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University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Slavery in North America Collection 1752-1864

© 2022 University of Chicago Library

Descriptive Summary

Title:

Slavery in North America Collection

Dates:

1752-1864

Size:

0.25 linear feet (1 box)

Repository:

Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.

Abstract:

The collection is comprised of various documents and letters from many sources which document slavery and the treatment of enslaved persons in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century, primarily in the United States. Documents include several bills of sale, a memorandum describing the slave trade in Havana (1783), estate inventories, public notices, letters, deeds, a will, and an indemnity bond. A few of the documents are facsimiles. Although acquired by the University Library from diverse sources they have been gathered into a collection as a matter of convenience.

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research.

Digital Images

Original documents, texts, and images represented by digital images linked to this finding aid are subject to U. S. copyright law. It is the user's sole responsibility to secure any necessary copyright permission to reproduce or publish documents, texts, and images from any holders of rights in the original materials.

The University of Chicago Library, in its capacity as owner of the physical property represented by the digital images linked to this finding aid, encourages the use of these materials for educational and scholarly purposes. Any reproduction or publication from these digital images requires that the following credit line be included: Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

The images presented here may include materials reflecting the attitudes, language, and stereotypes of an earlier time period. These materials are presented as historical resources in support of study and research. Inclusion of such materials does not constitute an endorsement of their content by the University of Chicago.

The University of Chicago Library appreciates hearing from anyone who may have information about any of the images in this collection.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Slavery in North America Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Historical Note

The enslavement of persons, primarily brought involuntarily from Africa, to perform forced labor in the United States started when the future states were colonies of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. By the end of the Seventeenth Century many colonies had passed legislation legalizing slavery, many of them specifying "Africans" or "Negroes" as the enslaved persons. The earliest document in this collection, from 1752, dates from the time when Virginia, the place where the document was likely drafted, was a British colony.

The practice of enslaving people continued through the American Revolution. After the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolutionary War in September 1783, business owners and farmers in the newly decolonized United States looked for ways to start or re-start their businesses and livelihoods after eight years of war. A document from this collection demonstrates how the buying and selling of human beings was regarded as a type of business or mercantile trade. Many farmers and managers of large-scale agricultural operations used slave labor in their businesses, especially in plantation economies. As the population and economy of the United States grew, the use of forced labor by enslaved persons grew as well.

By the beginning of the Nineteenth-Century, some northern states had taken steps toward the abolition of slavery in those states and by 1808 all states except South Carolina had officially (though not necessarily in practice) banned the import of slaves. Slavery continued and grew through domestic slave trade, especially in New Orleans which, though part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, did not become a state until 1812.

The enslavement of people grew in significance as an issue that divided the early states. As activists and politicians in northern states nurtured abolitionist movements and advocated federal protections from enslavement, business people and farmers, often in the mid-Atlantic and southern states, engaged in business and economic models which relied more and more on the forced labor of enslaved persons. Starting in February 1861 the states split along ideological and geographical lines and the Confederate States of America (1861-1865) was formed. Several of the documents in this collection were created in the Confederacy.

In April of 1861 the American Civil War between the United States and Confederate states started. Lasting just over four years, the Civil War (1861-1865) ended as officials of the Confederacy, starting with General Lee in Virginia, surrendered to the Union forces of the United States. During the Civil War the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 with the intent to free all enslaved persons in the Confederacy. This was followed by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of January 1865 which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. After the surrender of the Confederate states, slavery was universally prohibited in the reunited nation.

Scope Note

The documents in this collection cover the period 1752 to 1864. All the documents are handwritten in English with the exception of one bill of sale from New Orleans which is handwritten in French and a public notice from New Orleans with parallel text written in French and English. Kentucky, South Carolina, and New Orleans appear more frequently but other states present in the collection include New York, Alabama, Maryland, and Virginia. Location could not be assigned to a few documents in the collection.

The majority of documents, specifically the bills of sale, “deeds of inventory,” and a number from the miscellaneous section, are in the hand of a clerk, who has himself signed the document on behalf of the person concerned. On the reverse side of many of the documents are acknowledgements of the transactions, or similar clerical notes, such as the information that the document was recorded in the local County Court.

The recurrence of certain names, such as that of Gideon Evans, in the documents from South Carolina, indicates that these documents probably came to the Library together. Most of the documents from New Orleans appear to be from the notary office of Antoine Doriocourt. An interesting detail in some of these documents is that the word “United” in the “United States of America” has been marked out and the word “Confederate” has been penned in to read “Confederate States of America”. Other details in the document headings have been altered accordingly.

These materials were part of a previous collection “Slavery and Indentured Servitude.”

Related Resources

Browse finding aids by topic.

