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L Verge · 08-11-2015, 07:21 PM

As the mother of one daughter, I have survived about six "loves-of-my-life," one significant other arrangement, one marriage, and one divorce. We're now into another relationship (a good one, I believe), and this one came with historic benefits.

He comes from a very old Southern Maryland family with roots into the early-1700s. Several months ago, I was shown a nicely preserved manumission paper for a slave family in our county, dated 1839. My mouth fell open because I had never seen one outside of books.

My lower jaw then dropped to my knees when I was told that there were about fifty more of such papers stored in an old bag at his house. The earliest ones date to the 1790s, and the latest into the 1850s. All are in excellent condition and were found in the back of an old safe when the family was cleaning out their ancient country store. They all appear to be for Southern Maryland slaves.

At last Saturday's program at Surratt House, I showed Dr. Medford the one "sample," and her jaw dropped also - even further when I told her how many remain. She knows of no such collection existing and has promised to find experts to assist us in transcribing and digitizing these documents. I have not begged on bended knee yet, but you know where I would like them to be placed.

Anita · 08-12-2015, 10:22 AM

Amazing and exciting find Laurie. What a treasure trove.

Eva Elisabeth · 08-12-2015, 12:59 PM

When the gentleman asks you for your daughter's hand in marriage (as it was you who raised her) you might fix the placement in the dowry negotiations!

L Verge · 08-12-2015, 07:14 PM

(08-12-2015 12:59 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote: When the gentleman asks you for your daughter's hand in marriage (as it was you who raised her) you might fix the placement in the dowry negotiations!

Great idea, but my daughter would strangle me.

L Verge · (This post was last modified: 08-15-2015 05:34 PM by L Verge.)

I had my hands on all those manumission papers today. There are 31 total, ranging in dates from 1781 to the mid-1850s, and all in very good condition -- clearly never having been carried around constantly by a free black in order to prove his freedom.

They are all from our county, and some of the leading citizens of that period are the ones issuing the papers. Several are given by female owners, with a few marked with an X and witnessed as such. On at least one is a declaration that freedom is being given because slavery is an abomination to man (or a phrase to that effect). Quite a few of the papers pertain only to children being manumitted.

The family that owns them has a history of being in county politics of some sort since the 1800s, and I suspect that these might be duplicate copies filed with county gov't. and then discarded (only to be saved) from county files sometime in the early-1900s. One ancestor during the 1850s was a county sheriff and had the duty of capturing and returning runaway slaves (i.e. Fugitive Slave Act). There is a clipping out of the county paper at that time in which that sheriff advertises that he has captured a runaway who will not tell where he came from. A description is given and a plea for the owner to come forward. If the owner does not appear, it is stated that the runaway will be sent to auction.