Slaveholders Listed on this Page
- Scott, Alexander (Enslaved persons listed: Laura)
- Scott, James (Enslaved persons listed: Lucy)
- Semple, James (Enslaved persons listed: Two un-named men)
- Shields, Peter (Enslaved persons listed: Mingo)
- Simpson, Nathaniel (Enslaved persons listed: Peter, Charles)
- Smith, Mary (Enslaved persons listed: Sussanah)
- Snowden, Henry (Enslaved persons listed: Harry)
- Stephenson, Stephen (Enslaved persons listed: John)
- Stewart, Samuel (Enslaved persons listed: Frederick, Pompey, Peggy)
- Stoner, Samuel (Enslaved persons listed: Mary Hall)
- Stuart, Francis (Enslaved persons listed: Joe)
- Sturgeon, Jeremiah (Enslaved persons listed: Dinah)
- Sturgeon, Margaret (Enslaved persons listed: Henry)
- Sturgeon, Robert (Enslaved persons listed: Cate, Nance)
- Sturgeon, Samuel (Enslaved persons listed: Solomon, Poll)
- Sullivan, James (Enslaved persons listed: one unnamed slave)
- Wallace, Benjamin (Enslaved persons listed: Mira, Harry, Abraham)
- Wallace, Elizabeth (Enslaved persons listed: Ruth)
- Wallace, William (Enslaved persons listed: Poll, Pet)
- Waugh, Alexander M. (Enslaved persons listed: Carter, Molly)
- Weidman, John (Enslaved persons listed: Dinah)
- White, William (Enslaved persons listed: Abby, Charles)
- Whitehill, George (Enslaved persons listed: Frances)
- Wiggins, Elizabeth (Enslaved persons listed: Tilly)
- Wiggins, James (Enslaved persons listed: Hactor, Nance)
- Wiggins, John (Enslaved persons listed: Nance)
- Willson, James (Enslaved persons listed: London, Sip, Hege, Jack)
- Wilson, James (Enslaved persons listed: Dinah Lemons)
- Wilson, John (Enslaved persons listed: "Mulatto Man," "Negro Girl," unnamed female, Nance, Cuff)
- Wilson, Sarah (Enslaved persons listed: Vandanna, Nance)
- Wood, William (Enslaved persons listed: George, Thomas-Peter)
- Young, John (Enslaved persons listed: Flora, Phillis, Nan)
Enslavement Data
- Slaveholder's Name: Scott, Alexander
City: Lancaster
Township:
County: Lancaster
Occupation:
Notes: "John B. Cox, Harrisburg; (registering for) widow of Alex. Scott, late of Lancaster, Laura."
- Enslaved Person's Name: Laura
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Scott, James
Township: Derry
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Lucy
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Child. Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record: 30 October 1788
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Semple, James
Township: Derry (modern Londonderry)
County: Dauphin
Occupation: Farmer, Innkeeper
Notes: Stage stop "Sign of the Plough" (1760s)
- Enslaved Person's Name: Names not given in advertisement
Sex: Male
Age: adults, described as "men"
Status: Unclear--probably enslaved for life; out for hire by their owner
Notes: Two enslaved men from James Semple's estate, possibly owned by William Miller, who advertised to lease the Londonderry farm for two years and hire out the two enslaved men who had worked there before Semple's death:
To be LETT for the Term of 2 Years, from the first of March, THAT valuable and noted Plantation, situate in Derry Township, Lancaster County, on the great Road from Lancaster to Harris's Ferry, whereon James Semple, deceased, lately dwelt, and known by the Sign of the Plough, being a very good Stage; there is a great Quantity of Meadow, and good Water, three bearing Orchards, a large Quantity of Upland cleared, and other Conveniences; also two good labouring Negro Men, to be hired by the Year. For further Particulars and Terms, enquire of the Subscriber, in Carlisle,
WILLIAM MILLER.
Date of Record: 19 February 1767
Source: The Pennsylvania Gazette, 19 February 1767
- Slaveholder's Name: Shields, Peter
Township: Paxton
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Mingo
Sex: Male
Age: "about 22 years of age"
Date of Birth: circa 1757
Description: "Negroe man"
Notes: Status: Captured Runaway. Text of ad:
Easton, in Northampton County, March 13, 1779.