Indentured Persons Collection

Illinois State Library: Lincoln and Lincoln-Related Documents

Mariners’ Museum (Newport News, Virginia): Records of Stewart, Nesbitt, and Company

Subject Headings

INVENTORY

Box 1   Folder 1

Memorandum from James Seagrove to Messrs. Alexander & Co. [of Philadelphia] March 3, 1783: Report to the managers of Stewart, Nesbitt, & Co. of Philadelphia describing the state of the slave trade in Havana, Cuba, and urging the company to take part in it, autograph letter, signed, 4 pages

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Box 1   Folder 2

Bill of sale, Lincoln County, Kentucky, June 2, 1797: documents the sale of enslaved man, Peter, by John Fitzgerald and John Robertson to Jonathon Forbis. Willis Green served as the official, Nathen Farris is mentioned as a former enslaver, and Nathanial Forbis, Joseph Furnes, and George Forbis are listed as witnesses. handwritten document, ink on paper, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 3

Bill of Sale, New Orleans, October 22, 1834: documents the sale of enslaved person, Peliade, to Jean Chager by Paul Sacour Dubourg,and notarized by Hugues Pedesclaux (approved in New Orleans, November 11, 1834) document, handwritten in French, signed, 2 pages

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Box 1   Folder 4

Bill of Sale, July 25, 1836: documents the sale of enslaved person, Rachel and her daughter Elizabeth (also called Lizzy), sold by Rufus Reid to Robert S. Gnary with Thomas Reid mentioned, probably as the former enslaver, location undetermined, autograph document, signed,1 page

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Box 1   Folder 5

Bill of sale, Charleston, South Carolina, February 1, 1837: for one enslaved person, Loney, sold to Doctor Richard Allen by Mary Allston, A.W. Campbell and R.F.W. Allston, the executors of Joseph W. Allston, with John M. Corcoran as the official, document, signed, 1 page (original document and a positive photostat)

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Box 1   Folder 6

Bill of Sale, Barnwell District, South Carolina, March 15, 1844: for two enslaved people, Matilda and her son George, sold to James Johnson by Gideon Evans, autograph document, signed, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 7

Bill of Sale, Baldwin County [Georgia], February 2, 1847: for an enslaved person named Charity, sold to Thomas Humphries at public outcry by David Collins with Jacob Collins mentioned as a former enslavers and S.B. Brown, J.P. [Justice of the Peace] listed as the official, document, signed, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 8

Bill of Sale, New Orleans, January 28, 1851: for enslaved persons sold and prices paid by purchasers at an auction sale from former enslavers Marie Emmeline St. Martin and Pierre Dolhonde by order of Judge J. H. Lea with Antoine Doriocourt as official and Bonneval & Benit as auctioneers. Enslaved person, Theodore, was sold to Eugene Lomine, Thomas was sold to P. K. Barnes, and Sally and her children Jean Baptiste and Madeleine were sold to George Y. Bright, document, 1 page (original and positive photostat)

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Box 1   Folder 9

Transfer of Ownership, Barnwell District, South Carolina, April 4, 1853: for an enslaved person, Rose, inherited by Lucretia (Evans) Johnson and her husband Isaac Johnson from Gideon Evans. Sovreign S. Evans is the executor, James L. Davis is the official, and H.D. Evans and J.E. Kitching are witnesses to the document (approved August 2, 1853), 4 pages

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Box 1   Folder 10

Bill of Sale, Aiken, South Carolina, April 1, 1854: for an enslaved person, Hiser [?], sold to S. [Sovreign] S. Evans by Gideon Evans, document, signed, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 11

Bill of Sale, Laurens District, South Carolina, May 3, 1856: for an enslaved person, Sarah, sold to B.J. Brockman by Z.T. Smith with D.F. Smith as a witness, document, signed, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 12

Bill of Sale, Mobile County, Alabama, April 22, 1857: for six enslaved persons, Betsey, Roberta, Henry, John, an unnamed boy, and an unnamed infant, sold to John W. Munn by Bartholomew Labuzan and Jeanette M. Labuzan with George W. Bond as official (acknowledged the same day), document, 3 pages

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Box 1   Folder 13

Bill of Sale, September 13, 1858: for an enslaved person, Hester, sold to B.J. Brockman by W.C. Kilgore and witnessed by I.F. Stokes and S.J. Green, document, signed, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 14

Bill of sale, New Orleans, October 8, 1858: for an enslaved person named Charles or Charlot, sold to Ursin Dellardes and Alfred Dellardes by Charles Arthur Gayarre, Jr. with Antoine Doriocourt as the official recorded October 9, 1858), document, signed, 4 pages

