25 March
John wrote to his father & to me offering the use of his Confederate Bonds and 9 hundred dollars of his pay which is very kind.—I hope Mr Grimball may not be obliged to use it. Berkley made a visit to Pickings & Anderson and found it impossible to procure a suitable place. Mr Kirckland, the Methodist Missionary who resided in our neighborhood offered to rent us his house furnished to put the negroes out to service, to come for the family and proved his sincere goodness in every way. Berkley has such offers of kindness from Mr Paul Felder of land rent free that he went to Orangeburg but did not succeed.
Mr Robertson the factor offered to let Mr Grimball send his negroes to his plantation, he giving the 4th they made and paying his brother for looking after them. The place is 22 miles from Town and the land poor & the accomodations a barn and Overseer’s house. The plan although not a promising one was being acted on. Mr Aiken offered his vessel to carry the negroes to this place when Professor Porcher sent a letter round with an offer from Mr Duboise Porcher to take the negroes and have them work for their food and clothes. They were all brought from the work house 1, Dick, with Typhoid fever. We have been very much tired with the nursing, Elizabeth & I sit up every night until 12 to give medicine & nourishment. Dick is better but Nat has caught the fever from him and is now quite ill and we have the prospect of a time nursing him. Troubles never come alone & we are now in the midst of many. Mr G. had trouble in selling his corn & M. W. Pringlee the Quarter Master wrote up to the man in Adams Run to take the corn by force at 1.10¢ when all over the Country they were offering 1.50. This letter was shown to Mr Grimball—