COMMITTED to my custody on the 9th inst. a certain Negroe man, who calls himself Mingo, and says he belongs to Peter Shields, of Paxton, in Lancaster county; he is about 5 feet 6 inches high, and about 22 years of age: He is supposed to be the same Negroe that was advertised by one James Byers, of said place, on the 27th of February last. His master is requested to come or send for him, pay charges, and take him away, within three weeks from the date hereof.
PETER EALER, Goaler.
Note that the location "Paxton, in Lancaster county" refers to present day Dauphin County.
Date of Record: March 17, 1779
Source: The Pennsylvania Gazette, March 17, 1779
- Slaveholder's Name: Simpson, Nathaniel
Township: Lower Paxton
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Peter
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Enslaved Person's Name: Charles
Sex: Male
Age: No age given; described as a "man."
Notes: Status: Runaway slave. Text of runaway ad:
Six Dollars Reward
Ran away, the first of this month, from the subscriber, living near Harrisburg, Dauphin conty, a certain Negro Man, lawfully recorded, named Charles; a thick chunkey fellow, about 5 feet 6 or 7 inches high, has a down look, stoops forward and walks aukward, as if he was lame; he is a little yellowish, is fond of playing on the fiddle, and professes to be a distiller of liquor; he talks like the Jersey dialect. He had on, when he went away, a short green sailor's jacket, a white lapell'd under jacket, white overalls, half worn, and an old hat.
All owners and captains of vessels are desired not to ship or carry said Negro. Whoever takes up the above described Negro, and secures him in any gaol, so that his master may have him again, shall have the above reward, and all reasonable charges if brought home.
May 23. co. Nath. Simpson
Date of Record: Date of runaway ad: 23 May 1792
Source: Claypoole's Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 9 July 1792
- Slaveholder's Name: Smith, Mary
Township: Paxtang
County: Dauphin (Lancaster, at time of registration)
Occupation: "Gloverist"
Notes: Possible widow of James Smith, of Paxtang, who died in 1775. James Smith had family connections in Ulster County, New York.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Sussanah
Sex: Female
Age: about 22 years old at registration
Notes: Status: Slave for life. The text of Smith's registration for Sussanah was printed in Egle's Notes and Queries, Third Series, Volume II, LXXXIX, page 41. It reads:
"PAXTANG, October the 14th, 1780.
In pursuance of the act of the Assembly for the gradual Abolition of Slavery, Mary Smith, Gloverist, of Paxtang Township, in Lancaster County, Do hereby Enter with the Clark of the Sessions of said County the following Person, a Sleave during her life, viz: Shusanah, a Negro Wench about twenty-two years of age and owned by me.
MARY SMITH.
To John Hubley, Esq'r. Clark of the Sessions of Lancaster County."
Although not mentioned in the registration, Susannah escaped and was captured near Newtown, Bucks County, in company with another Dauphin County slave, Pero/Abraham, owned by Joshua Elder. The Bucks County jailer, James Gregg, placed the following ad seeking her owner to claim her and pay her fees:
Newtown, Bucks county, September 5, 1780.
WAS committed to my custody on the twenty-seventh of August, a NEGROE MAN, who was committed by the name of ABRAHAM, but now says his name is PERO, about twenty-seven years of age, five feet six or seven inches high, speaks Dutch and broken English, but a good deal on the Negroe tongue. He says he belongs to George Elder, a Magistrate in or near Paxton.
Likewise a NEGROE WENCH, who was committed by the name of BETTY, but confesses her name to be SUSANNAH, about twenty three years of age, speaks Dutch and broken English. She says she belongs to the Widow Smith, or her son Samuel Smith, near the same place. The Man says he was bought out of New Jersey, the Wench out of Esopus, in the State of New York. But their confession was with so much reluctance, and speaking bad English, that no exact description can be given of the place they came from. The owners are desired to come, pay charges, and take them away.
JAMES GREGG, Goaler.
Susannah's claim that she was purchased from New York state is credible, as Mary Smith's husband James, who died in 1775, had a brother in Ulster County. She is further tied to Mary Smith as Mary had a son, Samuel, who was mentioned by Susannah.
