Papers (1891-1905) consisting of correspondence; comments; inquiries; letters on flora, romance, religion and inquiries; postcards, business cards.
The Mitchell family was an African-American farming family from Craven County, North Carolina. Edmond Mitchell (1835-1908) and his wife Evaline Mitchell (1840-1922), owned a farm in the Fort Barnwell area of Craven County. Their children, including Handy (1861?-), Edmond, Jr. (1868?-), Flora (1863?-), and Realia (1874?-) continued to live in the area through the period covered by the correspondence in the collection (1891-1905).
Citation:
Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Judging by the correspondence, Handy, Flora, and Realia Mitchell lived in Craven County from 1891 to 1905. All envelopes are addressed to either New Bern, home of Handy Mitchell, or Fort Barnwell where Realia and Flora resided (except for one piece addressed to Handy Mitchell in Morehead City, [1897]).
The bulk of the personal correspondence is to Handy Mitchell in New Bern and is of a most general nature. Individuals comment on their personal health, make inquiries about the health of members of the Mitchell family, discuss the family business, and occasionally mention economic matters of the day.
The remainder of correspondence is made up of eight letters, four to Flora and four to Realia, and concern romance, religion, and inquiries into the well being of others. It should be noted that "Realia" is also spelled "Realier" in this correspondence.
The remaining part of this collection consists of miscellany. Included in this group are unused postcards printed in Germany, business cards, program of the St. Cyprian P.E. Church, a wedding invitation, and a sheriff's notice for the sale of personal property.
Loaned by Mr. Edward Mitchell
Processed by H. Warren, February 1981
Encoded by Apex Data Services
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