…" (1867).

 

 

 

 

11

Photocopy of "Memoir of Samuel Joseph May" (1873) re life, ministry, educational

1-11

 

and anti-slavery work

 

 

 

 

12

Printouts from microfilm reels listing contents of reels, as summarized in series V

 1-- 12

 

below

 

 

 

 

III

Statistical data re Charleston Free People of Color

 

 

 

 

1

Various versions of "Code Book" of Charleston Free Blacks, providing a key to

   2 - 1

 

explain numerical codes used in compiling a statistical analysis of Charleston's free

 

 

black population, ca. 1830-40.With lists of numerical codes given to street address,

 

 

occupations, etc. With a note (1992) of Jane Pease about the computer program used,

 

the abandonment of the project, and the indecipherability of some of the data.

 

 

 

 

2

Bound computer print out (ca. 1980) of statistical data re Charleston's free people of

  2 - 2

 

color. Contains alphabetical lists of free blacks, followed by columns of numbers, some

 

 

columns matching to the code book values noted above.  With sections on Heads of

 

 

Household (HH)  household composition, gender,  city directory (CD),  Free Negro

 

 

Books (FNB)  ward and street, and occupation frequencies, with references to 1830

 

 

1840 censuses.

 

 

 

 

IV

Research note cards

 

 

 

 

1

Approx 3/4 ft of  note cards of free blacks of Charleston in alphabetical order (A-L)

3-1

 

from the 1830 census and the "Free Negro Capitation Tax Books, South Carolina

 

 

ca.1811-1860" with some addresses, some listings of occupation, number of adults

 

 

and children in the households, organizations belonged to and if slave holders.

 

 

 

 

2

Approx. 3/4 ft of note cards with same information as above (M-Z); a subdivision in 

3-2

 

the rear entitled, "All Slave Households, 1828-1842," lists number and gender of

 

 

people in households marked "all slave."

 

 

 

 

3

1/3 ft of note cards chronologically arranged (ca.1790-ca.1858)  with data on blacks

     3-3

 

abstracted from Charleston newspapers, private papers and legal documents, focusing

 

 

on life and labor of African Americans in the city.

 

 

 

 

4

5/6 ft of note cards alphabetically arranged with information on people active in the

4-1

 

abolition movement; with  a brief bio of each and occasional quotes. Information was

 

 

drawn from secondary and primary sources and was used to write Bound With Them

 

in Chains.

 

 

 

 

5

3/4 ft of note cards labeled, "Black Abolitionist Bibliography," which list sources 

     4-2

 

(ca.1820s-ca.1970s) on black abolitionists. Grouped as "books & articles," 

 

 

"periodicals & newspapers," "societies & conventions," "minutes & proceedings,"

 

 

"manuscripts," "theses," "bibl.cited," "items ordered & pending" and "location file." With

 

 

cards that  list general secondary sources on slavery, abolition, the Civil Rights

 

 

movement and black culture. 

 

 

 

 

6

5/6 ft of note cards labeled, "Antislavery Bibliography-General" that list sources

     4-3

 

 (ca. 1820-ca.1970) alphabetically by author of books and articles on the topic

 

 

 

 

7

1 ft of note cards arranged chronologically (ca.1600s-1835) containing brief quotes

5-1

 

and other information from various primary sources re abolition, slavery, figures 

 

 

prominent in the abolition movement, etc.

 

 

 

 

8

1 ft of note cards with same material as above, but spanning 1836-1841.

     5-2

 

 

 

9

1 ft of note cards with same information as above, spanning 1842-1848.

     5-3

 

 

 

10

1 ft of note cards with same information as above, spanning 1849-1853.

     6-1

 

 

 

11

1 ft of note cards with same information as above, spanning 1854-1860.

     6-2

 

 

 

12

1 ft of note cards with the same information as above spanning 1861-ca.1900.

     6-3

 

 

 

13

3/4 ft of note cards under the heading "Samuel J. May, 1797-1854,"  abstract

     7-1

 

information re abolitionist Samuel May including brief quotes by and about him from a

 

 

variety of sources (American Peace Society papers, Liberator, private journals, etc.)

