Letter II: March 3, 1857 – Elvira’s Resistance
Our Mahogany Heritage Institute
Letter II: A Moment of Refusal
| Collection: | Best and Hext Family Papers |
| Location: | Barnwell District, South Carolina |
| Date: | March 3, 1857 |
Primary Source Scans
South Caroliniana Library
Complete Transcription:
Barnwell District Mar 3 1857
Dear Leany
Here I am again writing to you… Well Leany would you believe it that Elvira ran away last week, and came home this morning. She gave Byron some impertinance and he whiped her for it and she just walked off as soon as she had got the whipping. I tell you we have awful times here with the negroes. Mary run from B the other day and deared him to shoot her to his very face…
I tell you I would not be at all suprised if the negroes rise some of these times, for they spoke of it last Christmas… we had a turkey for dinner Sunday you want here to get a piece of its flesh I was sorry. We have not received a letter from Tody in two weeks I expect they wont write untill she is confined… all join in love to you…
Same from Sister,
Caly
Historical Interpretation
The March 3, 1857 letter records a moment of extraordinary defiance within an ordinary household letter. In plantation language, “impertinence” meant refusal. Elvira’s decision to simply walk off interrupts the narrative of total submission.
Recorded just over a year after the forced removal of her daughter, this record captures the moment Elvira fled, repositioning her from a passive subject of correspondence to a central figure of resistance.
Archival Citation
ALS, 3 March 1857, Barnwell District, South Carolina, Sarah Caroline Hext to Selena Caroline Hext Best. Papers of the Best and Hext Families, South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina.Curated and interpreted by Our Mahogany Heritage Institute.
Primary manuscript consulted in person by the author.
Our Mahogany Heritage Institute
Institutional Partnership
Chicago Defender Charities, Inc.
Our Mahogany Heritage Institute operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Chicago Defender Charities, Inc., supporting preservation initiatives focused on documented histories of African American life in the 19th century.
Your gift supports our mission. Make a donation today.
The work of transcribing, cataloging, and digitizing these ancestral records is funded by the community. Your donations help us acquire more records and keep this archive accessible to all.
Secure Processing
Your contribution is processed securely through PayPal. We do not store your financial information.
← Return to Main Menu
© 2026 Our Mahogany Heritage. All Rights Reserved.
The digital curation and historical analysis are the intellectual property of Our Mahogany Heritage Institute.