Creator: Cooper, William, b. 1802.
Collection number: 1195-z
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Abstract: William Cooper was a planter of Tuscumbia, Colbert County, Ala., and Magnolia Plantation, Coahoma County, Miss. He travelled frequently between his home at Tuscumbia, Ala., and his plantation in Coahoma County, Miss. William Cooper’s diaries chiefly contain brief daily records of weather, but include occasional discussions of dealings with slaves and of life in Tuscumbia during the Civil War and Reconstruction. The events described are often illustrated with color drawings. Volumes for 1865 and 1872 are on microfilm only.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: Entries record daily incidents in plantation management, including his dealings with slaves and free black laborers. The diary mentions the sale of slaves (1862); supplies given to black workers on credit (1865, 1872); slave births (1865); and evangelical services held by Mrs. Frame, a black minister in Tuscumbia, Alabama (1886). Microfilm available (in part).