Fourth Generation Inclusive

Historical Documents of Genealogical Interest to Researchers of North Carolina's Free People of Color

Tag: emancipation

April 13, 2013

Minutes, New Hanover Court of P&Q.

At February term, 1807: Ordered that John Beauford, a mulatto fellow now in prison, for whom F. Fontaine and John McLellan became security for the procurement of a certificate for his freedom, and it appearing to the court that the said mulatto is a freeman, that he be released from prison upon F. Fontaine’s paying his jail fees and that the bond of the said Francis and John be cancelled and given up.

At May term, 1807: Upon the petition of Philip Bazadier ordered that a mulatto woman named Susan be emancipated and set free from slavery and that she hereafter bear the named Susan Bazadier.

At May term, 1807: Ordered that Anthony Williamson be appointed guardian of Major Armwood, an orphan, in room of Bartholomew Byrns, who surrenders said orphan to the court, giving bond with John Walker, and Joel Parrish as securities.

At August term, 1807: Upon the petition of J.D. Toomer and Lewis Toomer, ordered that Sam, a negro man slave of the said petitioners be emancipated and set free from slavery and that he hereafter bear the name of Sam Toomer, the petitioners giving bond with Wm. Campbell, secy.

Minutes, Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, New Hanover County Records, North Carolina State Archives. 

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April 11, 2013

An act to emancipate Louis.

An Act to emancipate Louis, a slave, the property of James Dunn

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That Louis, a slave, the property of James Dunn, of Cumberland county, be and he is hereby, with the consent and at the request of the said owner, emancipated and set fee, and by the name of Louis Dunn shall hereafter possess and excercise all the rights and privileges which are enjoyed by other free persons of color in this State: Provided, nevertheless, That before said slave shall be emancipated, his said owner shall give bond with good sureties in the sum of five hundred dollars, payable to the Governor of the State and his successors in office, that the said slave shall honestly and correctly demean himself while he remains in this State, and not become a county charge; which bond shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the court of pleas and quarter sessions of Cumberland county, and may be sued upon in the name of the governor for the time being, to the use of the county or persons injured by a breach thereof. [Ratified 16th day of February, 1855]

Chapter 113, Public and Private Laws of North Carolina Passed by the General Assembly 1854-55, North Carolina State Archives.

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April 5, 2013

A list of acts.

NEWBERN, FEBRUARY 14.

…

A list of some of the acts passed during the last session of the General Assembly.

…

To prevent the importation and bringing of slaves and servants of colour into this state.

To prevent the owners of slaves from hiring them their time; to make compensation for patroles, and to restrain the abuses committed by free negroes and mulattoes.

…

To emancipate Jack, alias Jack Small, a person of colour.

…

North Carolina Gazette, New Bern, 14 February 1795.

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April 2, 2013

An act to emancipate Jerry.

An Act to emancipate Jerry, a slave.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That Jerry, a slave, the property of H.B Williams and S.A. Davis, of Mecklenburg county, be, and he is hereby, with the consent and at the request of his said owner, emancipated and set free; and, by the name of Jerry Bethel, shall hereafter possess and exercise all the rights and privileges which are enjoyed by other free persons of color in this State: Provided nevertheless, that before said slave shall be emancipated, the said Williams and Davis, or either of them, shall give bond and good security, to the Governor and his successors in office, in the county court of Mecklenburg county, in the sum of one thousand dollars, that the said Jerry shall honestly and correctly demean himself as long as he shall remain in the State, and shall not become a county charge; which bond may be sued upon in the name of the governor for the time being, to the use of the said county, and of any person injured by the misconduct of said slave hereby emancipated. [Ratified the 8th day of January, 1855.]

Chapter 108, Public and Private Laws of North Carolina Passed by the General Assembly 1854-55, State Library of North Carolina.

In the 1860 census of Western Division, Mecklenburg County: Jerry Bethel, 45, barber, “manumitted,” wife Mary Bethel, 40, and Robison Reid, 8.  Bethel reported $2300 of real property and $1250 of personal property.

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March 26, 2013

A faithful and affectionate husband.

