1845 HANDWRITTEN TRAVEL DIARY - NY to ALABAMA, GEORGIA

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1845 Northern Man's Journey to the South New Orleans; Alabama; Georgia Interesting manuscript travel journal, 1845, maintained by S. B. Amory of Goshen, New York while on a three-month round trip via ship, road and train from New York to Alabama (Mobile, Cahaba, Montgomery); New Orleans; and Georgia (Columbus, Covington, Augusta). Small leather bound notebook, appx. 3" x 4.25, 44pp used (filled.) Written in pencil, in a legible hand, but t a fair amount of smudges and fading. With patience, though, the vast majority is readable. He leaves at the end of February on the Brig Linden and t's some exciting shipboard content. The ship encounters a heavy storm and at one point Amory is nearly washed overboard. It appears as if he ventured South for business purposes as t's no mention of family or friends. In a few locales he writes that he took a survey, but the particular type isn't mentioned. He's impressed with the scenery and sights and comments on the flora, fauna, residents, architecture and more. T are about a half a dozen mentions of slaves, including a woman cruelly whipped and a slave auction. Excerpts (spelling uncorrected): "Left Goshen on the 15th Feby 1845 for New York. 27th Feby at 2 o clock PM left foot of Pine St. Ny in the Brig Linden bound for Mobile."; "A good wind & Brig going like a thing of life." "Plunging terribly - surface of the sea covered with foam..."; "water as blue as vitriol"; "Brig made a plunge which threw me to the opposite side and the water which washed on deck came near washing me overboard...flying fish for breakfast."; "Raining furiously - vessel at times plunged into a great gulph surrounded on all sides by mighty waves whose lofty tops appear to touch the verry heavens." "A brig in company - lost sight of land - Brig Victoria [?] to Baltimore with slaves." "2 vessels in sight - water 16 feet deep...for miles the bottom was a clear beautiful bed of coral formed in ridges by the water." "Sailed within 100 yards of the barque Phoenix of Richmond VA [?] with a cargo of slaves for the No Market - also a number of white women." "Passed the anchoring ground for large vessels 25 miles below Mobile, about 80 large ships &c in sight at anchor." March 27 - "Logs &c floating down the river. Linden towed up to the city - locust trees &c in full bloom - black birds in great numbers about the docks - very large cat fish caught by old slaves." March 31 - "Livery stable burnt at Mobile. Strawberries quite plenty - charcoal sold by black women." April 6 - "Arrived at the S. Boat landing on Lake Pontchartrain...at N. Orleans stores open and business done like other days, theatres open races &c. Water running through the city from the River. N. O. supplied with water for fires and drinking &c from the River...a great many Indians & white women with their slaves following them in the streets." "Left Mobile in the steamboat Lourdes [?] for Cahaba - a great many gamblers on the boat who kept up their devilish games all night. Many fine looking young men engaged." "Saw a large alligator, a great many large and beautiful plantations each having a number of negro huts upon them. Along the Alabama River the banks lined with thick forests in places and cane breaks, willow, cotton, cypress and many other trees covered with moss which hangs down 3 or 4 feet." "Arrived at the town of Cahaba - beautifully situated on an elevated bank at the mouth of the Cahaba River. Population about 700. The buildings are mostly small, shaded by the china tree which line the streets...Cahaba is a beautiful place and fine flower gardens walks & paths lined with hedges of beautiful rose bushes & other flowering shrubery...a great many mocking birds doves, red birds &C.." Sun., April 26 - "Saw a black woman cruelly whiped." May 6, 7, Montgomery - "A flourishing town. Population about 500, the suburbs of the town are beautiful a great number of fine residences of Gents."; "Took a survey of the town." "Saw some negro... read more

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