 

 

 

 

14

3/4 ft of note cards under the heading "Samuel J. May, 1855-1871," abstract dated

     7-2

 

information on abolitionist and educator Samuel J. May.

 

 

 

 

15

5/6 ft of note cards arranged chronologically with primary source quotes re Abby

     7-3

 

Kelley and Stephen S. Foster; the Fosters were well known abolitionists from New

 

 

England.

 

 

 

 

V

Microform (located in the reading room)

 

 

 

 

1

 One microfilm reel. With excerpts from the "Pennsylvania Freedmen's Bulletin"

   

 

(1865-1866); a pamphlet [n.d.] by abolitionist James Miller McKim entitled "The

 

 

Freedmen of South Carolina";  various pages from reports  (1863 - 1868) of

 

 

Pennsylvania freedman's associations; and various pages from a journal published by 

 

 

Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery [n.d.].

 

 

 

 

2

One microfilm reel: Various pages of abolitionist publications owned by the

 

 

Massachusetts Historical Society including, "The Genius of Universal Emancipation"

 

 

(1826-1835) OH, the "Pine and Palm" (1861) NY, the "Independent" (1864), the

 

 

"Freedmen's Advocate" (1864) NY, the "Free South" (1863-1864) a Union paper

 

 

published in Beaufort during the Civil War -- 11 pages re land and freedmen; and

 

 

the "New Harmony Gazette" (1827-1828) IN re the establishment of "Nashoba," a

 

 

utopian community in western Tennessee backed by Marquis de Lafayette and Robert 

 

Owen that welcomed free blacks and slaves. Also some correspondence (1862-1863)

 

 

from the "First Annual Report of the Port Royal Relief Committee…" (1863) listing

 

 

contributors and a series of general orders (1862-1865) from Union headquarters in

 

 

Port Royal re land sales, freedmen and civilians. (Note: There are no complete issues.)

 

 

 

 

3

One microfilm reel. Includes the "Minute Book of the Vigilant Committee of

 

 

Philadelphia" (1839-1844) which was the covert arm of the Vigilant Association of

 

 

Philadelphia (1837) that provided aid for runaway slaves; constitution and annual

 

 

address of the "African Civilization Society" (1861). These items are owned by the

 

 

Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

 

4

One microfilm reel. Materials of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania include partial

 

 

minutes and other documents from the "American Convention for Promoting  the

 

 

Abolition of Slavery" (1828-1829, 1832).

 

 

 

 

5

One microfilm reel. Excerpts of correspondence re slavery and abolition from the

 

 

Oliver Johnson papers (1861-1889) of the Vermont Historical Society. Johnson was a

 

member of the Vermont Antislavery Society.

 

 

 

 

6

One microfilm reel. Includes scattered issues of abolitionist newspapers owned by 

 

 

American Antiquarian Society: the "Antislavery Advocate" (1855-1857), London; the 

 

 

"Weekly Anglo-African" (1860-1861, 1863), NY; and "Frederick Douglass' Paper"

 

 

(1856-1859) Vol. 9 no. 5, 29; Vol. 10 no. 48, 51; Vol. 11, no. 9, 21, 41; Vol. 12, no.

 

3-7, 9-10, 12-15, 17-22 re free blacks in Canada, Haiti, slavery, abolition, etc.

 

 

 

 

7

One microfilm reel. Materials from the Moore Collection at Howard University

 

 

includes pages from the "Fourth Annual Report of the "Elgin Association" (1853), an 

 

 

organization established to oversee the migration of salves and free blacks to Canada:

 

 

the "Emancipation League" (1863), a group of abolitionists seeking immediate

 

 

emancipation as a war aim; the "New England Educational Commission" (1864), an

 

 

an organization that sent teachers and supplies to freedmen; the "First Annual Report

 

 

of the Educational Commission for Freedmen" (1863); the "Freedmen's Record"

 

 

(1865-1867), official reports from white teachers, etc.; "An Address Delivered by J.

 

 

Miller McKim (1862, includes entire address), prominent member of the Pennsylvania

 

 

Antislavery Society; the "National Freedman" (1865-1866), publication of the National

 

Freedman's  Relief Association; "Pennsylvania Freedmen's Relief Association" (1863)

 

 

and the "Official Reports of Edward L. Pierce," (1863) a northern attorney stationed in

 

Port Royal, SC.

