Papers consist of correspondence, a speech, plantation papers, including overseers' reports and letters, and other items. Personal correspondence (1821-1830) includes a letter to William Wragg Smith from his mother Charlotte Wragg Smith and one from a former teacher or governess. Other correspondence (1803-1854) concerns land transactions, business and financial affairs, and family estate matters. Draft of a speech is inscribed "Who is the producer? An address delivered before the Beaufort Agricultural Society, Aug. 1840, by Ed. Rhett," and discusses agricultural productivity, population, and David Ricardo's economic theories. Receipts (1834-1859) are for business, personal, household, and plantation expenses. Plantation papers include letters and detailed weekly overseer's reports (1848) to Smith from B.L. Nix; each report lists the "no. of hands, work and what field," the number of acres finished, the number of slaves cutting wood and doing other jobs, the names of slaves who were sick, weather conditions, and remarks. There is also an overseer's agreement with John Hill at Cedar Hill Plantation, an account statement of "sales of plantation utensils" from Cedar Hill, numerous slave bills of sale, slave mortgages (1845), and accounts for plantation tools and other supplies. Other items include mortgages (1848, 1853) of property in Charleston (S.C.); a deed of gift (1828) of slaves from Elizabeth Wragg to her nephew William Wragg Smith; insurance policies; and bonds.