Date of Record: 14 October 1780 (Registration); 5 September 1780 (Bucks County Jailer's ad);
Sources: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780" | Egle, William Henry, M.D., Notes and Queries--LXXXIX, page 41 | Dunlap and Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser, 30 September 1780 | Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, page 73.
- Slaveholder's Name: Snowden, Henry
City or Town: Elkridge
Owner's State: MD
Occupation:
Notes: Supposedly died circa 1789 in Philadelphia.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Harry
Sex: Male
Age: Not stated in ad, but described as a "man."
Notes: Possibly a free African American later sold back into slavery in Dauphin County. Text of jailer's advertisement:
"Whereas a certain negro man who calls himself Harry, was committed to the jail of Dauphin county, in Pennsylvania, on the 30th of April last, on suspicion of being a runaway slave; he is about 5 feet, 10 or 11 inches high, his face very remarkable on account of having a very large wart on his right cheek, near the ear, and one on his neck near the throat. His face much contracted by the small pox, especially about the nose. He says he formerly belonged to one Henry Snowden, of Elkridge in Maryland, who died about 7 years ago in Philadelphia. The proper owner of said negro, if any, are desired to come, pay costs, and take him away, otherwise he will be sold to pay costs.
John M'Chesney, Jailor. May 7, 1796."
Date of Record: 07 May 1796
Source: The Oracle of Dauphin, and Harrisburgh Advertiser, May 9, 1796
- Slaveholder's Name: Stephenson, Stephen
Township: Paxton
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: John
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Stewart, Samuel
Township: West Hanover
County: Dauphin (Lancaster, at time of 1780 registration)
Occupation: Farmer
Notes: Following his death and per his will, Stewart's possessions were auctioned off by his administrators in October 1803. The estate sale included all three of the enslaved persons below.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Frederick
Sex: Male
Age: One month old at Registration
Date of Birth: 30 October 1798
Description: Mulatto
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28. Sold at public auction in October 1803 to settle Stewart's estate:
PUBLIC VENDUE.
TO be sold, by public vendue, on Thursday, the 20th day of this instant, (Oct.) agreeably to the last will and testament of Samuel Stewart, late of Hanover, deceased, at his late dwelling house, the following property, viz. --
A Negro man, aged about 30 years, and a Negro woman, a very capable wench for either kitchen or out doors work, both slaves for life -- together with the time of a Negro lad about 4 years of age, legally registered; [following by extensive list of farm and household goods]
The sale to begin at 10 o'clock in the morning & continue from day to day till all is sold. Attendance and good credit will be given, by
Agness Stewart, Executrix, Samuel Stewart, Executor.
October 7, 1803.
Date of Record: 11 December 1798 (Registration); 07 October 1803 (Estate sale notice)
Sources: Children of Previously Registered Slaves; Young, Cory James. "A Just and True Return: Pennsylvania’s Surviving County Slave Registries, 1780-1826." Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 3, no. 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.25971/QS08-YE30. Accessed 24 February 2025; Oracle of Dauphin and Harrisburgh Advertiser, 10 October 1803.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Pompy
Sex: Male
Age: 10
Date of Birth: circa 1770
Description: "Mulattoe Slave"
Notes: Status: Slave for life. Registered at Lancaster as a "Mulattoe Slave." Sold at public auction in October 1803 to settle Stewart's estate (see text of published sale notice, above). The estate sale notice describes the adult male as "aged about 30 years," which, if Stewart's reporting of his age was correct when he registered Pompy at Lancaster in 1780, was overestimated by seven years. Although this may suggest it was describing a different man, enslavers were notoriously inaccurate in estimating ages of their enslaved persons in documents and advertisements.
Date of Record: 28 October 1780 (Registration); 07 October 1803 (Estate sale notice)
Sources: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"; Oracle of Dauphin and Harrisburgh Advertiser, 10 October 1803.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Peggy
Sex: Female
Age: 06
Date of Birth: circa 1774
Description: "Mulattoe Slave"
Notes: Status: Slave for life. Registered at Lancaster as a "Mulattoe Slave." Sold at public auction in October 1803 to settle Stewart's estate (see text of published sale notice, above).
