Manuscript Location

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library

Place of Origin

United States ➔ North Carolina

Date of Composition

ca. 1815-ca. 1855

Description

Harriet Eloise Erwin's book is part of the library's collection of the papers of the prominent Avery family of North Carolina. The book contains culinary recipes, mostly focusing on sweets and preserves, as well as medical recipes. It also contains Harriet Erwin's poetry. Some of the book is written in a hand other than Harriet Irwin's.

Harriet Erwin (1795-1858) married Isaac Thomas Avery (1785-1864) in 1815 and became the the mistress of Swan Ponds Plantation, which her husband had inherited from his father, Waightstill Avery (1747-1821), a lawyer, a Revolutionary War leader, a drafter of North Carolina's first constitution, and, later, a representative to the state legislature. In 1848, Isaac Thomas Avery built a new house at Swan Ponds, where he and Harriet lived with their children. In addition to being active in politics, banking, mining, and industry, Isaac Thomas Avery greatly expanded Swan Ponds, acquiring 50,000 acres of additional land, where he raised more cattle and horses than anyone else in western North Carolina. By 1850, he owned over 140 slaves. Isaac Thomas and Leah Avery had sixteen children. Six died before reaching adulthood, and four of their sons died fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Thomas Avery died shortly thereafter. Swan Ponds was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1973 and is today operated as a museum.