Curtis W. Jacobs diary and account book

Description

The diary and account book of Curtis W. Jacobs, a wealthy Worcester County, Maryland farmer, state legislator, and ardent supporter of slavery. This book primarily details his business transactions, especially those relating to the enslaved people on his farm. The first portion contains the expense accounts related to the building of an addition onto his house as well as Jacobs' narrative justification for sending 38 enslaved persons to work for various men in Wilcox County, Alabama. The second half of the volume offers Jacobs' reflections on the Union Army's recruitment of enslaved people in Maryland, the 1864 state constitution, and Emancipation Day. At the end of the volume, Jacobs lists the enslaved individuals at his farm who were freed when slavery was abolished.