1 / 58

Survey of Free People of Color in Central Virginia History

This source provides information from various counties in Virginia regarding the response of free people of color to the offer of transportation to Liberia.

duncana
Télécharger la présentation

Survey of Free People of Color in Central Virginia History

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 1833 Survey of Free People of Color Robert Vernon Central Virginia History Researchers http://www.centralvirginiahistory.org/ email: va1833@yahoo.com rwv6ad@virginia.edu

  2. Source: Journal of the House of Delegates, 3 Dec 1832. Richmond: Thomas Ritchie (1832)

  3. Source: Acts Passed at a General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 4 Mar 1833. Richmond: Thomas Ritchie (1833), pages 14-15.

  4. http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/liberia

  5. Ordered that Geo. M. Woods & Ira Harris Comms. of the County be required to report to this Court at its next term a complete list of all the free Negroes or Mulattoes in their respective districts together with their names, sex, places of abode, and particular trades, occupations or callings - distinguishing in their lists the free mulattoes from the free blacks - and the said Comms. are further required to ascertain what numbers, if any, of the free Mulattoes & free blacks within their jurisdiction are willing to emigrate to the Western Coast of Africa, together with their names, ages and sex, how long they have remained within the limits of this County, and whether they were free before the 4th of March 1833. [Source: Albemarle Minute Bk 1832-34, 3 June 1833, page 223]

  6. Albemarle County It is Ordered that George M. Woods & Ira Harris Comm. of the Revenue of this County do make the report to the Clerk of this Court in vacation, respecting the free negroes, & the Clerk is directed to transmit the same to the Auditor of Public Accounts. [Source: Albemarle Minute Bk 1832-34, 1 July 1833, page 236] Nelson County The Commissioners of the Revenue of this County, made a report in relation to the free persons of Colour in this County, and the Clerk of this Court is directed to furnish a copy thereof to the board of Commissioners in Richmond, appointed in relation thereto, on the ___ day of March [Source: Nelson Minute Bk 1830-35, 23 Sept 1833, page 307]

  7. Responses from the Counties: Letters

  8. Prince William County In compliance with an order of court of said county I have diligently enquired of the free people of color of said county whether they or any of them were disposed to accept the offer now made by the state to transport them to the colony of Liberia free of expense, and provide for their maintenance there until they cou’d get employment and become enabled to provide for themselves – the unvarying and unhesitating answer has been “NO” I cannot trust myself among Negroes I wou’d sooner be a slave here, than a free man in Africa or Liberia.” Resptly Jas Foster August 28 1833

  9. Goochland County Court Clerks Office Septr 6 1833 Sir, Yours of the 29 ult: communicated at the request of the Board of Commissioners appointed by the act of 4th March last “making appropriations for the removal of free persons of color” is duly received, and, in reply, I have only to inform you, that the County Court, upon the receipt of their letters of the 11th April last, made an Order, at the May Term last, “requesting the Sheriff & Deputy Sheriffs of the County while they are collecting the revenue to make enquiry of the free persons of color within the County whether they are disposed to avail themselves of the provisions of said Act and to report to the Court from time to time such information as they may be able to acquire upon the subject ascertaining if practicable how long any person wishing to remove may have resided in this county, how long he or she has been free, and the name, age, sex, &c of each person.” But, as yet, no report has been made, and it is confidentially believed, that not one free person can be found in the County willing to accept the benefits and provisions of the aforesaid Act. Very respectfully Wm Miller

  10. Wood County Parkersburgh Wood County 11th Sept. 1833 Dr Sir A circular from Joseph Jackson Esqr Secretary of the Board of Commissioners to carry into effect the provisions of an Act making appropriations for the removal of free persons of Color, … (There being but Seven free negros in the County) and most of them are very Old, and having been freed by their Masters with and comfortably settled for Life. Since that time I have seen several of them and they decline emigrating to Liberia, owing to their advanced ages, and I think that they are better off here than they would be there. Had there been any that wished to emigrate, I should advised you of that fact ere this, and taken active measures in their behalf. I am sir Yours respectfully Jna Stephenson Jr. C.W.C. r P.C. Shaw D. Clerk 7 Free Negros, all aged

  11. Greenbrier County Lewisburg September 12th 1833 Joseph Jackson Esqr Sir Yours of the 29th Ultimo is Now before me as well as that of the 11th of April Last directed to the Court of Greenbrier County and under the direction of which diligent inquiry has been made by myself and Others & more Especially by the Commissioners of the Revenue when on their Tour taking a list of the Taxable property in this County & from the Certificate of said Commissioners in their said Lists it will be seen that in their Opinion a single individual in this county could not be found who were willing to Accept of the Provisions of the Act of Assembly of the 4th of March 1833. And from the inquiries that I have made from time to time and with the Aid of Others it appears to me that the free people of Colour in this County are hostile in the extreme to the Project. Yet time and a judicious persisisence may overcome that perversity & there may yet be some found who will see it their Interest to Axcept the provisions of said Act. Your ObtHumblSert John Mathews

