Z 2004.000 Waverley Plantation (Clay County, Miss.) Ledger

George Hampton Young, son of George Young, Jr., and Nancy Hampton Young, was born in Lexington, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, on December 28, 1799. He was a planter in Oglethorpe County for most of his early adulthood. Young married Lucy Woodson Watkins on May 17, 1825. He bought a tract of land located on the Tombigbee River in present-day Clay County, Mississippi, from Alexander Pytchlyn in 1836. This land was to become the core of Waverley (also Waverly), Trio, and Cremona plantations. Young, his wife, Lucy, and five oldest children: John W., Beverely, George Valerius, Anna I., and Susan D. Young moved to Waverley about 1843. Young improved his plantations, had five more children: Thomas Erskin, James H., William Lowndes, Sarah B., and Lucy Young, and began work on the mansion, Waverley, between 1843 and 1852. The mansion was completed shortly after the death of Youngs wife in 1852. Residing primarily at Waverley until his death on November 6, 1880, George Hampton Young continued to manage his plantations with the assistance of sons James (who resided at Trio), John, George, Thomas, and William Young.

This ledger (photocopy) contains a variety of records, dating from 1859 to 1862, which pertain to the Waverley, Trio, and Cremona plantations owned by George Hampton Young and his sons. Daily entries list various commodities that were bought for the three plantations and when various crops, particularly cotton, were planted and sold. Also included are an inventory of plantation china and silver, instructions for slaughtering hogs and curing hams, and an explanation of the Winchester rule for measuring corn. Of particular interest are the occasional entries which record the first names and the amount of clothing and rations issued to each slave.

1. Plantation Ledger. 1859-1862. 1 folder.