Beschreibung:

These 58 letters encompass a "snapshot" of antebellum life in the South. Samuel Sturges (1774-1831) was born in Fairfield Co., CT. He arrived in Georgia shortly after the Revolutionary war, although the exact date is uncertain. They were in Georgia by 1801 and in Waynesborough (now Waynesboro) by 1804. In May of 1804 he married Rachel Lowery (1786-1837). Samuel became one of the leaders of the community, one of five members of the Board of Town Incorporators, and was elected in 1813 as one of the first five commissioners. He held other town positions through his lifetime there. Samuel and Rachel had three children: Jane Robinson (1809-1817), William Urquhart (1816-1884) and John Reynolds (1827-1862). In the 1830 Census, Samuel lists 10 slaves. William seems to have spent most of his career as a hotel keeper, although he occasionally became something of a merchant, picking up items for townspeople when he or his agents went to New York for supplies. Samuel died in 1831, when his youngest son was only three. Rachel followed but six years later. About this time, the U.S. government was moving native peoples off their lands, and the Cherokee had prime farm land in Georgia. The tribe appealed to the Supreme Court, and won, but President Andrew Jackson had the U.S. Army move them off their land, anyway in what would be known as the “Trail of Tears”. The Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832 indicates that the orphans of Samuel Sturges received lottery number 115 for the 8th District, 1st section and Rachel (Rachael) received 143 for the 6th District, 3rd Section. William would have been an adult at the time of Rachel’s death, so presumably he continued raising his younger brother, John, and the brothers remained close for life. William appears in the mid-century censuses as a hotel keeper, but may have been a merchant earlier (implied in some of his letters). By 1844, John had made his way “up east.” In the first letter in the collection, William writes to John [4 Sept. 1844] in Princeton, NJ, passing along brotherly advice, particularly about health issues: I am glad you took the step you did by entering on your studies soon after your arrival, and congratulate yourself & John Shewmaker upon your success in entering the Sophomore class. I trust neither of you will flag, yet I would advise that you keep an eye on your health. In that climate the constitution is easily undermined by leading too sedentary a life. Provide yourself with some means of bodily exercise perform some daily labour, or take pedestrian exercise. Exercise with the “dumb bells” will tend to expand the chest and develop the muscles of the arms. These may seem of no importance now and may make seemingly no very great improvement in your feelings while you continue the use. They may be used as preventions. He also suggests that the young men enlist an agent to cash checks sent up to them and to hold any monies which were not immediately needed. On occasion William discusses politics in his letters. November of 1844 is one of those occasions, being a presidential election year. (reconstructed letters in brackets.) The news political of this State is, that sh[e] has cast her vote for Mr. Polk for president. The lat[e] [re]turns indicate that Mr. Polk will be our next President Much [to] the surprise of all politicians. I must feel as an American citizen should feel no little mortification at the result of this [con]test. I do heartily rejoice however that it is over. We have been from one end of this union to the other in a perfect stew, and as the Whig “Pot” has boiled over and spilt all the fat in the fire (excuse this sentence) & we cannot make amends, I trust we will have a little quiet, & a little more trade, and I truly hope a good deal more good feeling from our neighbors to another. The people will now return to their uniform Christian feelings. He goes on to note that the local medical college has resumed with an overflow class of 125 students and describes the amuse