Amanuensis Monday Almarinda Kinnison Shaw's 1865 Letter

The Civil War changed Almarinda's world, her husband died in 1864 and the emancipation of the slaves. She was a member of the slave owning class. Nathaniel Kinnison, her father, owned 91 slaves, her husband Albert Shaw owned 27 slaves and her mother-in-law Mary Shaw owned 55 in Jefferson County, MS.

This letter was written to her mother-in-law Mary Shaw. Almarinda wrote of her frustrations with the Federal troops, freedmen, and her loneliness.

June 23rd /65

Dear Mother,

Primus and Abe arrived safely at my home wednesday night. I thank you very much for the things you sent me. Only way of my ever repaying you for your kindness is the love I feel for you & your family. There is scarcely a minute in the day but of what I am thinking of my darling husband. but seldom I feel any liveliness about me unless I have very lively company. Oh that dreadful dreary blank feeling I have when I am all alone. No one to go to for advice or assistance when I have my little troubles. but there is no use murmurring We cannot alter anything by it. My neighbors have been kind which helps to console me somewhat. We are suffering very much for the want of rain. I am afraid the corn will be and short. we planted no cotton. it was as much as Mr. Beal could do to get the negroes to half cultivate the corn. The Provost Marshal was here last week making contracts with the negroes. He would not let me give the women but one dollar a month & the men three dollars. I had made a contract with them previous to his coming giving them the highest government price, only for a month. I could scarcely get them to stay with me without turning off Mr. Beal. Before I would feed & clothe a parcel of lazy negroes & have to pay them such high prices & have nobody to make them work. I would turn the last one of them off, They acted like they were crazy until the provost marshal had a chat with them. he told me not to allow any looks of impudence from them to report it to him & he would come out here if he had to walk every step of the way & he would staighten them so they never would look sour again. I would like to have had him for an overseer during the war.

The negroes are not satisfied but they are afraid to say anything. I have taken the oath. will have to take another so I hear. an oath to sustain the emancipation proclamation. I do not care one cent if the negroes are free very little more than I do now for I do just as much work as my negro woman about the yard. If they do anything a little extra, they are so tender thay lay up sick. I could not get them to spin any scarcely. well I thought I would see if I could learn to spin. I carded my own rolls & spun four five cut hanks in four days and it was very nice thread. That proved to me that they idled off their time for none of them spin much more. I have been at it every since the war commenced. I cannot bear the idea of raising up my children with a parcel of negroes. they will do all in their power to ruin them. I am sending Clarence & Nannie to school. Clarence and little Buddy have both been sick but are well now. some of the negroes are sick. My health is very good. I sometimes feel quite feeble but I work that feeling off, did not give up to it. You spoke of my making another bill & sending it to you. The most that I shall want will be clothing for my children. ? domestic bleached. I do not know if it is worth while to bother you, for I shall want to carry some cotton to Natchez in the course of a month & I could go in myself. I do not like to take such a little price for cotton so long as I can do without selling. I will not sell. I must get flour anyhow & some coffee, flour is worth twenty dollars a barrel in Brookhaven. Calico fifty cents a yrd, coffee 45 cents. everything very high. The yankees are continually passing often stop, they try to do as they please whenever they come into the yard. I made some of them terrible angry one day, they marched into the kitchen & Belle was dishing out the milk to about a dozen of them, without ever asking me a word. I made her stop giving it them. it made the Yankees terrible angry. I think I might have done wrong, but how can anybody take everything submit to them & the negroes too. how can anyone do it. I get angry every time I see one of them come in. They try to make us feel humble and dependent on them.

Tell --- see me. I -- not be satisfied with any excess. I am very much obliged to you for the carriage. Mr. Beal says he can fix it up nearly as good as ever. I can take my children with me whenever I go from home. I stay at home on their account. My buggy is so small I never like to take them all at a time & I do not like to them without some white person to watch over them. I will close my letter for my sheet is full nearly. give my love to all & a large portion yourself. Clarence sends love to you & says he will never forget his good Pa.

