Planter's Portfolios in Antebellum Virginia

9309494欧文本研究的目的是分析南北战争前弗吉尼亚州富有的奴隶主的投资组合，并确定他们如何在奴隶，土地和所有其他形式的财富之间分配资产。 从弗吉尼亚县法院的遗嘱认证记录中收集富有死者的遗产清单，并将这些记录与联邦人口普查表、县土地税和契约记录以及家庭信件、历史和账簿等个人记录联系起来。 本研究将利用投资组合选择的现代金融理论分析由此产生的关联数据集。 特别令人感兴趣的是，富裕的南方人是否过度依赖奴隶和土地，不愿投资制造业和商业金融。 具有重大历史意义的经济问题是种植园主的投资组合选择在南北战争前南方经济增长和发展中所起的作用。 这项研究可能有助于解释制造业在这一时期的发展过程中相对较小的作用。 ***

9309494 Irwin The purpose of this research is to analyze the portfolios of wealthy slave owners in antebellum Virginia, and to determine how they allocated their assets among slaves, land, and all other forms of wealth. A data set will be assembled of estate- inventories of wealthy decedents from the probate records of Virginia County Courts, and these records will be linked to federal census schedules, county land-tax and deed records, and to personal records such as family letters, histories, and account books. The research will analyze the resulting linked data set drawing on modern finance theory of portfolio choice. Of particular interest is whether rich southerners were over committed to slaves and land and averse to investing in manufacturing and commercial finance. The economic issue of considerable historical significance is the role planter's portfolio choice played in the economic growth and development of the antebellum south. This research may help explain the relatively minor role of manufacturing in the development process during that period. ***