Lewis Malone Ayer papers

The 1567 manuscripts in this collection document the economic and political activities of Lewis Malone Ayer (1769-1863), who served with Francis Marion in the Revolutionary War, and of his son, Lewis M. Ayer, Jr. (1821-1895), who served in the Confederate Congress. Topics discussed date to the Colonial era, the Revolutionary War, the Early National period, and the antebellum and Civil War periods. Correspondence with factors, merchants, and other planters shows the growth, especially during the first three decades of the 19th century, of the elder Ayer's plantation holdings, which included cotton and timberlands. The economic effects of the embargo and tariff policies of the early 19th century are reflected in this collection. At the time of the elder Ayer's death in 1863, his estate encompassed nearly 8000 acres of land and 158 slaves. A slave list showing family relationships is included among his estate papers. Most of the correspondence of Lewis M. Ayer, Jr., concerns his service in the Confederate Congress. Correspondents include Alfred Proctor Aldrich, Tarleton Brown, Charleston factor Mordecai Cohen, Richard Creech, James Henry Hammond, D.H. Jacques, Darling Peeples, and Robert Barnwell Rhett.