The first few volumes range from the years 1739 to 1746. They begin with her description of her family's move to the plantation in South Carolina when she was about seventeen years old. Throughout these years, she began to experiment with the indigo seeds along with others that her father had sent to her. She wanted to create a version of the crop that could be produced in South Carolina. Her letters describe the many years of experiments that she did on the crop to make it successful. They also detail her marriage to long time friend and neighbor Charles Pinckney in 1744.