American Historical Ephemera & Photography, including African Americana

Autograph letter signed by W.J. Dent and addressed to the Hon. Barnes Humphreys, on letterhead "W.J. Dent Dealer in General Merchandise." Morgan City, Mississippi, 11 June 1912. 1p, 8 1/2 x 11 in. Dent requests that a marriage license be mailed to him on behalf of "Sampson Pritchard & Grozella Sykes (Col)." -- Autograph letter signed by F.F. Shuffield and addressed to Mr. G.S. Pate, on letterhead "F.F. Shuffield Dealer in General Merchandise." Colony Town, Mississippi. 18 January 19[22?]. 1p, 6 x 9 1/2 in. Shuffield submits payment for a marriage license for "John Nelson & Malissie Lackey Col."

During the Jim Crow era, sharecropping forced Black farmers to work the land in exchange or a portion of their crop - a system that kept Black farmers in poverty and prevented them from achieving upward social mobility. Dent and Shuffield were likely plantation owners, and the "colored" couples referenced in the letters were more than likely sharecroppers on their plantations. Many of the rural farms had commissaries where workers could purchase goods on the plantation and as such were listed as "Dealers in General Merchandise" although they dealt primarily with cotton. While the sharecroppers were employed, their lives were still regulated to a large extent by the plantation owners - even having their own marriage licenses procured for them. This process, though seemingly benign, helped whites ensure that Jim Crow anti-miscegenation laws were being followed, and reinforced white supremacy.