  12. Fluvanna County At a Court of Monthly Session held for Fluvanna County on monday the 24th day of June 1833. The Commissioner appointed at the last Court to ascertain whether any, and if any, what number of free coloured persons there are in this County willing to accept of the provisions of an act of the General Assembly … I proceeded to examin and to ascertain wheather there was any of the free people of colour, that would acept of the provisions of the act of assembly passed the 4 of March last, after seeing & examining a considerable number or at least all that I could find & enquired of those that I see wheather absent part of their familly or friends would accept of the provisions made by the assembly for their removal to Libera trying at the same time to impress on their minds the great good that might result to them if they would acept of the present offer. I could not find one that seem to have the most distant idea of leaving their native land to go to Libera or elsewhere unless compeld. The above I offer as a Report to the Court. (signed) R. Crewdson Coms 19th June 1833

  13. Amelia County Amelia Clerk’s Office 23 Octor 1833 Dr Sir, Your circular of the 29 August in relation to the removal of “free persons of colour” has been received. I had given the subject particular attention even before the reception of yours, had seen and conversed with many of the free negroes in the County and used every argument in my power to induce them to remove but have never found one willing. During this year a large family of quite respectable persons of Colour have to leave this County & state under the laws in relation to free negroes. I have in a particular manner urged them to accept of the provision of the law of the last Assembly and remove to Liberia but not one will consent. In fact several of the free negroes of the County have told me they would prefer being sold as slaves and remain here than to be sent to Liberia. Most respectfully Yours J.[John] T. Leigh

  14. Augusta County, page 1 Clks office of Auga County Court Sept. 30th 1833 Gentlemen I have been requested by the County Court of Augusta to report in complinance with your Circular of the 11th of April last. That the following named free persons of colour are willing to emigrate to the Western Coast of Africa Viz === Frederick McNair a mulatto aged 40 years in June 1833 Polly McNair (wife of Frederick) a mulatto aged about 30 years John Burus McNair aged four years 6 years the 2d Decr 1832 Susan Catherine McNair aged 4 years the 12th Augt 1833 James Wesley McNair aged one year the 11th of May 1833 children of the said Frederick McNair & Polly McNair

  15. Augusta County, page 2 === Ned Hinton aged about 18 or 20 years Violet Hinton aged about 17 years Joseph Hyden aged about 28 years Judy Sitlington aged about 35 years Betsy Coyner aged about 20 years Joseph -- aged about 35 years Maria (wife of sd Joseph) aged about 25 years & Henry (son of sd Joseph & Maria) aged about 6 years === It appears from the records of the County Court aforesaid that the above named Frederick, Polly, John, Susan C., and James W. McNair were free before the 4th of March 1833 that The said Frederick & Polly McNair have been free residents of the County of Augusta for many years & their children have also resided in the sd county, since their the date of their respective births.

  16. Augusta County, page 3 The above named Ned Hinton and Violet Hinton were emancipated by Silas Hinton of said County of Augusta as appears by a deed of emancipation dated the 29th of August 1833 of record in which deed it is stated "The said slaves were verbally emancipated by me last fall, but in consequence of being then made unable to emigrate, a formal deed of emancipation has not heretofore been made out & executed." The said Joseph Hyden, Judy Sitlington and Betsy Coyner were emancipated by Robert Coyner of the County aforesaid, as appears by deeds of emancipation dated the 20th day of July 1833 of record in which deeds it is stated "These slaves were emancipated by me last fall & have ever since enjoyed the fruits of their labour, but in consequence of being unable to emigrate a formal deed of emancipation has not heretofore been made out & executed."

  17. Responses from the Counties: Lists

  18. Amy Bowles: Louisa Co. Order Bk 1774-82, page 239. 10 May 1779 “Jane Bowles against the Executors of James Michie deceased, …the Court are of Oppinion that this Jane is the daughter of Amy Bowles, a Mulatto Bastard Child who was Bound by the Church Wardens of Saint Martins Parish to John Williams and Mary his wife to serve till she arrived to the age of Thirty one years and that the said Jane Bowles was Born in the time of her servitude and is now Twenty nine years old and never Bound by an Indenture and that she had been sold by a descendant of the said Williams to the said Michie some time before his death. Therefore ‘tis Ordered by the Court that the said Jane Bowles be discharged from her servitude she not haveing been bound Indenture from which determination the Defendants prayed an Appeal to the next General Court”

  19. “Free State” - 224 acres purchased by Amy Farrow in 1788

  20. Note: Southern District of Halifax County has the same format

  21. Note: “emancipated by the Last Will … of Herbert B. Elder deceased who died in June 1826.”

  22. Free People of Color Willing to Emigrate in 1833 • Augusta County • Frederick McNair a mulatto aged 40 years in June 1833 • Polly McNair (wife of Frederick) a mulatto aged about 30 years • John Burns McNair aged four years 6 years the 2dDecr 1832 • Susan Catherine McNair aged 4 years the 12th Augt 1833 • James Wesley McNair aged one year the 11th of May 1833 • children of the said Frederick McNair & Polly McNair • Ned Hinton aged about 18 or 20 years • Violet Hinton aged about 17 years • Joseph Hyden aged about 28 years • Judy Sitlington aged about 35 years • Betsy Coyner aged about 20 years • Joseph -- aged about 35 years • Maria (wife of sd Joseph) aged about 25 years & • Henry (son of sd Joseph & Maria) aged about 6 years

More Related