Prince & Melia Wilson Mortgage
Archival ID: omhi-tal-1912-prince-wilson-legal-01-03
Date: 1912 | Pages: 3 (Complete Series)
Why This Document Matters
This 3-page series documents a formal mortgage agreement for Prince and Melia Wilson. In 1912, a mortgage was a pivotal economic milestone. This record is particularly valuable because it lists the “Chattel” or collateral used—naming specific livestock, tools, and crops. This provides a deep personal look into the Wilson family’s daily life and wealth, showing exactly what they owned and were working for during the height of the Jim Crow era. It serves as a definitive “Residence Record” and an economic snapshot of the Black Mingo community.
Archival Note: Living History
Mortgage pages serve as an inventory. By reading the list of animals and equipment, we can reconstruct the exact scale of a family’s farm and their financial ambitions.
Mortgage pages serve as an inventory. By reading the list of animals and equipment, we can reconstruct the exact scale of a family’s farm and their financial ambitions.
Archival Citation
“Prince and Melia Wilson Mortgage Record, 1912.” Williamsburg County Legal Collection. Digitized by OMHI, ID: omhi-tal-1912-prince-wilson-legal-01-03.
