Richard H. Riddick papers, 1839-1879

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Summary

Creator:
Riddick, Richard H.
Abstract:
Richard H. Riddick (1806-1868) was a white man and slaveowner who lived in Pantego, N.C., and worked in the lumber and sawmill industry. Collection consists mainly of materials related to Riddick's involvement with the Albemarle Swamp Land Company, including deeds and indentures related to land acquisition, bills and other financial materials, and correspondence. Several items in the collection reference slavery and enslaved persons owned by Riddick and others, including two dictated letters from Thomas Rightso, a self-emancipated man formerly enslaved by Riddick.
Extent:
2 Linear Feet (1 box, 1 oversize folder)
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.13010

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists mainly of materials related to Riddick's involvement with the Albemarle Swamp Land Company, including deeds and indentures related to land acquisition, bills and other financial materials, and correspondence. Correspondence largely discusses business matters such as the acqusition, cutting, shipping, and sale of lumber and lumber products like shingles and staves. The correspondence also includes a few business records for the company, such as articles of association, meeting minutes, and resolutions. A small amount of personal correspondence is scattered throughout the business correspondence as well.

Several items in the collection reference slavery and enslaved persons owned by Riddick and others. An indenture from September 1842 contains a long list of enslaved persons owned by the Riddick family, including the names of enslaved men, women, and children. An October 1846 letter from Riddick to John Kilby discusses Riddick's sales of an enslaved woman, "Matilda or Penny," to Kilby. Several letters between Riddick and other men, dated December 1861 to March 1861 and February 1864, discuss the hiring out of enslaved people, as well as people of color in jail. Riddick's account book from 1859 to 1861 contains a few pages with a list of people's names and the clothing they were allotted--the names are likely those of enslaved people.

The Thomas Rightso case materials contain two letters dictated by Rightso after his self-emancipation, in which he tells briefly of his escape and at length about his desire to buy freedom for his wife and children. The two letters are addressed to John Walker, a free person of color who lived with and worked for the Riddicks. Also included is a written description of Rightso using his enslaved name, Lewis; a small map of Boston; a booklet and two issues of The Commonwealth newspaper, which discuss the case and the Fugitive Slave Act; and several letters between Riddick and U.S. Marshalls detailing their attempts to find and capture Rightso for return to Riddick.

Financial and legal materials related to John D. Myrick, who was legally declared to be insane, document his power of attorney changing hands and the settlement of his estate and many outstanding debts. Additional materials related to Myrick's accounts can be found in the Bills, receipts, and financial papers.

A February 1868 letter from George W. Easter, located in the Correspondence and business records, briefly informs the Riddicks of his newborn baby, its illness, his killing of the baby, and the grief he and his wife experienced after the baby's death.

Biographical / historical:

Richard H. Riddick (1806-1868) was a white man and slaveowner who lived in Pantego, N.C., and worked in the lumber and sawmill industry. Born in Virginia to Mills and Mary Riddick, Richard Riddick was an agent for the Albemarle Swamp Land Company, a lumber company formed in 1840 between members of the Riddick family and William B. Whitehead. The company was headquartered in Suffolk, V.A., and incorporated in 1867. After Richard Riddick's death in 1868, his brother Nathaniel Riddick took over as president and general agent of the company.

Thomas Rightso was an enslaved man owned by Richard Riddick. Rightso, whose enslaved name was Lewis, self-emancipated by running away one night in 1850. He secured passage on a ship to Boston, where he worked in a factory for a time. Riddick attempted to have Rightso returned to Pantego under the Fugitive Slave Act but does not seem to have been successful.

John D. Myrick was a white man and Confederate officer from Norfolk, V.A. In 1866 he was legally declared to be insane and was also in a large amount of debt. The Riddicks knew and worked with Myrick's lawyer, John R. Kilby. Myrick passed away in Staunton, V.A., in 1869, possibly at the Western Lunatic Asylum.

Acquisition information:
The Richard H. Riddick papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library in 1934, 1939, and 1950.
Processing information:

Processed by Rubenstein Library Staff.

Accessions described in this guide are from 1934, 1939, and 1950.

Reprocessed by Leah Tams, June 2023. Reprocessed to separate and regroup materials, and to add description of material types; evidence of enslaved peoples, slavery, and self-emancipation; evidence of infanticide; and evidence of a person legally declared to be insane.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Richard H. Riddick Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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