Mailing Address:
Special Collections
College of Charleston Library
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424

Phone:
(843) 953-8016

Title: Diary of J.B. Grimball

Collection #: 0021

Dates: 1832-1938

Size: 1 box (0.25 linear feet)

Biographical Note: Charleston and St. Paul's Parish, Colleton District South Carolina rice plantation owner, South Carolina Senator, and president of the local agricultural society.

Scope and Content Note: Typescript copies (1937-1938) of 17 diaries (1832-1884) kept by John Berkeley Grimball of Pinebury and Old Fort Plantations, transcribed from the original by Frederica B. Keller during a 1935-1938 W.P.A. project.

Entries include references to family matters, including the division of Grimball's mother's [Eliza Flinn] estate, social events, religion, a hot air balloon ascension (1834), a duel (1856), and Grimball's trips to Sulphur Srings, Virginia and elsewhere.

The entries contain information about politics including Grimball's election to the state Senate, Lincoln's election, and the call for Secession. Grimball notes events during the Civil War at Ft. Sumter, Ft. Moultrie, Ft. Johnson, and elsewhere, as well as the difficulties of Reconstruction.

Entries contain agricultural references and the names of plantation owners and the number of river swamp acres cultivated in 1846 on Pon Pon and Dawho rivers.

Entries include plantation accounts (1833-1836) and lists of slaves at Pinebury, Old Fort, Antwerp (1833), Slann's Island (1833, 1834, 1840, 1845), Dawho (1836), St. John's Island (1836), and Grove (1863) plantations. Other entries include a plan for a house and offices, the names of Negroes mortgaged 1845, a list of slaves at the Grimballs' Charleston property (1862), a list of Grimball's sister's [Eliza Wilkins] slaves (1862), a list (1862) of negroes on the plantation and those who have gone away, a list of Negroes gone to the Yankees at Edisto, a list of Negroes delivered to I. DuBose Porcher's plantation in Monck's Corner (1862), and Negroes sold to Mr. Trenholm (1863?).

Subject Headings:

Flinn, Eliza Berkley Grimball, d. 1844.
Grimball, John Berkley, 1800-1892 -- Diaries.
Porcher, Isaac DuBose, 1832-1866.
Wilkins, Eliza Berkley, ca. 1798-1863.
African Americans -- History.
Plantation life -- South Carolina.
Plantation owners -- South Carolina.
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)
Slaves -- South Carolina.
Antwerp Plantation (S.C.)
Grove Plantation (Charleston County, S.C.)
Old Fort Plantation (S.C.)
Pinebury Plantation (Charleston County, S.C.)
Slann's Island (S.C.)
South Carolina -- History.
South Carolina -- Politics and government.
South Carolina -- Social life and customs -- 19th century.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Confederate.

Inventory:

Diary of J.B. Grimball Folder & Page Number

May 9, 1832 - December 25, 1833 Folder 1
Copely - Izard Family Painting Pg.1/ms3
Charleston Library Society Pg.3/ms15
List of Gifts given to Slaves on Christmas Day Pg.34/ms177

January 9, 1833 - November 3, 1836 Folder 2
Listing of Expenses

January 1, 1834 - June 17, 1836 Folder 3
Description of Kentucky Pg.1
Trustees of the Presbyterian Church at Wiltown Pg.12/ms57
Cream of Tartar for Fever Remedy Pg.13/ms62
Cholera - Remedy Pg.26/ms125
List of Slann's Island Slaves Pg.35/ms173
Trip to New York Pg.40

May 13, 1835 - October 11, 1835 Folder 4
Trip to Sulphur Springs, VA Pg.1
Advice from Dr. Huger on what springs to bathe in Pg.1/ms4
Washington Pg.17/ms64
Furnishings at the White House Pg.17/ms66
Medical Treatment Pg.18/ms69

16, 1836 - September 14, 1836 Folder 5
Trip to New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, New Haven etc. Pg.1/ms1
List of Expenses on trip Pg.7/ms58

May 5, 1837 - April 28, 1841 Folder 6
Became a Senator (State) Pg.6/ms84
Recipe for White-wash Pg.20/ms105
Murder trial for Slave Pg.26/135
Re-election to Senate Pg.32/ms68

February 14, 1843 - October 28, 1844 Folder 7
Death of Grimball's Mother (Front cover) Pg.20/ms111

November 8, 1844 - November 20, 1846 Folder 8

January 14, 1847 - May 18, 1848 Folder 9
Removal of Friend's and Mother's Coffins to new location Pg.2/ms8
Slaves working on Road Construction Pg.4/ms21
Divisions of Deceased Mother's Estate Pg.4/ms23

August 1, 1848-February 14, 1852 Folder 10
Sale of Morris' Plantations Pg.9/ms51
Elizabeth "Comes out" Pg.10/ms54

May 10, 1852 - January 15, 1858 Folder 11
Description of Fertilizer Pg.11/ms64
Duel - W.E. Taber killed Pg.31/ms167
Death of a Planter (Suicide) Pg.35/ms190

March 8, 1858 - January 10, 1862 Folder 12
"Affair of Honor" Pg.4/ms17
Murder of Slave Pg.9/ms44
Election Day of Lincoln and call from the Governor to withdraw from the Union Pg.27/ms124
Convention Meets Pg.28/ms130
U.S. secretly moves to Ft. Sumter Pg.29/ms134
Fort Sumter if fired upon Pg.30/ms139
1st Southern Congress Meets Pg.30/ms139
Jefferson Davis is Elected Pg.31/ms140
Attack on Ft. Moultrie, Morris Island and Ft. Johnson and surrender of Ft. Sumter Pg.32/ms145

January 15, 1862 - March 6, 1863 Folder 13
Slaves Deserted to the Yankees Pg.7/ms23
"Hope of Destroying Northern Army" Pg.14/ms52

May 15, 1863 - March 13, 1865 Folder 14
Rules for Measuring Grain Pg.8/ms18
Fighting on Morris Island Pg.20/ms51
Enemy Lands at White Point Pg.38/ms105

March 14, 1865 - May 15, 1867 Folder 15
General Lee Surrenders Pg.2/ms6
Lincoln Assasinated Pg.2/ms6
Yankees Arrive in Spartanburg Pg.2/ms7
Meta's Property in Confiscation Court Pg.9/ms35
Meta's Pardon from Andrew Jackson

March 25, 1868 - June 29, 1869 Folder 16
Chrestomathic Society Pg.23/ms13

July 1, 1869 - July 30, 1884 Folder 17
St. Cecilia Ball Pg.18/ms39
Lewis Grimball's Appointment to College of Charleston Museum Pg.55/ms128