To the worshipful the Justices of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of the County of Warren. The memorial of Mouring Ivins humbly representing sheweth unto your worships —  that your memorialist is a free person of colour residing in the County aforesaid — that she early in life marryed and connected herself with a negro man that the property of William West — that by him she has eight children — that sometime in the year 1804 your memorialist by her sole care and industry accumalated money enough to purchase her said husband Nat of his then proprietor William West aforesaid and accordingly received from the said William West a Bill of sale which is of record, transfering to her your memorialist the absolute right & title to the said Negro Nat — your memorialist further states that the said Negro man Nat has ever conducted himself towards her as a faithful and affectionate husband — that in all circumstances as well in sickness and in health he has manifested to your memorialist & her children the most unceasing care & solitude — that by his industry & attention he has enabled your memorialist to support her children free from want and as respectably as any persons in their condition — your memorialist in consideration of the premiss and test upon the death of your memorialist the said negro man Nat should by the policy of the State or her children & their representatives be reduced unto a state of slavery prays that your worshipful body will free & emancipate the said Nat by the name of Nathaniel Ivins & your memorialist as in duty will ever pray

To Mr. Nathaniel Macon

———-

To the honorabell gentel men whome this may cum befor — there is a negro man by the name of Natt which said negro I ras’d from a childe until I solde him to Mouring Ivins and she the said Ivins has a disior all togeather to set him free if yor Honner gentel men pleas to take it in to consideraticion I will enform you on my honner the correcton of said negro Natt as wel as I can — he is a engenias hand and common about a plantaticion or as you genrally find and an extrodonary shue maker and verry endusstrus and while he lieved with me I entrusted abundance of buisness in his hands and he proformd his duty verry faithfully to me — so that I entended to sett him free at my deth but his haveing a free wife and childrean I solde him to her for butt trifeling — I am gentelmen your frend — given under my hand this 23rd day of august 1806     William West          

To Mr Nathanial Macon & other gentelmen &c in Warren County North Carolina

Nathaniel Macon Papers, Private Collections, North Carolina State Archives.

Nathaniel Macon (1758-1837) was a United States representative from North Carolina, 1791-1815; speaker of the House of Representatives, 1801-1807; United States senator, 1815-1828; president pro tem of the Senate, 1826-1828; and trustee of the University of North Carolina.

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March 26, 2013

An act to emancipate Isaac.

An Act to emancipate Isaac, a slave

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That Isaac, a slave, the property of Robert Belden, of the county of Cumberland, be, and he is hereby, with the consent and at the request of his said owner, emancipated and set free; and, by the name of Isaac Belden, shall hereafter possess and exercise all the rights and privileges which are enjoyed by other free persons of color in this State: Provided nevertheless, that before said slave shall be emancipated, his said master shall give bond and good security, to the Governor and his successors in office, in the county court of New Hanover county, that the said slave shall honestly and correctly demean himself as long as he shall remain in the State, and shall not become a parish charge; which bond may be sued upon, in the name of the Governor for the time being, to the use of the parish and of any person injured by the mal conduct of said slave. [Ratified 14 December, 1836]

Chapter LXV, Private Laws of North Carolina Passed by the General Assembly 1836-37, State Library of North Carolina.

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March 26, 2013

If any slave is deserving of freedom, he is.

To the honorable the Judge of the Superior Court for the County of Wayne, the Petition of Benajah Herring of said County

Your petitioner sheweth that he is the owner of a negro slave Willis, and is desirous of being permitted to emancipate him. Your Petitioner sheweth that the said slave was raised by Michael Herring formerly of said County and after the death of said Michael belonged for many years to Ichabod Herring now of said County, that the said slave has been from his infancy up to this moment distinguished by his sobriety industry and faithfulness, that his services have uniformly been of the most meritorious kind, that he has been left in charge by his late master for months of his plantation and rural concerns and hath acquitted himself in the most exemplary manner, and that if any slave be deserving of freedom your Petiioner believes that the said Willis is. Your Petitioner saith that the said Willis hath by his industry and economy paid to his late master a considerable sum the price of his freedom and having secured the payment of the residue a conveyance of the said slave hath been made to this Petitoiner for the purpose of soliciting and endeavouring to effect his emancipation          /s/ Benajah Herring

Records of Slaves and Free Persons of Color, Wayne County Miscellaneous Records, North Carolina State Archives.

