Box 4250.001

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a letter from J. W. Scott to Adam Beatty of Washington, Kentucky, written from Perrysburg, Ohio, February 23, 1835. The opening paragraph mentions some enslaved persons of Beatty's who escaped their captivity, whom Scott suggests "are yet in the interior of this state." The remainder of the letter concerns land transactions in anticipation of the expected route of the Wabash and Erie Canal.

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a deposition by James S. Fruit, L. R. Burk, and John L. Blangy, attesting to their attendance at a court case in Henderson County, Kentucky, on September 3, 1864. In the case, three men--J.W. Henderson, G.W. Scott, and Moses Harris--were tried for attemping to help Newton, an enslaved man who had escaped, to cross the Ohio River and join the Union Army. Newton's owner was Archibald Dixon.

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a letter dated August 8, 1803, written by Richard Dennis in Philadelphia to John Milledge, Governor of Georgia, concerning two free women of color who had evidently been detained at Savannah, Georgia, en route to Baltimore by persons who then attempted to sell them. Dennis informed Milledge that he was called on by two men from Philadelphia who claimed to have papers proving the women's free status and stating that "should there be any thing in those papers to enable...

Scope and Contents The collection consists of a bill of sale indicating that William Garrard sold Samuel Luckett two enslaved women and an enslaved girl for the sum of $290: Judah, age twenty; Aggy, age nineteen; and Lourinna, age three. There are two addenda to the document, dated January 8, 1807 and February 1, 1813. The 1807 addendum is written from "Jefferson County."

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a letter by John Watson to William Rabun, president of the Georgia Senate and acting governor. Watson's letter is a protest to the governor regarding a matter concerning fifty-nine "African negroes." Watson had been given a writ of arrest for the Africans, but was prevented by force from taking them into his custody by "Dr. Charly Williamson and others, acting or claiming to act as the agent of the Executive of Georgia," who intended to "expose" the Africans to...

Scope and Contents A legal brief by Georgia attorney and state agent William Law describing the status of two cases involving seized enslaved persons, circa 1830. One case pertained to Spanish claims surrounding three vessels, the Poletena, the Tentativa, and the Syrena.

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a letter from Samuel Steele in "B. Springs" to a Colonel Daniel Coleman in Pittsylvania, inquiring whether Coleman is willing to let Steele hire two people named Charles and John "at a fair price." Steele understood that F. G. Glascock--who was responsible for Charles and John--had left all of his business affairs in Coleman's hands.

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a letter dated October 19, 1847, from W. G. Hann to Thompson M. Parish of Lake Providence, Louisiana, agreeing to Parish's proposal to take Lucy, an enslaved person belonging to Hann, in lieu of payment for a debt, if that debt is as much as $500, Hann being uncertain of the exact amount since his books are not with him. The rest of the letter discusses Lucy's health, the conditions where Hann is living, and his financial circumstances. The letter is written from Elk...

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a letter, an invoice, and a receipt relating the hire of Alexander, an enslaved person owned by Mrs. Sarah Williams, by an M. Stanly. In his letter, Stanly offers to pay Williams $13 per month plus board, and asks Williams to pay for Alexander's clothing and bear any loss owing to sickness. If either Williams or Alexander became unsatisfied with the latter's situation, the arrangement could be terminated on two weeks' notice. Stanly asked Williams, should she consent...

Scope and Contents A deposition by W. L. Campbell involving a lawsuit against James Campbell over ownership of an enslaved woman named Harriet and her children, Elkton, Kentucky, April 12, 1849. The testimony reveals that in the summer of 1845, James Campbell asked W. L. "to write a letter to Maria Louvard a sister of the negro woman and at the same time he showed me a letter from the s[ai]d Maria requesting him to hire her the women he had purchased of Thomas Campbell and he stated that In [sic] his reply that...

Scope and Contents This collection consists of a bill of sale by Jacob Ramser, Barbour County, Alabama, acknowledging the payment by Alpheus Baker of $1,000 for William, an enslaved man of about twenty years old. Ramser warrants William to be of sound mind and body, "except that three of the toes of his right foot have been partially cut off."