American Historical Ephemera & Photography

1 page, 7 1/2 x 9 3/4 in., creased at folds. With postally used cover addressed to A.H. Boyd, Esq of Graham, North Carolina (flap embossed "Richmond, VA.")

Davis's letter outlines what he calls "a rather dull negro market," after making the exception that "Good negroes however are selling at very fair prices." He lists price ranges for varying ages and attributes of men, women, boys, and girls, beginning with "Best men $1200 to 1275," and ending with "Girls 12 to 15 years $750 to $1000 as to size &c. Good young woman & child $1000 to $1100 &c." Davis concludes, "Would be pleased to see you in with some good negroes," before signing his name and adding an initialed postcript correcting his price range for boys from 10 to 15 years old. 

Hector Davis (1816-1863) was one of the wealthiest slave traders in the decades leading up to the Civil War, owning and operating a two-story auction house and jail for enslaved persons located on Franklin Street in Richmond, VA. In his enslavement narrative, Wallace Turnage, formerly enslaved by Davis, describes how enslaved persons were escorted from the jail area to the dressing room and thence to the auction room to be sold. In an 1858 advertisement (the same year as the letter featured here) in the Richmond Business Directory, Davis is listed as an "Auctioneer and Commission Merchant for Sale of Negroes," who "Sells Negroes both publicly and privately, and pledges his best efforts to obtain the highest market prices." In 1860, Davis helped charter the Traders Bank of Richmond, and served as its president. He continued selling enslaved people until just before his death in 1863. Though Davis never married, it is believed that he had a relationship with an enslaved woman named Ann, who is listed in Davis's will along with four children born to her in the 1850s.

Full transcription of letter: "Dear Sir, /  We have a rather dull negro market. Good negroes however are selling at very fair prices. Best men $1200 to 1275 fair young men 20 to 26 years $1000 to $1150. Men 26 to 35 years $800 to $1050. Best Black or Brown Girls $1000 to $1150. [??] do 16 to 20 $875 to $975. Good Boys 16 to 18 years $1000 to $1150. 15 to 16 $900 to $1075. 12 to 16 $775 to $950. 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 6 inches $625 to $800. Girls 12 to 15 years $750 to $1000 as to size &c. Good young woman & child $1000 to $1100 &c. / Would be pleased to see you in with some good negroes. / Hector Davis. / P.S. Boys from 10 to 15 years are selling at better prices than stated above - in in part selling very high. / H.D."