Name/Title
Travel Writing Case and GoodsEntry/Object ID
2001.5.48 A-IDescription
Black case with various writing implements. The case has an almost scalloped lip that ensure the case stays closed when not in use. There are slots for papers as well as for the associated tools, including sealing wax, a lighter, a seal, a letter opener, a ruler, a pen, and a small knife.Use
This handheld writing case was designed to be portable. As letter writing was the primary form of communication throughout the nineteenth century, even simple cases like these were utilized by white men as they sought to manage their affairs while traveling.Context
This case contains letters that belonged to George Huggins (1819–1891), the grandson of Revolutionary War veteran, Ebenezer Huggins (1748–1825). Around 1843, George married Anna Elizabeth Brenan (1825–1905), whose younger sister Ellen Rebecca (1832–1904) later married local painter Eugene Alexander Dovilliers (1818–1887). Together George and Anna had six children that lived to adulthood, including George Henry Huggins (1860–1929), who went on to become the treasurer of the University of South Carolina and the postmaster of Columbia.
Several letters in this writing case were addressed to George in the 1860s. According to the 1860 US Federal Census, George enslaved three people: a 10-year-old boy, a 19-year-old girl, and a 36-year-old-woman.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1855 - circa 1870Material
Paper, Leather, Wood
