Friday, May 11, 2012

Friend of Friends Friday

One of the daily blogging prompts on Geneabloggers is Friend of Friends Friday. This is a way to share “records of enslaved ancestors, whether they are your own ancestors or not…”

I love reading old newspapers, but when I’m researching, I try to stay focused and have eyes for what I’m looking for. Otherwise time will fly, and I’ll forget about what I started out doing! I can’t help myself—my eyes sometimes stray around the page. While recently looking up one of my ancestors in historic Savannah, Georgia, newspapers on Genealogy Bank, I happened to glance over to the right on one of the pages of the August 14, 1830, issue of the Georgian. There I saw ads for the sale of slaves and for the capture of runaway slaves. Here are transcriptions of these ads:

SHERIFF’S SALES

On the first Tuesday in September next, Will be sold before the Court House in the City of Savannah between the usual hours of sale, the following property:--

--A mulatto man named Billy, alias Bill Black, levied on as the property of S. D. Pearce, to satisfy sundry executions in favor of John Rawls, M. Hopkins, Jas. Anderson and others—levy made and returned to me by a constable.

One negro man named Bob, levied on as the property of Gustavus A. Cop, to satisfy an execution in favor of Edmund Richardson, property pointed out by the plaintiff.

Fifty Dollars Reward

Runaway from my plantation 12 miles from Savannah, in the beginning of February last, my negro fellow named Quash, aged about 35 years, slender made, stoops when walking—stutters when spoke to—the said fellow was bought from the estate of  Neufville; and is supposed to be lurking or concealed in Savannah, where he [h]as a wife, or in the neighborhood of Coosawatchie, where he came from. The above reward will be paid for his apprehension and delivery either at my plantation, to my manager, or at the Jail in Savannah or Coosawatchie. James M. Wayne. July 22.

Ten Dollars Reward

Runaway from the subscriber about May last, a negro man named JOE, commonly called Joe Leion, an African by birth, speaks slow, about six feet high, slender made, and a down look when he speaks—he is well known in the city having for several years been in the habit of working as a porter, and formerly belonged to the late Alexander Hunter, Esq. deceased, he has also a wife in the city, named Mary, the property of Hannah Leion, by whom there is little doubt, he is harbored. The above reward will be paid on his being lodged in Jail, by JOHN H. MOREL. Aug 7.

I imagine that both living this kind of life or running away from it took a lot of courage. I hope your descendants find you.

Catherine

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