Creator: William Henry Tripp and Araminta Guilford Tripp papers, 1801-1910 (bulk 1861-1865).
Collection number: 4551
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Abstract: William Henry Tripp (1820-1881) and his wife Araminta Guilford Tripp (1833-1897) grew corn and other crops at Durham’s Creek, Beaufort County, N.C., 1850s-1880s. William was a state legislator in the 1850s and, during the Civil War, commanded Company B of the 40th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. The collection contains chiefly correspondence between William and Araminta during William’s army service, 1861-1865, at Fort Fisher, Fort Holmes, and Fort Alexander, all on the North Carolina coast. Most letters are from William, who wrote of camp life, his own health, blockade running, and the conduct of the war in general. He also offered advice on how the farm was to be run in his absence. Type transcriptions of most letters are included.There are also financial and legal materials, slave bills of sale, and other items that relate to William’s early political career, to Araminta, or to other Tripp family members. Also included are one diary of Araminta, 1857-1858, with brief, almost daily, entries chiefly about family and neighborhood activities and her work around the farm and home, and three diaries of William, 1854-1860, with brief, almost daily, entries chiefly documenting work done on the farm by William and/or his slaves, but also mentioning family and neighborhood activities. There are also a few printed advertisements for various products.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: Letters include detailed instructions on plantation management and treatment of enslaved individuals on his plantations , dated 12 May 1862 (Folder 3 ) and opinions on the future of slavery after the Civil War, dated 12 November 1864 (Folder 7). Financial materials include slave bills of sale from 1860s (Folder 13). Also throughout Tripp’s diaries are mentions of work done by himself and enslaved individuals (Folders 20-22).