Series I. Forman Family Papers

This collection contains materials related to two families: the Forman family of "Rose Hill," Cecil County, Maryland and the Day family of "Taylor's Mount," Baltimore County, Maryland. Items include commonplace books, account books, and the diaries of Martha Brown Ogle Callender Forman (1788-1864).

The Martha Brown Ogle Callender Forman diaries consist of five volumes and their content reflects the daily life of both the enslavers and the enslaved at the "Rose Hill" estate. Slave lists from 1824 and 1833 indicate that the Formans enslaved about forty people and many of the diary entries record the distribution of clothing and provisions to the enslaved people. Other information provided in Martha Forman's diaries include the work undertaken at the estate--such as haymaking, buttermaking, candlemaking, and textile production--as well as descriptions on the weather, social engagements, family illnesses, foodstuffs sold or stored, and church attendances.

In her diary entries, Martha Forman does not use the word "slave" to describe the enslaved people who work on the estate. Collectively, she refers to them as "the people." For the enslaved people serving in the house, she calls the women “servants” or “house girls” and the men "servants" or by their profession such as "coachman." For those laboring in the fields, she uses the terms “hands” or “out people.”

The materials related to the Day family include account books, day books, and commonplace books of William Young Day (1798-1879) and his brother Edward Augustus Day (1796-1823).