Creator: DeSaussure, Louis M., 1804-1869.
Collection number: 2251-z
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Abstract: Louis M. DeSaussure was a physician and planter of Beaufort County, S.C., son of Henry W. DeSaussure, longtime state chancellor. The collection is a plantation journal of Louis M. DeSaussure relating to his Beaufort County, S.C., cotton plantation. Entries vary in length and frequency, with many entries being monthly or annual summaries of activities at the plantation. Topics include crops, slaves, diseases, and weather conditions. Entries during the period 1861-1864 include brief comments on DeSaussure’s wartime activities as a surgeon with the 8th and 4th South Carolina Infantry regiments, C.S.A. Also included are poems and sayings that DeSaussure collected; recipes; remedies; lists of slaves, including one that shows family relationships among the slaves; notes on bequests of others to various activities of the Episcopal Church of which DeSaussure was a member; and cattle inventories. The journal contains no information on DeSaussure’s medical practice outside of his military service.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: Entries discuss slaves, diseases, weather conditions, and DeSaussure’s war-time duties as a surgeon with the 8th and 4th South Carolina regiments. Included are slave lists which note births, deaths, and sales (1835-1856), and a list of slaves that notes familial relationships (1857). Microfilm available.