Old Vault Letters, December 12, 2012 - Michelle Godfrey

Today I worked on three more items from the Old Vault Letters collection: MSS113-b01f06-03,- -04, and - -05.
The first letter was the one that presented the most problems. Some words within the text remain a mystery. I think it's especially nice to be able to read the names of the people mentioned or make out a signature.

"to Ali? C? by said Friedlander"

William Webb, C.S. Receiver

The other two documents were fairly easy to read and had some details about the purchase transactions for two slaves. The second letter, written in 1863, was the Bill of Sale for a woman named Lucinda who was purchased as a slave for $3,500.

The final letter explained how a man named Henry ran away from the North and had been sold to someone in Brazoria Texas for $600. It appears that at least one page is missing because the end of the first side indicated to turn the page over, but nothing was on the other side.

Overall, I'd say this was a most interesting batch of documents. They were all from the folder 'Slavery: Legal Documents, 1796-1863'. I could see a difference in the wording and structure in the last two items. The one written in 1863 said that Lucy (Lucinda) was to be a "slave for life" and be "property for ever". In the third letter, dated earlier in 1834, the 30 year old man Henry was to be a "good servant" for a "term or period of fifty years".