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Box 1   Folder 15

Bill of Sale, Spartanburg, South Carolina, September 7, 1860: for an enslaved person, Lewis, sold to B.J. Brockman and J.[K]. Brockman by B.H. Wofford, document, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 16

Bill of Sale, Barnwell District, South Carolina, July 10, 1861: for enslaved persons, Annaley [or Annaly] and her daughter Giney, sold to Milledge T. Holly by Gideon Evans and Martha (Evans) Holly (recorded September 30, 1861), document, signed, 4 pages

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Box 1   Folder 17

Bill of Sale, New Orleans, February 8, 1862: for an enslaved person, Jules, sold to Eugene Hacker by George W. Dunbar. Charlotte Zelma Hacker is mentioned as a former enslaver and Antoine Doriocourt and Joseph Cavallier are listed as officials, document, signed, 4 pages (original and positive photostat)

  • Note that the "United " is crossed out in "United States" at the head of the document and "Confederate" is written in with other related adjustments.

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Box 1   Folder 18

Bill of Sale, New Orleans, April 1, 1862: for the exchange of enslaved persons, Aimeé, Olivia, and Adele, between Bertrand Salay and Marie Justine Poché Keller. Jean Baptiste Keller and John Davenport are listed as former enslavers and Antoine Doriocourt is the official, document, signed, 4 pages.

  • Note that the "United" is crossed out in "United States" at the head of the document and "Confederate" is written in with other related adjustments.

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Box 1   Folder 19

Inventory of Estate, Fairfax County, [Virginia?], October 18, 1752: document listing enslaves persons, Nodin, Flora, Jane, Aaron, Samson, Grigg, Sarah, Peter, Jack, and Rose, as part of the estate of Moses Linton, deceased. The official for the document is J. Hageman and it is witnessed by James Turloy and Leonard Dozer, document, 2 pages (original and positive photostat)

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Box 1   Folder 20

Inventory and appraisement of Estate, November 23, 1796: of Arthur McClure, deceased, listing enslaved persons Samson and an unnamed woman and child. Willis Greencates is the official and Jas. Davis, Joseph F. Lewis, and Robert Moore are listed as witnesses (recorded in Lincoln County, Kentucky, October 9, 1798), document, 2 pages

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Box 1   Folder 21

Inventory and appraisement of personal property, June 4, 1864: Richardson Tuggle, deceased. Enslaved persons listed include Dicey, Emanuel, Martin, Richard, Hugh, Nelson, Alexander, Ann, Sarah, and an unnamed child. Official witnesses were Alfred Lewsly, Peter Wilson, and Ruffian Ward, document, 4 pages (original and positive photostat)

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Box 1   Folder 22

Notice of the intention to emancipate: New Orleans, July 12, 1848: enslaved person, Helen, is emancipated by former enslaver Benjamin Morgan. Antoine Doriocourt, John McHenry, and Alfred Rousseau are officials (note that no opposition was filed, August 22, 1848). The front of the document is partially pre-printed in parallel English and French and the verso includes several collaborating, handwritten and signed notations, 2 pages (original and positive photostats)

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Box 1   Folder 23

Announcement of a trustee sale, Rockville, [Maryland], August 31, 1826: of an unnamed enslaved woman and her five children, to be held on September 20, 1826 by Solomon Holland at the home of Abraham Dawson, document, 1 page (negative photostat, no original)

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Box 1   Folder 24

Printed notice of a forthcoming Auction, Mobile County, Alabama, May 11, [c. 1863]: including enslaved persons, Jim and Clara, who were to be sold by Israel Sheldon and enslaved person, Mary Ann, who was to be sold by John Patterson and Robert Patterson. J. Little Smith was the official and A. Brooks the auctioneer. Confederate States treasury notes and bonds to be accepted as payment, document, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 25

Reward poster, Prince William Country, Virginia, [18--] undated: offering $300.00 reward for two enslaved persons, Enoch Chinn and Charles Chinn, who have run away. Reward to be paid by A.D. Wroe, document, printed, 1 page (original and photograph)

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Box 1   Folder 26

Last Will and Testament of James Shaw, Province of New York, April 18, 1772: leaving enslaved person, Abraham, to Jacob Shaw, enslaved person, James, to James Shaw (son of George Shaw), and enslaved person, Nan, to Margaret Shaw. William Tryon, Edmund Tanning, and Andrew Hammersly were the officials and George Janeway, Alexander Eagles, and James Riker the witnesses, document, 5 pages

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Box 1   Folder 27

Letter from Isaac Sandsberris to Alexander Hamilton, June 30, 1778: regarding an enslaved man, Joe, who is ill, autograph letter, signed, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 28