The petition is undated, but Willis Herring is listed as a head of household in the 1840 census of Wayne County.

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March 23, 2013

He does all he can to keep me in slavery.

The Petition of negro man Dick Dingley to the worshipfull County Court of Chowan humbley sheweth that a certain Ichabod Jordan of the county aforesaid Redeem’d the said Petitioner of Mr. James Legett on Ronake for the Consideration of ninty five pounds & then the Said Petitioner made a bargain with Said Ichabod Jordan before witness that if the Said Petitioner was to be a full Liberty as will more fully appear the said Petitioner has paid Said Jordan his full Demand and Since that the Said Jordan has Let him have his Liberty for three years as agreed but so it is that of Late the Said Jordan has renewed his Clame & has most Cruely Beaten your Petitioner and does all he Can to keep him the Said Petitioner in Slavery this therefore is Humbley to pray your worships that as your Petitioner is without redress only through your worships that you will be please to Confirm the above bargain & Redress your Said Petitioner & as in duty Bound Shall Ever Pray.       Dick Dingle  March 8th 1798

Miscellaneous Slave Records, Chowan County Records, North Carolina State Archives.

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March 23, 2013

An act to emancipate Betty.

An Act to emancipate Betty, a slave

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That Betty, a slave, the property of Joshua Carman, of Cumberland county, be, and she is hereby emancipated and set free by the consent and at the request of her master, and by the name of Betty Barbee, shall possess and exercise all the rights and privileges of other free persons of color in this State: Provided, nevertheless, that before this act of emancipation shall take effect, the owner of said slave Betty, or some person for him, shall file in the clerk’s office of the court of pleas and quarter sessions of Cumberland county, a bond with good security, in the sum of five hundred dollars, payable to the Governor of the State and his successors in office, that the said Betty shall demean herself correctly while she remains in the State and not become a county charge, which bond may be put in suit in the name of the Governor for the time being, to the use of the county or person injured by a breach of its condition: Provided, that she do not reside out of the county aforesaid, more than thirty days at any time; also that she give bond in such an amount as will be approved of by the county court, that she will not become a public charge. [Ratified the 14th day of February, 1855]

Chapter 108, Private Laws of North Carolina Passed by the General Assembly 1854-55, State Library of North Carolina.

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March 23, 2013

James, an industrious, sober and honest barber and hairdresser.

State of North Carolina, Chowan County  }   June Term 1795

To the worshipful the County Clerk of Please and Quarter Sessions for the County of Chowan the petition of John Cunningham Humbly Sheweth that your petitioners Father died when he was very Young leaving a Valuable but unproductive Estate for the Support of your Petitioner and his Mother, consisting principally of Young Slaves, among whom is a Mulatto Male Slave by the Name of James, the profits of whose labour, has greatly if not principally contributed to the Maintenance & Support of your Petitioner thru a long Minority and an expensive course of Education. Your petitioner further Sheweth that the great profit which he has derived from the labour of the said Slave James has been owing as well to the great assiduity and attention of the said James in acquiring & presenting himself in the Trade of Mystery of a Barber & Hair Dresser as to his Industry sobriety and honesty Your petitioner further Sheweth that during a very dangerous and lingering Sickness last Spring (1794) the attention of the said James was such as cannot fail to inspire the highest gratitude in him in consideration whereof and as a reward for the past faithful Services of the said James, your Petitioner is willing and desirous to Manumit or set him free conceiving that no less a reward will be commiserate to the Services rendered, but as to guard against the great injuries & inconvenienced which might result from the indiscriminate Manumission of Slaves the legislature have Wisely provided that no Slave shall be manumitted except for Meritorious services to be approved of by the County Court, your petitioner is prevented from effecting his intentions without the aid and assistance of your Worships. May it thereof please your Worships taking the past character and faithful and meritorious Services of the said James into consideration to order & Decree that he may be Manumitted & Set free agreeable to the Directions of the act of the General Assembly in Such Cases Made and provided And your petitioner as in Duty bound shall ever pray &c.     John Cunningham

Miscellaneous Slave Records, Chowan County Records, North Carolina State Archives.

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