Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Bills of Sale for Enslaved Persons, 1835, 1837, 1845
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Bills of Sale for Enslaved Persons
- Dates
- 1835, 1837, 1845 (inclusive)18351845
- Quantity
- 0.04 linear feet, (1 folder)
- Collection Number
- Mss.027
- Summary
- A bill of sale was a contract between an enslaver and a potential buyer detailing the purchase of an enslaved person. This collection includes three original handwritten receipts for the purchase of Arthur, Louisa, Rose, Catharine, and Bill by enslaver S.P.C. Burford.
- Repository
-
University of Puget Sound, Archives & Special Collections
Collins Memorial Library
1500 N. Warner St.
CMB1021
Tacoma, WA
98416-1021
Telephone: 2538792669
archives@pugetsound.edu - Access Restrictions
-
This collection is available for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
A bill of sale was a contract between an enslaver and a potential buyer detailing the purchase of an enslaved person. The contracts typically stated the name and location of the enslaver, the name and location of the buyer, and the gender, name, and age of the enslaved person.
These bills of sale detail the purchase of Arthur (age 8), Louisa (age 50), Rose (age 15), Catharine (age 5 months), and Bill (age unknown) by enslaver S.P.C. Burford.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Bills of Sale for Enslaved Persons are original handwritten receipts documenting three individual transactions that took place between 1835 and 1845.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
[Name of document, date.] Bills of Sale for Enslaved Persons, Mss.027. University of Puget Sound Archives & Special Collections. Tacoma, Washington.
Restrictions on Use
Collins Memorial Library provides access to its collections in order to support research and education. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the use or reproduction of some items may be restricted by the terms of the gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, or university policy. It is the user's responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or any other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise disseminating materials found in the collections.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Bill of Sale
Bill of sale for the purchase of Arthur, age 8, by S.P.C. Burford from Virginia tobacco farmer and enslaver Philip Howerton on July 4, 1835, in Courtland, Lawrence County, Alabama.
|
July 4, 1835 |
| 1 | 1 | Bill of Sale
Bill of sale for the purchase of Louisa, age 50, Rose, age 15, and Catharine, age five months, by S.P.C. Burford from enslavers Delap & Witherspoon on June 21, 1837, in Memphis, Tennessee.
|
June 21, 1837 |
| 1 | 1 | Bill of Sale
Bill of sale for the purchase of Bill, age unknown, by S.P.C Burford from enslaver John Martin on September 19, 1845.
|
September 19, 1845 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Civil Rights
- Slavery
Elizabeth Knight
2012
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
