There seems to be no records of consequence showing that southern 
plantations were 'literally owned' by northern manufacturing companies 
during antebellum times, and even a stretch afterward.  One possible 
exception (again a stretch) might be the very few northern textile 
businessmen who were active in developing textile mills in the south, such 
as native New Yorker William H. Young who in 1851 opened Eagle Manufacturing 
Company in Columbus, Georgia.  Some Georgia mill owners enticed experienced 
northern mill workers to relocate there for training the local work force. 
Textile mills were of course developed elsewhere in the South as well.

Henry, giving the gentleman you met a nod for his subtlety (maybe 
undeserved?), might he have been thinking about New Englanders, especially 
the many New Yorkers and Bostonians, who made great profits from their 
business advantage over Southern cotton planters to the point of 'owning 
them' and fostering slavery, and maybe how 'their' (in-pocket) politicians 
enacted tariffs that, at least to some, were significant factors in causing 
War Between the States...?

An exhibition at the New York Historical Society highlighting this is 
reported here:

http://www.nysun.com/article/43722

Hope this helps a little and Happy New Year to all.

Neil McDonald


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Henry Wiencek" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 8:14 PM
Subject: [VA-HIST] Southern Plantations Owned by Northern Companies?


At a New Year's party I fell into conversation with a gentleman who told me
with certainty that many southern plantations were owned by northern
manufacturing companies. I have never heard of a plantation owned by a
northern company. Has anyone seen any evidence of this?

Happy New Year to all.

Henry Wiencek

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html