(EDUCATION) Letter of recommendation for college admission w

Sale 2631 - Lot 186

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(EDUCATION.) Letter of recommendation for college admission, written for a girl formerly enslaved by her family. Autograph Letter Signed from Salley Hamner on Richmond Female Institute letterhead, to the president of the "Hartshorn Female Institute" in Richmond. One page, 10 1/2 x 8 inches; short separations at folds. With original envelope (not mailed). Richmond, VA, 7 August 1885

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This letter is addressed to Hartshorn Memorial College, a college for Black women founded in Richmond in 1883: "The bearer of this was born as our slave and I meet her this week for the first time since we both were children. She has always possessed a good mind and I am sure would appreciate the education she is striving to obtain. Can you not talk with her and assist her in her plans?" The letter is marked "Amanda Makeland" in a different hand--presumably the woman who sought admission.

The author Sallie B. Hamner (1849-1917) was raised in Appomattox County, VA, where her father John C. Hamner was a Baptist clergyman. The 1860 census shows the family as the owners of 12 enslaved people, including girls aged 2, 4, 5, 10, and 12. From at least 1881 to 1891 she was the principal of the Richmond Female Institute. She was willing to assist Amanda Makeland to pursue an education, but not willing or able to offer her admission to the segregated girl's school she led.