By Chuck Hill
Title: American Slavery Collection (Subject), 1796-ca.1870
Extent: 2.0 Folders
Date Acquired: 02/22/2005
Languages: English [eng]
The American Slavery Collection is an artificial collection compiled from a variety of sources including donations of individual documents and purchases. The thirteen original items in this collection consist of ten bills of sale, one receipt, one document relating to manumission and the autobiography of a former slave who lived in Madison County, KY as a "free black" prior to 1850. There is also one item, a receipt that is probably a handwritten copy made in the early twentieth century. The collection provides primary source material to researchers and documents the slave trade in Kentucky.
The provenance of this material is not currently known [03/18/2005]. Several of the items appear to have been purchased for the Townsend Room Collections as there are clippings that describe the document and give a price. These documents will be indicated as [Purchase] after the description and the clippings will be found in the accession file. These documents have been added to this collection for ease of access and because they have no relevance as part of a larger collection.
Acquisition Source: N/A
Dear Sir,
I received a letter from you concerning a negro man by the name of Jim Allen which you say you have in your custody. All that I can say is that he was committed to this jail on 1st November 1839, and was discharged on 24th Feb 1840 as a free man. He proved his freedom by a Mr. Frederick Harper, I think belonging [to] and an officer on board the Steamboat New Albany. I have no doubt myself but that he was a free man although I do not know the fact to satisfy yourself more fully that he is the same Jim Allen that was in this jail. Ask him what boat he went on when he got out of this jail. If he says the New Albany I think it will be right. Also ask him how much money Harper paid me for him, Allen. If he says $23.00 that will be right. I also send you a deposition of the Justice that discharged him.
Yours Respectfully,
S.R. Chenoweth
Jailor, Louisville, KY