Wadmelaw Island SC Dec 8th 1865
Deare sir Wrote You these few line in refernce to this Island sir on Friday last Jim Joe & Ben Whaly was Reseave on this Island by Mr Towls1 and says that tha have tranpatation From You to visit the Island and wrote to lett You Know becase I Treat them verry hatch in deed and Mr towles insault me for them and after I Would Persue on them then Mr Towls say to me a gen that tha is right on the Island becase tha have Tranpatation from You to Come on the Island and after I would Persue on them mr Towls say to me agen that tha did not have now Pass but tha did not Come to see me tha Come to see Mr Evings and sir I wrote this to give You sertifaction if you did send them on the Island and if you Did not give then Privlege to Com do anseer so This is the Idea of the Peopels of the Island not to work For there Fermer owners but by the land of the President and if the Goverment Cant sell aus land and cant Conpell the Origanal owers to sell some of there lands do wish you to incorage the Goverment to take aus out the state aldo we would of Perfur living in south but Rather than live as slaves agen to leave the state we haven now Comittee on the Island to see Justas but the Comittees of Edisto Prommis to be here on Tharsdy to Point a Comittee Youre hone servant
Shadrack Seabrook
Shadrack Seabrook to Major General R Saxton, 8 Dec. 1865, Unregistered Letters Received, series 2923, SC Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, & Abandoned Lands, Record Group 105, National Archives.
1. Daniel F. Towles was the Freedmen's Bureau superintendent for St. Paul's Parish, South Carolina.
Published in Land and Labor, 1865, pp. 476–77.