Creator: Sparkman, Ben, fl. 1853-1859.
Collection number: 3574-z
View finding aid.
Abstract: Ben Sparkman was a rice planter who owned or managed at least three plantations, probably in the Georgetown District of South Carolina. The collection is a plantation journal, dated 1848 and 1853-1859, recording slave tasks and weather conditions, in addition to describing the planting, cultivating, and processing of rice and food crops such as potatoes and corn for local consumption. Places mentioned include “Wilson’s Place” and “Black Ground,” both presumably in South Carolina’s Georgetown District.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: Most entries note slave tasks in planting, harvesting, and cultivating crops, and in various other farm-related duties. Brief descriptions of these activities usually distinguish between labor performed by men and women.
This journal has been digitized and is available online. Click here to link to the finding aid for this collection and to access the digitized content.