Date of Record: 28 October 1780 (Registration); 07 October 1803 (Estate sale notice)
Sources: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"; Oracle of Dauphin and Harrisburgh Advertiser, 10 October 1803.
- Slaveholder's Name: Stoner, Samuel
Township: Lower Paxton
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Mary Hall
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Stuart, Francis
Township:
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes: Died, 1790.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Joe
Sex: Male
Age: Not known
Notes: Status: Not determined. In his will, dated September 9, 1790 and proved December 01, 1790, Francis Stuart left "negro Joe" to his son George.
Date of Record: December 01, 1790
Source: "Slaves and Indentured Servants in Dauphin County Wills"
- Slaveholder's Name: Sturgeon, Jeremiah
Township: West Hanover
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes: Buried in Newside Cemetery, Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Dinah
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Sturgeon, Margaret
Township: Hanover
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Henry
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Sturgeon, Robert
Township: Paxtang
County: Dauphin (Lancaster, at time of registration)
Occupation: Miller
Notes: Sturgeon did not travel to Lancaster to register his enslaved people. This was done for him by Timothy Green, Esquire, of Hanover Township, acting as his attorney.
Enslaved Person's Name: Cate
Sex: Female
Age: 22
Notes: Registered at Lancaster as a "Negroe Woman," about 22 years of age, a "slave for life."
Date of Record: 23 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Enslaved Person's Name: Nance
Sex: Female
Age: Sixteen months old at registration
Notes: Registered at Lancaster as a "Negroe Female Child," sixteen months of age, a "slave during life."
Date of Record: 23 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Slaveholder's Name: Sturgeon, Samuel
Township: West Hanover
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes: Sturgeon's enslaved child Poll was registered at Lancaster in 1780 by Robert Boal, acting on his behalf as his attorney.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Solomon
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Enslaved Person's Name: Poll
Gender: Female
Age: "about 5 years" old at registration
Notes: Registered at Lancaster as a "Negroe Girl," age about 5 years, a slave during life."
Date of Record: 25 October 1780
Sources: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Slaveholder's Name: Sullivan, James
Township: Londonderry
County: Dauphin (then Lancaster)
Occupation:
Notes: Sullivan did not register any slaves in Lancaster County in 1780. As he was assessed for one slave in 1780, he may have moved or sold the enslaved person prior to the deadline for registration.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Not recorded
Sex: Not recorded
Age: Not recorded (taxable slaves were usually considered those between 12 and 60 years of age)
Date of Record: 1780
Notes: Tax returns for 1780 report one slave owned by James Sullivan of Londonderry Township
Source: Luther Reily Kelker, History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Vol. I (New York, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1907) p. 388.
- Slaveholder's Name: Wallace, Benjamin
Township: West Hanover
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Mira
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Enslaved Person's Name: Harry
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Enslaved Person's Name: Abraham
Slave Gender: Male
Age: "about 28 or 30 Years of Age"
Notes: Status: Escaped from Wallace in February, 1764. Text of runaway ad:
THREE POUNDS Reward.
Run away from the Subscriber, living in Hanover Township, Lancaster County, and Province of Pennsylvania, on the 16th of last Month, A Negroe Man, about 28 or 30 Years of Age, a little pitted with the Smallpox, named Abraham, a well set Fellow, about 5 Feet 7 or 8 Inches high: Had on when he went away, an old Beaver Hat, Flannel Cap, light coloured strait Coat, with red Serge laid on the Cape, and bound round the Cuffs with red Serge, white Flannel Jacket, Leather Breeches, blue Yarn Stockings, and had in one Shoe a Brass Buckle, and in the other a carved Pewter Ditto. He is this Country born, and talks good English; it is supposed he will make towards Philadelphia, or the Forks of Delaware, as he was bred near Bethlehem.
Whoever takes up and secures said Fellow in any Goal of this or the neighbouring Provinces, and gives Information thereof, so as his Master may have him again, or sends him to his Master, shall receive the above Reward, from BENJAMIN WALLACE.
Date of Record: March 08, 1764
Source: The Pennsylvania Gazette, March 08, 1764
- Slaveholder's Name: Wallace, Elizabeth
Location: Lower Paxton Township
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Ruth
Sex: Female
Age: 50
Date of Birth: 1750 (calculated from July 1800 slave list)
Status: Slave for life
Notes: Enumerated in a July 1800 list of slaves in Lower Paxton Township.
