American Historical Ephemera & Early Photography Online

Partly-printed note indicating payment from James Thomas Jr. and Thomas C. Williams to John H. Bradley for the hire of "Two negro slaves named David Randal @ $80 and Davy Allen @ $100 for the present year...slaves to be returned Christmas next, well clothed with the customary clothing and furnished with a hat and blanket." N.p. [Richmond, Virginia?]. 1 January 1853. 2pp, 8 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (creasing at folds, slight tear along center fold). Docketed on verso with notes indicating four separate payments of $45 and noting the balance paid in full 3 January 1854.

The practice of "hiring out" enslaved people was a widespread, long-standing, and critical component of the economy, particularly in the antebellum period leading up to the Civil War. Enslavers would lease enslaved individuals to others, including non-slave owners, for a set fee and period of time, typically on an annual basis with "hiring day" often falling on New Year's Day. All ranks of white society engaged in hiring enslaved people, including many who could not afford to purchase enslaved laborers. On a yearly basis, hiring out affected thousands of enslaved men, women, and children, who were separated from their families and communities and who had to endure and adapt to new living and working conditions. For many enslaved African Americans in Virginia, being hired out was a more common experience than being sold, and one that could occur at multiple points in their lives, causing repeated disruption.

[With:] Tax receipt for the property of Mr. George White, Greenbriar County, [Virginia] (present-day West Virginia), 1850. 1p, 6 1/4 x 4 1/2 in. Document indicates assessments for various taxes, including "1 Slave at 32c."