Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Overseer's Journal, Ms1994-010, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The collection was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in April 1994.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Overseer's Journal was completed in 2000.

Biographical Note

This journal was maintained from 1853-1861 by an unidentified overseer - possibly Erastus R. Bishop of Bertie County, North Carolina.

In the 1850 U. S. Federal Census, Erastus R. Bishop is listed as a white male, age 22, living with several others, possible relatives, in Sussex County, Virginia. The 1860 U. S. Federal Census lists Erastus Bishop as an overseer living in Bertie County, California. The journal in this collection mentions locations in Bertie County.

Scope and Content

This collection includes a journal of an unidentified overseer with names of enslaved people and amount of crops each person picked, including cotton, peas, corn. It also lists when and which enslaved person was sick each day, money obtained for a crop, home remedies for common illnesses, and the journey itinerary for a cargo ship.

The name Erastus R. Bishop of Petersburg, Virginia, appears several times throughout the journal, and Bishop may be the creator.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Folk, historical, and patent medicine
• Slavery -- United States
• Traditional medicine
• Virginia -- History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Overseer's Journal by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).