Bill of Sale, Lexington District, Kentucky, April 11, 1799: of enslaved persons, Anne, Knead, Dick, and Harry, to John Coons [or Coones] from Jeremiah Williams. Thomas Bodley, official and witnessed by Isaac Shelby, Jr. and George Adams, acknowledged in Lexington District, Kentucky, April 11, 1799, document, 3 pages

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Box 1   Folder 29

Certification of birth, New York, April 18, 1801: of a child, Sasilla, to Lily, an enslaved woman. Filed by Gilbert Pell, in accordance with law, document, signed, 1 page (original and positive photostat)

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Box 1   Folder 30

Manumission, Harrison County, Kentucky, October 1823: from John Allen and Betsy Allen regarding formerly enslaved persons, George, Simon, Hester, Hannah, Jack, and Scipio. H.C. Moore was the official and Benjamin Warfield and A. Moore were the witnesses, document, 2 pages

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Box 1   Folder 31

Deed of gift, Harrison County, Kentucky, November 28, 1828: of an enslaved person named William, to Helen Duncan from William Duncan. H.C. Moore was the official and A.M. Cameron, Devin Reitzel, Ellis Askeraft, and William Asbury were witnesses, document, 2 pages (approved in Harrison County Clerk's Office, Kentucky, April 13, 1829)

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Box 1   Folder 32

Deed of mortgage, Lincoln County, Kentucky, February 23, 1830: enslaved persons, Jeffrey, George, Violet, Ben, Bob, and another illegible name, by Reuben Forbes. Joseph Forbes and Thomas Hehn were officials, Thomas B. Forbes is listed as a former enslaver, and Isaac Cunningham, Bryan Dinsley, and John B. Wilkerson are listed as lenders or deed recipients, document, 3 pages

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Box 1   Folder 33

Letter from C.C. Clay [the governor of Alabama] to the Governor of Illinois [Joseph Duncan], January 22, 1836: includes an enclosed memorandum concerning northern abolitionist sentiment, from the General Assembly of Alabama to the General Assemblies of the several states in the Union, signed by C.C. [Clement Comer] Clay, Tuskaloosa [Tuscaloosa], Alabama, January 9, 1836, document and signed letter, 2 pages (no originals, negative photostats only)

  • Originals are at the Illinois State Library and available online: http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/isa/id/1117/rec/14

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Box 1   Folder 34

Bond of indemnity, Lincoln County, Kentucky, April 1, 1844: from the former enslaver, Sampson Brown, to prevent an emancipated woman, Rhoda, from becoming chargeable to the county. Witnessed by Marquis Helm, S. Lorenzo D. Good, Thomas Helm, and George Dooley, document, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 35

Letter from Thomas Bondar to W.W. Hall in Norfolk, Virginia, March 2, 1849: Bondar writes from New Orleans regarding the sale of an enslaved woman, Julia Downing, with an enclosed check (missing) for proceeds of the sale and the discussion of an offer for an enslaved man named Anthony, autograph letter, signed, 1 page

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Box 1   Folder 36

Court order, Lincoln County, Kentucky, September 7, 1855: appointing commissioners to allot and divide the enslaved persons from the estate of Beverly Broaddus, deceased, between his heirs. M.S. Elkin, Mary J. (Broaddus) Elkin, William Lachey, E. [Emily] A. Broaddus, Samuel T. [Thomas] Broaddus, and Richard D. Broaddus are the heirs, William Lachey is the guardian of Emily Broaddus, and Major James Miller, R.W. Graham, and L.A. Middleton are the executors, document, 2 pages,

  • See also folder 37

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Box 1   Folder 37

Report of the commissioners, Lincoln County, Kentucky, November 5, 1855: on the allotment of the enslaved persons of Beverly Broaddus, named Sofia, Ben, Clay, Winny, William, Henry, Miller, Edney, Amanda, Jenny, and Mildred, amongst his heirs. M.S. Elkin, Mary J. (Broaddus) Elkin, William Lachey, E. [Emily] A. Broaddus, Samuel Thomas Broaddus, and Richard D. Broaddus are listed as the heirs and Major James Miller, R.W. Graham, and L.A. Middleton are the executors, signed document, 2 pages,

  • See also folder 36

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Box 1   Folder 38

Grant of a petition for the sale and Bill of Sale, Barnwell District, South Carolina, March 2, 1863: for an enslaved person named Judy, sold to S. [Soverign or Sovereign] S. Evans by Ellen Hagood. James Patterson is the official and V. I. Williamson and H. D. Evans the witnesses, document, 2 pages

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Box 1   Folder 39

Bill of sale, Lincoln County, North Carolina, November 7, 1834: enslaved persons, Martin and Dilsa. Issued by Jacob Reinhardt to Henry Cauble, in Lincolnton, document, signed, 2 pages

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