Cameron Family Papers as Data

Cameron Family Papers as Data

Anna Agbe-Davies
Ongoing

Dr. Agbe-Davies has been researching the digitized Cameron Family Papers, stored in Wilson Library, which reveal much information about the operations of the Stagville Plantation in North Carolina. Notably, the collection includes information about Richard Bennehan's store. Using the 18th-19th century store records from the collection, Dr. Agbe-Davies aims to research the types of objects that furnished peoples' homes. As an archeologist, she is interested in the paths these objects took, people's choice of purchases, and how purchases changed through the seasons. Further, since documents of who purchased goods and how they purchased said goods are also available, Dr. Agbe-Davies also aims to use this information to compare the purchasers, which included both enslaved and free peoples, their method of payment, and what they bought during this time period.

Further, in Dr. Agbe-Davies is also consulting the digitize George Washington Papers, also located in Wilson Special Collections, and the store records to continue her research on the lives of purchasers and purchased goods in the late 18th and 19th century.

Digital Methods: Archiving, Cultural Analytics, Manuscripts 

Tags: Collections as Data, North Carolina History, Plantation History, Special Collections, Store Records

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