Date of Record: (Registration) 12 October 1780; (Townsnhip Slave list) July 1800
Source: Tax Lists, Inhabitants and Slaves, 1800, 1807
- Slaveholder's Name: Wallace, William
Location: Hanover Township
County: Dauphin
Occupation: Farmer
Notes: Wallace registered his enslaved people in Lancaster along with William Allen, Jr., of Hanover Township. Although the registration document does not specify which enslaved persons belonged to which man, the arrangement of information makes it likely these enslaved persons belonged to Wallace.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Poll
Sex: Female
Age: 32
Notes: Gender is presumed, if "Poll" is short for "Polly." Status: Slave for life.
Date of Record: 12 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780
- Enslaved Person's Name: Pet
Sex: Male
Age: 20
Notes: Gender is specified in registry for this person. Status: Slave for life.
Date of Record: 12 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780
- Slaveholder's Name: Waugh, Alexander M.
Township: West Hanover
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Carter
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Enslaved Person's Name: Molly
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Weidman, John
Township: East Hanover
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Dinah
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: White, William
City: Harrisburg
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes: Tax returns for 1780 report two slaves owned by William White of Derry Township. These would not be the children of an enslaved mother, registered after 1788 and recorded below, but older persons held for life. There is a good chance that Abby and Charles, registered in 1788 or later and listed below, were children of one or both of the other enslaved persons recorded on the tax lists.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Abby
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Enslaved Person's Name: Charles
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Whitehill, George
City: Harrisburg
County: Dauphin
Occupation: Merchant
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Frances
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Wiggins, Elizabeth
Township: Lower Paxton
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Tilly
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Wiggins, James
Owner's Location: Lower Paxton Township
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Hactor
Sex: Male
Age: 28
Slave Date of Birth: circa 1772
Slave Status: Slave for life
Notes:
Date of Record: July 1800
Source: Tax Lists, Inhabitants and Slaves, 1800, 1807
- Enslaved Person's Name: Nance
Sex: Female
Age: 25
Slave Date of Birth: circa 1775
Slave Status: Slave for life
Notes: Possibly the same Nance registered by John Wiggins in October, 1780 at Lancaster. There is an age difference of several years, but tax and census listings of slave ages tended to be less exact than the Registration records.
Date of Record: July 1800
Source: Tax Lists, Inhabitants and Slaves, 1800, 1807
- Slaveholder's Name: Wiggins, John
Township: Paxton
County: Dauphin (Lancaster, at time of registration)
Occupation: Farmer
Notes: Wiggins apparently traveled to Lancaster along with two other local men to register their enslaved people. The county clerk recorded their slaves as follows: "John Wiggins, Robert Gilchrist, farmers, and Richard McGuire, blacksmith, of Paxton T, enters as owners" Nance, Negroe Wench, about nine years of age, slave during life; Dick, Negroe Boy, about seven years of age, slave for life; Tob, Negroe Man, eighteen years of age, slave during life, and Peet, Negroe Boy, ten years of age, slave during life.
The clerk did not indicate who owned which of the listed enslaved persons, but it was customary to list slaves by descending age, males first, followed by females in descending age order. Using that custom as a guide, it is possible to make a guess as to who held which slaves.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Nance
Sex: Female
Age: 09
Date of Birth: 1771 (calculated)
Status: "Slave during life"
Notes: This may be the same Nance listed in a July 1800 list of slaves in Lower Paxton Township to slaveholder James Wiggins, although the age differs by several years. She was registered in 1780 at Lancaster as a "Negroe Wench," about nine years of age.
Date of Record: 12 October 1780 (Registration)
Sources: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Slaveholder's Name: Willson or Wilson, James
Township: Hanover
County: Dauphin (Lancaster, at time of registration)
Occupation: Farmer
Notes: Wilson traveled with Richard Dearmond on October 12, 1780 to Lancaster to register their enslaved people. The clerk recorded "Dearmond, Richard & James Wilson of Hanover township, farmers, enter as owners" Tom, Negroe Man, about 20 years of age, slave during life; Dina, Negroe Wench, about 20 years of age, slave during life; Samuel, Negroe Boy, about one year old, slave during life; London, Negroe Man, about 23 years of age, slave during life; Sip, Negroe Wench, about 22 years of age, slave during life and Hege, Negroe Girl, about four years old, slave for life.
