The above letter was written by Roland G. Hazard to his brother Isaac. P. Hazard. The letter concerns business accounts, mostly in the Louisiana Red River area, (between Alexandria, LA and the Texas border). The letter listed over 70 account names and it is to be assumed that most of these were plantation & farm owners who were doing business with the Hazard Mills in Rhode Island. Roland was making at least one and sometimes two trips to the Gulf Coast every year even though the firm had a factor, (H. R. Green, Jr.) working out of New Orleans during this time.

Another R. G. Hazard letter of this time period mentions litigation with a former client in the Red River area and judging from the tone of this letter and others, it is apparent that times were hard and cash was in short supply for most plantation owners of the area. The Hazard firm sold Linsey Woolsey cloth and other textile goods the merchants and farmers of the Gulf Coast and purchased raw cotton for processing in their mills.

Roland states in the letter that he has made trips from New Orleans to Natchez, Vicksburg, and the Red River area. He further states that crops are bad south of Vicksburg and on the Red River this side of Natchitoches. Roland ends his correspondence with; "Tell Caroline (his wife), I rcvd her letter on my return from Red River - Love to all, Thy Affectionate Brother RGH."

The Letter has a Blue Mobile, AL CDS dated January 10, 1843 and consists of one folded sheet containing a 3 page letter.  There is a red rate marking in the upper right corner of the cover which appears to be 25 cents. This would be the correct rate for mail traveling over 400 miles  as set by the Postal Act of 1816.

All 3 Pages are Reproduced at Full Size. See the links Above

A Reproduction of the Letters First page including the names of business accounts in arrears from the Red River area of West Central Louisiana follows below. The majority of the Names are accurately reproduced, however, there were a few unreadable names that I was unable to accurately transcribe and those are reproduced as "closest or best guess." (Question Marks Indicate Unable to Read Name) The addendum at top of page and another written sideways between the list of names is not reproduced below.