Godfrey Barnsley Papers Bulk, 1840-1861 1824-1873

ArchivalResource

Godfrey Barnsley Papers, Bulk, 1840-1861, 1824-1873

Godfrey Barnsley Papers Bulk, 1840-1861 1824-1873

http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/barnsleygodfrey/

Godfrey Barnsley (1805-1873), of Savannah, Ga., was an agent for general import and export brokers of Liverpool, England. Collection includes letters to Barnsley from his children, correspondence among his children, accounts with physicians, accounts for building expenses of Barnsley's estate, "Woodlands," near Kingston, Ga., and records of sales and imports of cotton. Letters from children concern school life while his sons attended a New England preparatory school and daughters were at the Montpelier Female Institute, near Macon, Ga. There are also letters from son Harold describing his voyage around Cape Horn and travels to the North, and in China, where he eventually settled. Civil War material includes letters from Godfrey's sons and information on the depredations suffered by the family. Beginning in 1867 there are letters from two Barnsley sons who emigrated to South America: George, a physician, and Lucien, who at different times operated a rice mill, apothecary's shop, brick manufactory, and Brazilian gold mine. Their letters describe the inhabitants, the countryside, and political, social, and economic conditions in Brazil. Throughout much of the collection there are references to spiritualism, seances, and mediums.

3.0 linear feet; (6 boxes; 3,668 items)

David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library