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20th Century History |
African American Slaves Listed on Ship's Manifests, 1800-1840, Port of Philadelphia
Ship's
manifests give a detailed listing of the cargo, passengers and destination
of the vessel. Manifests of ships arriving at or leaving the busy
port of Philadelphia included lists of enslaved persons, generally the
property of one of the passengers. These listings are often quite
descriptive, giving the name, age and physical description of the enslaved
person. The information below was transcribed from copies of ships
manifests on microfilm at the Pennsylvania State Archives.
The first two
entries describe the schooners Phoebe and Prudence, slave
ships captured by the USS Ganges and brought into the Port of Philadelphia
as prizes. The Africans on board were not returned to their native
land, but were held in Philadelphia until permanent placement, suitable to
the city authorities, could be found for them, generally in the form of a
long indenture. The placement process took many months, and those 135
enslaved persons were the subject of a mass appeal for blankets and
clothing throughout the southeastern portion of the state, to protect them
from the coming harsh weather.
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Date |
Details |
August 22, 1800 |
Schooner Phoebe (Prize to the Ship Ganges) Calvin Stevens,
Prize Master.
Cargo taken on board at Africa, bound for Philadelphia {118 Africans
men, women & children
Schooner Prudence (Prize to the Ship Ganges) W. M.
Robbins, Prize Master.
{17 Africans, men, women and children |
November 2, 1817 |
Ship Ohio, Dan L. Kurtz, master. Bound from Philadelphia to
New Orleans
Slave Martha Parent, Female, 19 yrs, 4'6", Yellow
Sam'l P. Evans, owner. |
April 24, 1818 |
Ship Caroline of Philadelphia. James Serrill, Master.
Bound from Philadelphia to New Orleans
Slaves:
Milly, Female, 45 years, 5'2", Crogham, owner--Louisiana
Humphrey, Male, 14 years, 5'2", Crogham, owner--Louisiana
Rhodea, Female, 32 years, 5'3", Washington Jackson,
owner--Philadelphia
William, Boy, 5 years
James, Boy, 4 years
Lucy, Female, 1 year
Dillie, Female, 12 years, 4'6" |
May 3, 1821 |
Ship Ohio of Philadelphia, S. Toby, Master. Bound from New
Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Betsey, Female, 27 years, 5'6", Black, A. B. Thompson,
owner--Natchez
Harriett, Female, 30 years, 5'7", Black, A. B. Thompson,
owner--Natchez |
May 2, 1821 |
Ship Ohio of Philadelphia, S. Toby, Master. Bound from New
Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Jack Hunt, Male, 20 years, 5'8", Black, Wm. Miller,
owner--Alexandria |
April 30, 1821 |
Ship Ohio of Philadelphia, S. Toby, Master. Bound from New
Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Diana, Female, 32 years, 5'3", Black, Louis Evans, owner--Natchez
Annus, Female, 13 years, 4'10", Black, Louis Evans, owner--Natchez |
December 20, 1822 |
Ship Georgia Packet of Philadelphia. Jared Bunce,
Master. Bound from Charleston, S.C. to Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Nelly, Female, 13 years, 4'9", Yellow, Mrs. Rt. Chisolm,
owner--Charleston. |
April 18, 1820 |
Ship Margaret of Philadelphia. David Ridgely, Master.
Bound from New Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
George, Male, 21 years, 5'9 ", Mulatto, David Ridgely,
owner--Baltimore. |
April 24, 1820 |
Ship Orleans of Philadelphia. John Graves, Master.
Bound from New Orleans to Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Charlotte, Female, 15 years, 5'0", Mulatto, Wm. Stark,
owner--Louisiana. |
June 7, 1823 |
Ship Georgia Packet of Philadelphia. Jared Bunce,
Master. Bound from Charleston, S.C. to Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Susey, Female, 19 years, 5'3", Yellow, Mrs. Chisolm,
owner--Charleston.
Dolly, Female, 25 years, 5'6", Black, Wm. Lance, owner--Charleston.
Elsey, Female, 21 years, 5'0", Black, James Thomas,
owner--Charleston. |
May 27, 1823 |
Ship Franklin of Rochester. Allen Dexter, Master.
Bound from Pensacola for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Franklin, Male, 14 years, 4'6", Black, J. M. Glassell,
owner--Pensacola. |
November 7, 1824 |
Brig New Hanover of Philadelphia. John P. Levy,
Master. Bound from Philadelphia for Memphis.
Slaves:
Sue, Female, 50 years, 5'6", Black, P. Houston, owner--Savannah. |
November 19, 1834 |
Ship Georgian of Philadelphia. A. H. Eldridge,
Master. Bound from Philadelphia for Savannah.
Slaves:
Mary Ann, Female, 19 years, 4'2", Black, Harriett Campbell,
owner--Savannah. |
November 14, 1835 |
Brig New Hanover of Philadelphia. Charles Carty,
Master. Bound from Philadelphia for Savannah.
Slaves:
Bella Nightingale, Female, 25 years, 5'5", Dark, Wm. Hunter,
owner--Savannah.
Becky, Female, 48 years, 5'4", Black, Mrs. Sarah Jones,
owner--Savannah. |
Source:
"Ships Manifests, 1800-1840, Port of Philadelphia," microfilm,
Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, PA. |
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