1mztqFqHg

Recommendations

Info

EXHIBITIONA case from NorfolkCounty details thesad story of anenslaved teenagernamed Elizabeth,who was shippedfrom Norfolk toLouisiana, whereshe died shortlyafter her arrival.RemarkableResourcesDiscover collections forresearching the slave tradeat the Library of VirginiaExhibitions at the Library of Virginia can helpguide researchers to understand more fullythe depth of our collections.While researching for the To Be Soldexhibition, local government records archivistsdiscovered cases heard in Virginia’s ChanceryCourts and other local government records thatilluminate the daily workings of the internal slavetrade. Chancery causes heard in Fairfax andArlington Counties shed light on the slave-tradingactivities of Joseph Bruin, a trader in Alexandria.Harriet Beecher Stowe used Bruin as a templatefor the slave-trader characters found in her bookUncle Tom’s Cabin.These records are remarkable for the storiesthey document of enslaved individuals purchasedin Virginia and taken hundreds of miles away bysea and by land to be sold in the Deep South. Acase from Norfolk County details the sad storyof an enslaved teenager named Elizabeth, whowas shipped from Norfolk to Louisiana, whereshe died shortly after her arrival. The freedomsuit of Hester Jane Carr heard inPetersburg reads like the storylineof the book and film 12 Years aSlave. Like Solomon Northup,Carr was a free African Americanwho was kidnapped and soldinto slavery. Unlike Northup, shenever received her freedom.Records concerning theslave trade also include receipts,letters, lists of names, and afew account books. The accountbooks of the major tradersDickinson, Hill & Co. and HectorDavis were removed fromRichmond at the end of the CivilWar and now reside at the American AntiquarianSociety (in Worcester, Massachusetts) and theChicago History Museum, respectively. Thememorandum book of Captain John C. Epes6 broadSIDE WWW.LVA.VIRGINIA.GOV 2014 | ISSUE NO. 4
documents his role as the southernlink of the trading firm Sneed &Epes, based in Lunenburg County.Epes noted his expenses as he madehis way from Gainesville, Alabama, toVirginia, allowing us to retrace his route.He also listed the enslaved people hesold, including their names and theirinitial and final purchase prices. Hismemorandum book is part of the Library’sLocal Government Records Collection.Digital images of the Epes memorandumbook and several other trade-relatedcollections are awaiting transcription on theLibrary’s new crowdsourcing transcriptionwebsite, “Making History: Transcribe” (www.virginiamemory.com/transcribe).To discover collections at the Library ofVirginia related to the slave trade, search ourfinding aids at http://vaheritage.org and ouronline catalog at www.lva.virginia.gov.—Barbara Batson, Exhibitions Coordinator,and Gregory Crawford, Local RecordsProgram ManagerBUSINESS RECORDS OF THE SLAVE TRADEList at top left: Negroes Carried to the South by W WWood. 1844. Manuscript. Lunenburg County ChanceryCauses, 1743–1921. Local Government Records Collection,Lunenburg County Court Records, Library of Virginia.Bottom left: Memorandum Book Kept by Captain John C.Epes, Slave Trader. 1844–1849. Bound manuscript. LocalGovernment Records Collection, Lunenburg County CourtRecords, Library of Virginia.At right: Receipts for Sales of Slaves. July 29, 1864. Printedform and manuscript. Silas Omohundro. Business RecordsCollection, Library of Virginia.2014 | ISSUE NO. 4 broadSIDE 7
Page 1 and 2: oadSIDE2014 | NO. 4To BeSoldVirgini
Page 3 and 4: PLAN YOUR VISIT800 East Broad Stree
Page 5 and 6: A STORY TOLD IN IMAGESAt left: Slav
Page 7: EXHIBITIONTHOUGHTFUL DISCUSSIONAbov
Page 11 and 12: DIGITAL COLLECTIONSCollaborative on
Page 13 and 14: Through May 30, 2015 | Exhibition H
Page 15 and 16: LITERARY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTBarbar
Page 17 and 18: Looking for a quirky giftfor a co-w
Page 19 and 20: SEMPER VIRGINIA SOCIETYMembership H

1mztqFqHg

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?