Rinnie

Almarinda was born 09 September 1835 in Jefferson County, Mississippi and died 01 October 1869 in Lincoln County. She was the daughter of Nathaniel Kinnison, Jr., and Lydia Stotts. She married Albert Shaw, son of Thompson Breckenridge Shaw and Mary Shaw. Almarinda and Albert had two children; Clarence b. 1859 and Albert b. 1863.

Shaw Family Papers - Special Manuscript Collections - Folder One - Z/2205.000/S
Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Church Record Sunday 1858 Receipt for Hiring Preacher for Negroes

Prior to the Civil War, records of the area where my ancestor lived show that one method by which African Americans received their religious training was from a preacher hired by several slave owners. Reverend Smiley and most of the men who paid for Reverend Smiley's services were Presbyterians and lived in Union Church or Fayette, Jefferson County, Mississippi.

We the undersigned promise to pay the Rev. J H Smily the sums anexed to our names for his services viz to preach to the negroes at Zion Hill twice in each month for the balance of this year comencing with April, payable the first of January next. this April 3rd 1858

Wm Shaw $15.00 paid - (Shaw owned 53 slaves in 1860.)
D McArn $20.00 paid - (McArn owned 51 slaves in 1860.)
D H Cameron $5 paid - (Cameron owned 21 slaves in 1860.)
R D Torrey $5 paid - (Torrey owned 24 slaves in 1860.)
M McPherson $5 paid - (McPherson owned 8 slaves in 1860.)
John C McCormick $2 paid - (McCormick owned 9 slaves in 1860.)
J ? Scott $5 paid - (J L Scott owned 18, J W Scott owned 22 in 1860.)
?? paid by corn

Shaw, McArn, Cameron, Torrey, and McCormick owned members of my family.

See Copy of Receipt

My notes are between parentheses.
McArn (Duncan) and Family Papers, Collection Number: Z/1487, Box 3
Collection found at Mississippi Department of Archives and History
1860 Jefferson County, Mississippi, Slave Schedule

Wordless Wednesday - Mary Shaw & Daughter ca. 1855

Mary Ann McLaurin Shaw
1828 - 1894
Wife of William Shaw
and
Daughter "Maggie" Margaret Almarinda Shaw
1853 - 1921
William and Mary were slave owners of Samuel Shaw b 1823
in Jefferson County, Mississippi
Samuel's descendants married cousins of my cousins.

Source: Shaw-McCallum Papers
Special Collections of Mitchell Memorial Library
Mississippi State University

Amanuensis Monday - Letter from a Slave to her Former Mistress - 1858

This letter was written by Harriet Walker to Mary Shaw, wife of Thompson Breckenridge Shaw. Harriet, living in Arkansas, wrote inquiring about her children who were living on the Shaw farm in Jefferson County, MS. The letter does not tell us how long she had been away from her children nor whether Harriet, husband and other children were sold as a group. Apparently, the husband was separated from the family, causing sadness for Harriet.

Columbus, Arks
June 7th 1858

My Dear Mistress,

It has been a great while since I heard from you or my children and I know not whether any of you are now in the land of the living. but write begging you to please let me now how they are getting along in the world. Me and my two daughters Caroline, and Mary, my son Colby are still owned by Dr. Walker we have a very kind master and mistress. My son Jim belongs to his son Jim and my two daughters are now grown. I begin to feel very old. I often wish I had never left you but at that time thought I would be with my husband as long as we lived. We never know when we are doing for the best.

I am so very glad my children are so well satisfied and have good homes. tell them to stay by their masters and mistress as long as they can. they do not know what it is to have their families scattered and never expect to see them again.

I am very sorry indeed to hear of Old Masters death, but thus passeth away the world and what was your loss was his infinite gain, and all we can do is to strive to meet him in the world to come where there will be no more pain, no more parting.

And now Mistress, tell my children to be good and faithful servants, to honor their master's, and mistresses and in all things do what is right snd honest and set a good example for their children, and above all things to serve their God, and teach their children the same, for they will have to give an account of their deeds in that last day. give my best love to them and tell them I often think of them.

Farewell my dear Old Mistress please answer this is the last request of your old and faithful servant

Harriet Walker

Source: Shaw (Thompson B.) - McKell Papers
From Special Collections of Mitchell Memorial Library
Mississippi State University