The clerk did not indicate who owned which slaves, but it was customary to list slaves by descending age, males first, followed by females in descending age order. Using that custom as a guide, it is possible to determine who held which slaves.
- Enslaved Person's Name: London
Sex: Male
Age: 23
Notes: Status: "Slave during life." Described as "Negroe Man," registered at Lancaster.
Date of Record: 12 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Enslaved Person's Name: Sip
Gender: Female
Age: "about 22 years old" at registration
Notes: Status: "Slave during life." Described as "Negroe Wench," registered at Lancaster.
Date of Record: 12 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Enslaved Person's Name: Hege
Gender: Female
Age: about 4 years old at registration
Notes: Status: "Slave for life." Described as "Negroe Girl," registered at Lancaster.
Date of Record: 12 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Enslaved Person's Name: Jack
Sex: Male
Age: "aged about 18 years"
Notes: Registered at Lancaster as a "Negroe Boy," aged about 18 years, a "slave during life."
Date of Record: 31 October 1780
Source: Register of Negro and Mulatto Slaves and Servants, 1780 | "Slaves in Lancaster County in 1780"
- Slaveholder's Name: Wilson, James
Township: Derry
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Dinah Lemons
Sex: Female
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Wilson or Willson, John
Owner's Location: Swatara Township
County: Dauphin
Occupation:
Notes: John Wilson's will, dated March 04, 1799, names two adult slaves, Nance and Cuff. Published notices in 1801 and 1805 of estate sales of John Wilson, deceased, of Swatara township list several unnamed slaves.
Enslaved Person's Name: Not listed in ad
Sex: Male
Age: ? ("man")
Slave Status: Slave to age 28
Notes: One of two enslaved persons offered for public auction in 1805. Partial text of ad: "TO BE SOLD, By way of Public Vendue, On Friday, the 27th day of December inst. at the late dwelling house of John Wilson, deceased, in Swatara township, the following personal property, viz:--..."--ALSO-- The time of servitude of A Mulatto Man & Negro Girl;...David Ritchey, Thomas Smith, Admr's. December 20, 1805."
Date of Record: 20 December 1805
Source: Dauphin Guardian, December 21, 1805
- Enslaved Person's Name: Not listed in ad
Sex: Female
Age: ? ("Girl")
Slave Status: Slave to age 28
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28. One of two enslaved persons offered for public auction in 1805. See the advertisement under the listing above.
Date of Record: 20 December 1805
Source: Dauphin Guardian, December 21, 1805
- Enslaved Person's Name: Not given in ad
Sex: Female
Age: Not listed in ad, but described as a "young Negro wench"
Notes: Status: Slave for life. Being sold as part of the estate of John Wilson, decd. Her age must have been at least 21 yrs. This is possibly the slave Nance. Text of advertisement: "FOR SALE, A YOUNG, HEALTHY, NEGRO WENCH, a slave for life, she is well acquainted with FARM and HOUSE work----late the property of JOHN WILSON deceased, and will be sold, by ALEX. WILSON AND CASPER SMITH, EX'RS."
Date of Record: 25 February 1801
Source: The Farmer's Instructor, and Harrisburgh Courant, February 25, 1801
- Enslaved Person's Name: Nance
Sex: Female
Age: 19 (The age is calculated from a July 1800 slave list for Lower Paxton Township which shows her as 20 years old in that year. She is described in the will of John Willson, dated 1799, only as a "Neagro Woman.")
Slave Date of Birth: 1780 (calculated)
Slave Status: Slave for life. The July 1800 slave list mentioned above listed only life slaves, as opposed to term slaves, for Lower Paxton Township.
Notes: Willed to John Wilson's wife, Sarah Wilson (surname also spelled Willson) upon his death:
"I do give and bequeath to my beloved wife my Neagro Woman named Nance and the whole of my household and kitchen furniture and six hundred pounds to be paid her out of my Estate to take with her if she should marry or to bequeath to home she pleaseth to them their heirs and assigns for ever."
