Oct 27, 2017 Orange County Review
It was not planned or even expected, but oh, what a thrill! In response to an article I had written for “Buried Truth,” a family, who will remain nameless for the time being, currently living in Orange County but who were descendants of long-rooted ancestors in Jones County, North Carolina reached out regarding a small trunk filled with loose papers from the 19th century. I was told that a very brief examination had produced at least one bill of sale for two enslaved men: Jim and Simon. The reason for the contact: the owners felt it was paramount that the documents be placed in the possession of a searchable repository. “Would I be willing to help?
”Ha! Does the sun rise in the east?
I knew the most logical institution was the Southern Historical Collection (SHC) at the University of North Carolina. The family was agreeable and initial contact has been made with the SHC. In the interim, I felt it might be useful to conduct an inventory of the contents of the trunk. The trunk took up residence in my dining room and within a week was spread over the entire surface of the eight-person table.
There were projects on the schedule ahead of this one but I was irrepressibly captivated. Literally, there were hundreds of pieces of paper, mostly folded into a one by two-inch rectangle and an estimated 98 percent were in good condition and legible.
The ancestor was a methodical record keeper. He kept his farm accounts in small memoranda books: 13 in all dating from 1853 to 1905, though not one for every year. During the better part of the 1800s he served as of executor for several estates and was named as guardian and administrator for a few supposed nieces and nephews.
It is from these papers that long-lost lives are unfolding. The research is in its infancy but holds promise for living descendants.
Between a dozen and two dozen enslaved individuals are named: some with ages, some with birth years for children and most with owners’ names as well as prices paid when a sale occurred.
Hannah was bought in 1838 at the estimated age of 12 for $500.
Little 8-year-old Rosey was a gift to a daughter and her husband.
Jacob, 9, and Bryan, 6, were sold for $300.
A power of attorney was appointed for three children of a prominent but deceased resident of the county and the children’s slaves Jack and Vinas.
There was evidence of a few practices that were not familiar to me prior to this investigation. In one case two slaveholders purchased a one-third share in a 15-year-old boy named Bill. They paid $183.13.
If one can get beyond the troubling absence of humanity and recall that the institution rested upon the premise that the enslaved were legally categorized as property, it becomes logical. As insensitive as it may appear, buying a share in a human could be compared with a current-day practice of investment partnerships or a time share. Yet, Bill was a human and for the life of me, I cannot figure out how the partners would receive a return on their investment. It requires additional study. And then there was the practice of hiring out rather than selling slaves.
This was not an uncommon occurrence, but practiced in an interesting manner there in Jones County. More than one will indicated that the slaves were to be hired out, not sold. I can only presume it was intended to provide a steady income for a widow and the surviving children.
In one such will, there were an estimated 15 slaves, some with children, who were rented for a 12-month period, then returned to the estate. Their names are given as well as those that hired them and the amount for the year. For this family the practice began in 1854 and continued with record until 1865. Each year a new contract and in many instances a new owner and home.
I will leave you to ponder these revelations, but be assured there will be more. I am very close to finding a living descendant.
Until next week, be well.
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