Collection spotlight · Southern Historian’s Collection
Southern history and historic documents
Family papers, textiles and books from the Spencer, Robeson and McKenzie families of South Carolina and Alabama, assembled by historian Edward Pattillo. All are offered November 8, 2026.
6 lots
In the auction
Click any lot for full photos, condition notes and bidding on LiveAuctioneers.
Lot 18View lot →
Lot 15View lot →
Lot 12View lot →
Lot 25View lot →
Lot 26View lot →
Lot 30View lot →The McKenzie archive
Lot 18 is an archive of 38 documents from 1831 to 1844. It records Col. John McKenzie’s purchases of 88 enslaved people in Lancaster District, South Carolina, and includes a plantation appraisal dated March 24, 1840. The sellers named are Robert Stinson, Thomas Cureton, William McClure and the estate of Walter Izard.
Records like these often hold the only written names of enslaved men, women and children. They matter to descendants, genealogists and historians of slavery in the Carolinas and Alabama. The family’s papers are the subject of Edward Pattillo’s book Carolina Planters on the Alabama Frontier: The Spencer-Robeson-McKenzie Family Papers (2011).
From the same families
The sale also includes Elizabeth Ann Robeson McKenzie’s Empire wedding dress of 1826 with its slippers and bonnet, and a portrait of Alice Gertrude Wright attributed to Henry Byrd. It also offers more than 175 pieces of Confederate and Southern States paper currency, a shadow box with Confederate Capt. James L. McGann’s uniform, and a 1615 Bible printed by Robert Barker.
These lots are offered in The Southern Historian’s Collection (Sunday, November 8). Bidding is online at LiveAuctioneers, with pickup in Leeds, Alabama or shipping.
FAQ
Bidding questions
Straight answers. For anything else, call Kenneth at (205) 915-9006.
Can researchers ask about the archive?
Yes. Descendants and researchers can call (205) 915-9006 to ask about names, places or dates in the documents.
How do I bid?
All of these lots are in The Southern Historian’s Collection on LiveAuctioneers, with live bidding at 6pm Central on November 8, 2026.
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