| Scope and content |
Correspondence is between the Austin family and their friends and relatives. Civil War-era correspondence concerns the fear of northern invasion, possible avenues for flight in the event of an invasion, and the plight of a family living in occupied Washington, N.C. Correspondence of the 1870s, the bulk of which is from Charles J. Austin to his wife, mentions fox hunting, illnesses, entertainment in Tarboro, methods of making and burning bricks, dressmaking in Norfolk, Va., life at Chowan Baptist Female Institute at Murfreesboro, N.C., and a cure for the cold. Other letters mention common diseases, land speculation in Swain, Macon, and Graham counties by a company formed by Robert M. Furman and State Senator Theodore W. Poole, and entertainment available in Tarboro and Greensboro. Legal records include a partnership agreement for a mercantile business in Tarboro, articles of agreement concerning an Edgecombe County canal, estate documents, and an indenture related to the rental of buildings in Tarboro. Land records include an Edgecombe County deed and documents acknowledging the purchase of land in Tarboro. Also includes slave bills of sale and a receipt for the purchase of slaves in Edgecombe County. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Austin Family Papers (#382), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Miss Mary Howard. |
| Biographical note | Robert Henry Austin (1810-1890) of Tarboro, N.C., married Jannet Jeffreys, and had three children: William Henry, Charles Jeffreys, and Elizabeth. Charles married Emily S. Chisman of Hampton, Va., and operated brick yards with his father in Tarboro. |
