This collection features records of Michael Reed’s business endeavors in the Robertson Colony, including promissory notes, receipts, records of payments and bills, and correspondence concerning requests for Reed’s corn and other goods. Included are many bills of sale for slaves as well as Michael Reed’s ledger of the daily activities of his slaves. Other documents include court documents, affidavits, ledgers, petitions, currency, and newspapers.

The materials cover Reed’s life and business from 1818–1859, the settlement of his estate after his death in 1859, and the continuation of his family’s legal and business dealings until 1874. From after this date, the collection includes a booklet describing expenses for a trip from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Seattle, Washington circa 1932 (presumably by one of Michael Reed’s descendants), genealogical records confirming eligibility for the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas from 1962, and a CoinSite Article entitled “Infamous #8894 Bank of the United States $1000 Bill” alongside one of the counterfeit bills and its negatives.

Notes: folder titles and descriptions use the alternative spelling “affadavit.” In the documents, the surname “Reed” is frequently spelled as the variant “Read.” Content is arranged chronologically according to the processor’s best knowledge.