Slavery around Tallahassee before the Civil War
In Tallahassee, slavery resembled that of other slave states on a smaller scale. Whites forced enslaved people to grow cotton, and later shade tobacco. The financial transactions of human bondage split families apart. Profits and commodification underpinned marriage and birth. Enslaved people also considered their own commodification and used that knowledge as a form of resistance to keep their families together.
"Conveyance of Land and Enslaved People"
Due to enslavement, it can be difficult for genealogists to trace their ancestors. Documents such as this legal agreement between William Nuttall and Mary Savage can help narrow down the possibilities. While this document simply outlined that Mary would keep her inheritance as a separate estate from her intended husband, it outlines the possibilities for where the fifty-five enslaved people that she owned ended up. For somebody that could trace their lineage to a person on Mary’s estate in Savannah, Georgia, this document would illustrate the equal likelihood of their ancestor’s forced relocation to Monticello, Florida just outside of Tallahassee.
"Public Auction Bill of Sale"
This bill of sale documents the liquidation of William Nuttall’s estate. After his death, his executor(s) sold his property at public auction, including land and people. While we do not know why or how the buyer and the auctioneer initially settled on these prices, there are several explanations. Men with technical knowledge including carpentry or masonry typically cost more. Enslavers did not value women, children, or the elderly as highly. There are quite a few groups of three or more people recorded. In some instances, enslaved people attempted to manipulate their own valuations at auction to keep their families intact.
"Quitclaim"
This quitclaim deed records William Damiel’s purchase of Cherry, a seventeen-year-old woman for $600. Again, one can only speculate the reasoning behind the price he paid for her and what labor he intended for her. However, enslavers often sought out young women for the purpose of encouraging them to marry and produce children. With the slave trade ended, so long as an enslaved woman had a child, that child would be born into slavery as well. Motherhood became a complicated life event for women because of the violent and oppressive nature behind enslavers’ pro-natal attitudes.
"Bill of sale, 1852"
This bill is evidence of Dr. F.A. Byrd’s purchase of a twenty-five-year-old woman, Jane, and her children in exchange for land valued at $1,050. In Jane’s case, she would be separated from the child’s father. In addition, ripped from her community, she would be by herself raising her two young children in an unfamiliar environment. When further thought about as a financial transaction, the fate of Jane and her children illustrate the costs of rendering humans as property.
"Estate Division of Slaves"
The estate probate of Roderick K. Shaw offers a different perspective from other records documenting the transfer of enslaved people. Due to Shaw’s three heirs, the record dictates to split forty-seven people into three equally valued lots “as nearly as could be done without separating families.” Because these relationships are not recorded, just names and ages, one can only speculate about the sincerity of that clause. However, the inclusion of the clause does inform us that the fate of families rested on the whims of enslavers.
"Whitfield Notebook"
George Whitfield was a Tallahassee enslaver. He recorded his financial transactions, including human bondage, in this notebook. Enslaved people rarely left behind their own written records. Consequently, we must look at alternative forms of documentation that tell their stories. George Whitfield's bills of sale, receipts, and probate inventories document the familial ties of those he enslaved. For instance, this page of the notebook reveals that two people Whitfield owned, Ben and Laura, were married, had children, and were members of a larger community.