(TENNESSEE.) Family papers of Thomas C. Ryall, a farmer in Shelbyville. Approximately 125 letters plus 9 other documents (0.4 linear feet), most with minimal wear. Various places, 1819-1892, bulk 1838-1867 Thomas Coleman Ryall (1809-1897) and his wife Elizabeth Scudder Ryall (1819-1857) had roots in Freehold, NJ but became farmers in Shelbyville, TN. This family archive contains numerous letters from friends and family in both places, reflecting sectional tensions before and during the Civil War.
Slavery and the Civil War are not the primary topics of these letters, but could hardly be ignored. Brother Daniel Bailey Ryall of Freehold, NJ discusses the difficulty of using enslaved people as collateral for loans in a 4 November 1858 letter: "As to borrowing money here, dear brother, on Negro property at the south on reasonable terms, here it is out of the question. They like security that has no legs & can't at all events run away." In the Civil War, although Shelbyville was known as a Union town, son Walter Ryall served on the Confederate side. An 11 July 1864 letter seeks his release: "I have applied to Gov'r [Andrew] Johnson for his release & hope he will use his influence in Watty's favor." An 8 January 1864 letter to Shelbyville arrived in a censored envelope marked "Examined, A.N. Dell, Capt. & Provo. Mar."
Some of the letters discuss Whig and Democratic politics, including one from noted Mississippi politician and orator Seargent Smith Prentiss, agreeing to speak at a Whig convention in Nashville. Vicksburg, MS, 25 July 1844; and from Congressman Joseph Reed Ingersoll of Pennsylvania, attacking presidential candidate "Mr. Polk's pretensions as a protectionist," Philadelphia, 10 August 1844.
The archive also contains good travel letters. Elizabeth's brother James Lockhart Scudder describes a visit to Lexington, KY at length, including plans for the funeral of Andrew Jackson, on 19 September 1845. Son Thomas Jr. writes from Meriden, MS on 16 September 1867, describing how he ran out of money and was arrested by the ticket agent on spurious charges of theft.