I will have what Goods I send to Virginia to the use of my Plantation there, kept in my House at Morattico.

If I should not send Goods enough, you must Supply the rest out of the stores there with my Tobacco.

The Coarse Cotton . . . was assign’d for blankets for my Negroes: there must be four yards a half to each Blanket. They that have [now] two blankets already; that is one tolerable one, and one pretty good one, must have what is wanting to make it up, 4½ yards in a blanket. And Everyone of the workers must have a Good Suite of the Welsh Plain [wool] made as it should be. Not to[o] Scanty, nor bobtail’d. And Each of the Children must have a Coat of Worser Cotton . . . and two shirts or shifts of ozenbrig [coarse linen] and the Workers must Each of them have Summer Shirtfs of the brown Rolls. And All the workers must have Good strong Shoes, & stockings; and they that go after the Creatures [livestock], or Much in the Wet, must have two pair of Shoes . . . and all must be done in Good time; and not for Winter to be half over before they get their summer Clothes; as the Common Virginia fashion is.

If any of the Negroes should be sick, let them ly by a Good fire; and have fresh Meat & brot[h]; and blood, and vomit [purge] them, as you shall think proper. . . . I would have no Doctor unless in very violent Cases: they Generally do more harm than Good. . . .

Let not the overseers abuse my People. Nor let them abuse their overseer.

Let the Breeding Wenches have Baby Clothes, for wh[ic]h you may tear up old sheets, or any other old Linen . . . (I shall Send things proper hereafter) and let them have Good Midwives; and what is necessary. Register all the Negro Children that shall be born and after keep an account of their ages among my Papers.

Source: Joseph Ball Letterbook, 1743–1759, in Correspondence of Joseph Ball, 1743–1780, Library of Congress.