Will dated March 04, 1799 and proved November 1800. The will also mentions a male Negro slave named Cuff.
Nance was possible sold in 1801 or 1805. She does not appear in the slave listing for 1807 in either Lower Paxton or Swatara Townships.
Date of Record: (Will) March 04, 1799; (Slave list) July 1800
Sources: Will of John Willson of Lower Paxton Township | Tax Lists, Inhabitants and Slaves, 1800, 1807
- Enslaved Person's Name: Cuff
Slave Gender: Male
Age: 43 (The age is calculated from a July 1800 slave list for Lower Paxton Township which shows him as 44 years old in that year. He is described in the will of John Willson, dated 1799, only as a "man.")
Slave Date of Birth: 1756 (calculated)
Slave Status: Slave for life (possible manumitted in 1805.
Notes: Mentioned in the will of John Willson, dated March 04, 1799. According to the will, Cuff is to be freed, on condition of good behavior, by 1805: "I do order that my Negro man Cuff be free at the end of five years if he behaves himself well."
Cuff does not appear in the slave listing for 1807 in either Lower Paxton or Swatara Townships.
Date of Record: (Will) March 04, 1799; (Slave list) July 1800
Sources: Will of John Willson of Lower Paxton Township | Tax Lists, Inhabitants and Slaves, 1800, 1807
- Slaveholder's Name: Wilson, Sarah
Township: Lower Paxton Township
County: Dauphin
Occupation: "Spinster" (as reported on 1805 Registration of Vandanna)
Notes: The 1800 Census of Dauphin County shows Sarah Wilson of Lower Paxton township as residing with two slaves in her household.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Vandanna
Slave Gender: Female
Age: Five months old at time of Registration
Date of Birth: 01 September 1804
Description: Negro
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record: 14 February 1805
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves; Young, Cory James. "A Just and True Return: Pennsylvania’s Surviving County Slave Registries, 1780-1826." Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 3, no. 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.25971/QS08-YE30. Accessed 24 February 2025.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Nance
Slave Gender: Female
Age: Age not determined. Described in the will of John Willson (1799) as a "Neagro Woman."
Notes: Status: Undetermined. Willed to Sarah Wilson (surname also spelled Willson) by her husband John, upon his death. Will dated March 04, 1799. The will also mentions a male Negro slave named Cuff.
Date of Record: March 04, 1799
Source: Will of John Willson of Lower Paxton Township
- Slaveholder's Name: Wood, William
Township: Bethel
County: Dauphin (modern day Lebanon County)
Occupation: Physician; Justice of the Peace
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: George
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Enslaved Person's Name: Thomas-Peter
Sex: Male
Age: ?
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record:
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves
- Slaveholder's Name: Young, John
Township: East Hanover
County: Dauphin
Occupation: Farmer
Notes:
- Enslaved Person's Name: Flora
Sex: Female
Age: Five months old at time of Registration
Date of Birth: April 1791
Description: "Mulatto"
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record: 13 September 1791
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves; Young, Cory James. "A Just and True Return: Pennsylvania’s Surviving County Slave Registries, 1780-1826." Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 3, no. 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.25971/QS08-YE30. Accessed 24 February 2025.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Phillis
Sex: Female
Age: Five years old at time of Registration
Date of Birth: 1784
Description: "Mulatto"
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record: 30 March 1789
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves; Young, Cory James. "A Just and True Return: Pennsylvania’s Surviving County Slave Registries, 1780-1826." Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 3, no. 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.25971/QS08-YE30. Accessed 24 February 2025.
- Enslaved Person's Name: Nan
Sex: Female
Age: Ten months old at time of Registration
Date of Birth: May 1788
Description: "Mulatto"
Notes: Status: Slave to age 28.
Date of Record: 30 March 1789
Source: Children of Previously Registered Slaves; Young, Cory James. "A Just and True Return: Pennsylvania’s Surviving County Slave Registries, 1780-1826." Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 3, no. 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.25971/QS08-YE30. Accessed 24 February 2025.
Afrolumens Project Home | Enslavement Main Page | Dauphin County Index Page
|
Enslavement
