PA County Index

PA Enslavement FAQs

A series of pages exploring
various aspects of enslavement in Pennsylvania

Enslavement in Centre County, Pennsylvania

Centre County Septennial Census of 1800

List of Enslaved Persons

The State of Pennsylvania took an enumeration of taxable inhabitants every seven years. Known as the Septennial Census, this enumeration also listed enslaved persons in each county, by township, for some of the years. The amount of information on the persons enslaved varies greatly by county and township. Centre County returned only two enslaved people in the enumeration, in the townships of Bald Eagle and Centre. From the wording in the original census document, it is not clear in which of the two townships these enslaved people were living.

Enslavement Data

Bald Eagle and Centre Townships

• "2 male slaves, ages twenty five years, the property of Isaac Connelly Esquire & Malone Richard."

Patton Township

• No enslaved persons listed
• One Black freeman is listed: Abraham Thomas

Source

Enumeration dated November 20, 1800.
Source: Septennial Census Returns, 1779-1863; Roll No. 1, Adams County, 1800-Cumberland County, 1800. Reel No. 0242. Microfilm in the Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg Pennsylvania.