 

 

 

 

8

One microfilm reel. Selected documents (1861-1864) from the National Archives

 

 

include "General Records of the Department of the Treasury" re Port Royal area land

 

 

and cotton confiscated by the Union Army, also includes information re appointment

 

 

of a general agent over Sea Island cotton and employment of slaves with paid wages.

 

 

Some documents discuss religious and educational instruction of freedmen by northern

 

 

missionaries and philanthropists and lists the names of some freedmen who purchased

 

 

land in the area.

 

 

 

 

9

One microfilm reel. Includes selected records (1866) from the Bureau of Refugees,

 

 

Freedmen and Abandoned Land's Educational Division re the educational instruction of

 

 

freedmen and lists the denominations and organizations involved.

 

 

 

 

10

One microfilm reel. Typed transcript of William F. Allen's diary (1863-1865) an agent

 

 

in the South for the Freedmen's Aid Commission chronicling his trip from New York to

 

Port Royal. He describes his encounters with freedmen and notes," they seem less

 

 

degraded than I expected…they seem human beings, neither more, nor less." He also

 

 

comments on the Union army and the war in general. State Historical Society of

 

 

Wisconsin.

 

 

 

 

11

One microfilm reel. includes complete copies of George Fitzhugh, Cannibals All! or,

 

 

Slaves Without Masters (1857), The Works of Charles Follen, With a Memoir of

 

His Life, 5 Volumes (1841-1842), Selections From the Writings and Speeches of

 

 

William Lloyd Garrison (1852), Horace Greeley, A History of the Struggle for

 

 

Slavery Extension or Restriction in the United States(1856) and Angelina Emily

 

 

Grimke, Letters to Catherine E. Beecher, in Reply to an Essay on Slavery and

 

 

Abolitionism (1838).

 

 

 

 

12

One microfilm reel. Complete copy of John Price Radford, "Culture, Economy

 

 

and Urban Structure in Charleston, South Carolina, 1860-1880," Ph. D. dissertation,

 

 

Clark University 1974.

 

 

 

 

13

One microfilm reel. Includes selected correspondence from the Library of Congress

 

 

from the Elizur Wright papers (1839-1881). Wright was a member of the American

 

 

Antislavery Society; the Lewis Tappan papers (1837-1855), Tappan, a central figure

 

 

in northern abolition; the Giddings-Julian papers (1862-1863), Joshua R. Giddings was

 

 

a US congressman who promoted the exclusion of slave petitions in Congress and called

 

for a halt to the expansion of slavery; George Washington Julian was an abolitionist

 

 

Congressman; the US American Peace Society papers (1827-1828),  early abolitionist

 

organization; and the Carter G. Woodson Collection of Negro Papers (1848-1850)

 

 

as well as letters from  Benjamin Lundy (1832-1840) and Cassius M. Clay Collections

 

(1845) Lundy edited several abolitionist newspapers and Clay was the abolitionist cousin

 

 of Henry Clay. The letters reference abolition and slavery.

 

 

 

 

14

One microfilm reel. Includes selected materials from the William King Papers re "Elgin

 

 

Society," the settlement of free blacks and slaves in Canada and autobiographical

 

 

information about King,  a former slave owner and a Presbyterian minister who

 

 

promoted the welfare of blacks at the Elgin settlement in Canada. This material is from 

 

the Library and Archives, Ottawa, Canada.

 

 

 

 

15

One microfilm reel of "Miscellaneous Correspondence in the New York State Library"

 

 

(ca.1858) containing letters to and from E.D.Morgan, governor of New York, Cassius

 

and Lewis Clay re politics and letters from Samuel J. May re Thomas Jefferson and

 

 

from Lewis Tappan re abolition.

 

 

 

 

16

Microfiche cards 1-6 contain list of "books and pamphlets written before the Civil War

 

 

by and about Negroes and about slavery and antislavery," and a "Guide to Manuscript

 

 

Division's Finding Aids" from the National Archives of Canada.