RESERVED

Aldebert Delacoste [bookkeeper]; Corregeolles plantation (1733-?).

Compte general de fraix d'exploitation faits pour l. [le] hon. [habitation] Corregeolles a Larcahaye depuis le premier Janvier 1771. Jusqua au 14 Avril 1772.

L’Arcahaie, Haiti, 1771-1773. 

Folio (36,5 x 25 cm.). [12], [2 blank], [2], [1 blank], [2], [5 blank] pp. Manuscript in French in ink on paper, with later marginal notes in pencil regarding information about enslaved people.

Sewn.

This handwritten bookkeeping record documents the financial operations of the Corregeoles sugar plantation in Haiti from January 1771 to April 1773. It provides insight into the plantation economy during French colonization, revealing networks of suppliers and buyers, while also shedding light on the harsh realities faced by enslaved Black laborers. The manuscript offers both a detailed account of the plantation's finances and an unflinching look at the exploitative practices that sustained its success. The entries, including purchases such as "une chaîne et deux colliers pour un nègre" (a chain and two collars for a negro) and "un collier de fer pour un nègre" (an iron collar for a negro), expose the brutal conditions enslaved people endured, underscoring the central role of enslaved labor in the plantation's operations and the broader colonial economy.

The 12-page manuscript, written in ink on paper, is divided into three distinct sections, each offering detailed insights into the plantation’s economic activities:

1. Compte Général de Frais d'Exploitation (January 1771 - April 1772) – This section meticulously records the plantation’s general operational expenses, including costs for supplies, wages, maintenance, and other outlays crucial for the estate’s functioning during this period. The entries are carefully itemized, with neatly ruled columns listing dates, descriptions, and amounts, reflecting the structured accounting practices of the time.
2. Compte de Recepte (January 1771 - April 1773) – A detailed account of the plantation’s income, documenting all forms of revenue. This includes earnings from the sale of agricultural products such as coffee, sugar, and cotton, as well as other sources of income like the sale of enslaved individuals (“nègres”). The section follows a similar format to the expense records, providing a comprehensive financial overview.
3. État du Reveneû (January 1772 - April 1773) – A summary of the plantation’s income over this period, providing a breakdown of revenues generated from January 1772 to April 1773. This section, dated 1773, offers an overall picture of the plantation’s financial performance, with a final "Recapitulation" of the total income and expenditures.

The manuscript uses traditional accounting techniques typical of the era, with ruled columns, itemized lists, and precise monetary figures, offering a clear and organized presentation of financial data.

The Corregeoles Plantation, also known as Courregeolles, Courgeolles, Courrejolles, or Courjolles, was established in 1733 by Auguste-François-Gabriel, chevalier de Courrejolles, near the Courjolles River (now Joly River) in Haiti. Initially focused on indigo production, the plantation later expanded to include coffee, sugar, cotton, and lime industries. Situated near L'Arcahaie, a key town in colonial Haiti, the plantation benefited from its strategic location for trade and agriculture.

 Condition: in very good condition.

Literature:

Jean-Baptiste Mario Samedy. "Classes, strates sociales et émergence de la 'Petite paysannerie' à Saint-Domingue-Haïti (1640-1835)." Anthropologica, vol. 23, no. 1, 1981, pp. 73-100. Canadian Anthropology Society.

Ira Berlin and Philip D. Morgan, editors. Cultivation and Culture: Labor and the Shaping of Slave Life in the Americas. University Press of Virginia, 1993.

Oliver Gliech. Colons de Saint-Domingue Anciens Propriétaires (1789). Domingino-Verlag, 2021:

·       1862: Correjolles [Courrejolles], François. Cafét. / Coton.

·       1863: Correjolles, Jean-Isaac. Sucre.

·       1863: Correjolles, Jean. Cafét. / Coton.

·       1926: Courrejolles, chevalier de, Auguste-François-Gabriel. Indigo.