Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

Arranged by material type.

Description:

Arranged by material type.

Description:

Arranged by material type.

Scope and Contents

Consists of a lengthy manuscript ledger, along with a small number of related receipts, advertisements, and letters, providing insight into hemp and other agricultural production in Missouri and Kentucky before, during, and after the American Civil War. These materials document the employment of African American and immigrant laborers in the period immediately following the Civil War on a farm that formerly used enslaved laborers. The ledger contains two separate accounts in one volume, the first being the account of an unknown Kentucky hemp and dry goods merchant spanning the period from 1846 to 1851. The second spans from 1853 to 1880 and documents the activities of Jason Chamberlain (1804-1901), a Missouri farmer and hemp producer who may have taken over the former account owner's business. Chamberlain's entries record debits to his employees for farm and dry goods and credits for their labor. The first owner of the account sold textiles such as cotton, silk, calico, linen, and buttons, as well as candy, sundries, tea, coffee, tobacco, indigo, hemp, and rope. Their hemp and rope accounts are summarized on five pages which give the monthly total sales from 1847 through 1851. Chamberlain initially sold mostly hemp and rope in the 1850s, adding meat, livestock and grains following the Civil War as his farm expanded. From the late 1860s until his last entry in 1880, Chamberlain also began to purchase a significant amount of livestock.

Most notable are Chamberlain's careful records of African American and immigrant laborers on his farm immediately following the end of the Civil War and during the Reconstruction era. As early as March 1866, he records the employment of Fieldings and Jess, each of whom is described as a man of color, and notes their purchases of clothing and cash loans. Jess was paid $15 per month. Marshall, Robert and John Huston, who are described as boys of color, were employed in early 1866 and paid $8, $15, and $10 per month respectively. In 1867, two laborers with the surname Pitman, who are not identified by race or nationality, are paid $26 per month. Their work schedules are carefully recorded and their tasks include "cutting poles," sowing seed, mending fences, and herding cattle. In 1868 Chamberlain also records two immigrants he employs, identified only as "England" and "Emigrant Carlston." Approximately 130 people are listed in Kentucky from 1846 to 1851, including Henry Duncan and Abraham Saundes, who are described as men of color. Others include Robert Baird, James Truman, Joseph Beach, David Graham, Joseph Deer, Jason Burks, A. Sanders, Daniel Cook, Samuel Porter, Thomas Sheapheard, John Van Vleat, M. Willis, C. Sampson, William Montgomery, Charles Rice, and John Gill. Approximately 160 people are listed in Missouri ledger from 1853 to 1880, including men and boys of color. In addition to those listed above, other names include Thomas Chamberlin, Ed Pitman, William Taylor, Kelch and Field, Mike, Edmund Roberson, and Honey Bop.

The ledger is accompanied by about fifty receipts dating from 1866 to 1881, mainly from Sedalia, Missouri, along with several advertisements and letters. Among these materials are an invoice from Philip Hahn saddle company; trade cards for Henock & Jacobs for men's and boy's clothing and John Kullmer & Son for feed and sale stable; an advertisement for Charles Hobereht's saddlery and harness business; and a broadside about a horse named Woolford that Chamberlain was offering for sale. There are also three letters addressed to Chamberlain regarding financial matters, as well as a draft of a letter likely from Chamberlain to his mother.

Arrangement

Arranged by material type.

Collection Creator Biography:

Chamberlain, Jason, 1804-1901

Jason Chamberlain (1804-1901) was born in Vermont and migrated west, living in Kentucky and Missouri from the decades preceding the American Civil War through the Reconstruction period. He operated a farm and hemp production business near Sedalia, Missouri, that relied on enslaved laborers prior to the Civil War. In 1860, he was recorded as enslaving 12 people, including 9 men and 3 women. Beginning in 1866, he employed free African American and immigrant laborers.

Acquisition:

Purchased from Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints in December 2019 (AM 2020-45).

Appraisal

No materials were removed from the collection during 2020 processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in January 2020. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in January 2020.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Jason Chamberlain Ledger on Hemp Production and Farming; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/xw42nf37f
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box P-000141