1897 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT LETTER REQUESTING PRIME FARMING LAND FOR THE PURPOSE OF SETTLING AND COLONISING NORTHERN FARMERS INTO ALABAMA

On offer is a fascinating, original late 19th Century Calera Alabama manuscript letter handwritten by L. W. Beard of editor of the newsletter The Sunny Southland 'A Weekly Immigration Paper' published in Shelby County Alabama promoting Northern farmers as 'colonists' and 'settlers' to Alabama. The two page letter, dated August 27, 1897 is addressed to Thomas Scott of Montgomery. Scott and his family were prominent in the Alabama Republican party at the time and were also big land owners throughout Alabama. The letter provides significant insight into the machinations of enticing his primary target for immigrants as Beard writes Scott asking him to find 10,000+ acres or more of well watered stock land suitable for dairy farming, good soil on clay foundation, elevated sufficient to be well drained, moderately priced, for dairy cattle and other purposes near the L&N Railroad line between Mobile & New Orleans. Beard intended to parcel it out to new settlers. He clearly outlines his preferences and that the land must be 'healthful all year locality for Northern farmers!' Overall G+.