The bulk of the Tait Family Papers is the material of James A. Tait, which are in folders 5-32. The diaries of Mr. Tait, dating from 1815-1855, contain valuable information on Mr. Tait's methods of farming, the crops raised on his Wilcox County plantation, notes on home remedies for illnesses of humans and animals, and weather conditions.

The collection includes correspondence from his father, Charles, and his son James G. who was a student at Howard College. The bulk of family correspondence is from his son, Charles William, who lived at Columbus, Texas.

Records concerning the operation of his plantation include: financial records, tax receipts, land deeds, and an overseers contract. Slave material includes a slave genealogy, receipts for slave sales, an estimate of each slaves value, and a division of slaves into classes.

James A. Tait's will and records on the distribution of his estate are part of this collection.

Miscellaneous material includes an invitation to a graduation party at the University of Alabama on May 23 [n.d.] and a certificate of appointment as Postmaster of Black's Bluff.

A thesis by John Perry Cochran of the University of Alabama, "James Asbury Tait and His Plantation" and a bound volume "James Asbury Tait: Memoranda and Observations, 1815-1855" are in the collection.

A subgrouping of the Tait Family Papers contains papers of various Tait family members. Included are papers of James A. Tait's father, Charles, in folders l-4, and the papers of James G. in folders 33-44.

Addenda: A copy of a letter to Governor Benjamin Fitzpatrick, dated September 19, 1844, from the files of Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Governor of Alabama, 1841-1845, located in the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama. Donated by Dan Brooks, Graduate Student, Samford University, February 13, 1976. Filed in folder 48 with material relating to shooting incident.