Account book, 1856-1858, kept by the prominent slave trading firm of Bolton, Dickens & Co. of Lexington, Kentucky, with branches in Memphis, Charleston, Natchez, and New Orleans. It chiefly records slaves purchased and sold by the firm, with entries giving the name of the slave, purchase and selling price, profit, names of suppliers, and occasional remarks. Some persons involved in the firm's recorded transactions were Washington Bolton, Isaac Bolton, Samuel Dickens, and the slave trader G.L. Bumpass. Of additional note is a copy of an 1857 letter to Isaac Bolton, probably written by his brother Washington Bolton while Isaac was in prison awaiting trial for the murder of slave dealer James McMillan of Kentucky following a dispute in Memphis concerning McMillan's sale to Bolton of a 16-year old slave who was later revealed to be a free man. Also included is a copy of a statement given by G.L. Bumpass as a witness to the events preceding the death of McMillan. The copy of Bumpass's testimony is followed by related financial accounts between Bumpass and the firm of Bolton, Dickens & Co. This volume was additionally employed as a day book by "B.B.W." (possibly B.B. Wadell) and contains accounts for money received and various expenses for the year 1865.
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