Letter from Frank Spruell to Mississippi Governor William L. Sharkey; August 1, 1865

African American businesspeople; Freedmen.; Mississippi. Governor; Sharkey, William Lewis, 1798-1873;; Slavery.; Taxation.

From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Sharkey Collection. Letter from Frank Spruell, a formerly enslaved person, to Mississippi Governor William L. Sharkey asking that the tax on his business be waived.

Spruell, Frank

Mississippi Department of Archives and History. (electronic version); Mississippi Digital Library. (electronic version)

1865-08-01

Funding for this project provided by The Dale Center for Study of War and Society-USM, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Digital Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Watson-Brown Foundation

NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

English

mdah_771-956-01-10

1865

Page 1:

Columbus. Miss. Aug the 1st 1865

Governor Sharkey, Dear [SiS?]. as I come under the tax Law of your proclimation of July 17th I think it not justice to tax me the full amount. as I have been a poor Slave all the days of my life. I am Selling and buying produce on a Small Scale my Sales does not amount to 25 dollars per month if fact I have only got a few mellons on hands at this time, I commenced with only two dollars and fifty cents.

Frank Spruell

Page 2:

A negro wants relief from the Tax, Commenced on Two dollars & a half. Sells only Watermellons

Please let me know in a few days as the Sheriff is after his pay