slaveryto
freedom
A series of pages exploring
various aspects of enslavement in Pennsylvania
Enslavement in Pennsylvania
Slaveholders Enumerated in York County Tax List, 1779
Listing of Slaveholders, Extracted from the "Return of Taxables of the County of York, for the Year 1779."
The County of York's tax list for 1779 was transcribed and edited for use in the official state publication titled simply Pennsylvania Archives. Editor and historian William Henry Egle edited the series, published in 1897, and it remains a vital original research tool. The "Return of Taxables of the County of York, for the Year 1779" begins the transcribed data in Volume 21. It provides a snapshot of slaveholding in the county the year prior to passage of the Gradual Abolition Act of 1780. The 1780 law required all slaveholders to travel to the county seat of York to register all Black persons held as slaves, so this 1779 list adds data to that provided a year later.
The transcribed information in the published list provides no details on the enslaved persons themselves. It merely reports the number of taxable enslaved persons held by the named propertyholder, along with numbers of acres owned, number of horses owned and number of cattle owned. The York Town list is an exception in that it enumerates lots and houses instead of acres and livestock. If the property owner had a still or other valuable operation such as a sawmill, it was also noted.
The list below is extracted data and shows only those property holders that had at least one enslaved taxable person in the year 1779. While colonial tax lists created for the crown taxed a category of property described only as "servants," which presumably included white indentured labor, tax lists beginning with the revolution specifically enumerated property in "Negroes," and are therefore valuable sources of information on slaveholding. Excluded from that property category and not enumerated or taxed were enslaved persons younger than age 12 and older than age 60, and Black servants or other workers, bound or free. Only Black enslaved persons between the ages of 12 and 60, designated in the enumeration as "Negroes," were enumerated and taxed, along with acres of land, horses, and cattle.
Slaveholders in 1779 are listed below in the order published for their township of residence, roughly alphabetical by surname. York County in 1779 encompassed territory and townships that would, in 1800, form the county of Adams. Those counties are included in this list. The spelling of slaveholders' names below is mostly preserved from the original 1779 records with corrections occasionally noted and most abbreviations spelled out. Misspelling of surnames, possibly recorded phonetically by the enumerator, are common. It is formatted as Last name, First name, notes or occupation, and number of "Negroes."
Listing of Slaveholders
Berwick Township
Bittinger, Nicholas, 2
Carl, Michael, 1
Clark, John, 1
Duncan, Seth, 1
Dorland, Garrett, 1
Housil, Peter, 1
Kuhn, George, 1
Lilley, Thomas, 2
McMaster, James, 1
Sarbach, Jacob, 1
Slagel, Jacob, Senior, 1
Smith, William, 1
Chanceford Township
Fulton, James, 2
Finley, John, 4
Killgrove, Mathew, 1
Kelley, Thomas, 2
Morrison, William, Senior, 1
McCall, Mathew, 2
Marlain, John, 1
Nelson, Samuel, 1
Reid, Joseph, 1
Ross, William, Colonel, 2
Stuart, Robert, Senior, 1
Scott, Gain, 1
Smith, Joseph, 1
Thomson, John, 2
Codorus Township
Diel, Charles, 2
Egy, Michael, 4
Lawson, Widow, 1
Cumberland Township
Black, Robert, Senior, 1
Boyd, William, 1
Cobin, Samuel, 1
Dunwoody, David, 1
Ewing, James, 1
Fergus, John, 1
Flemmming, John, 2
Gettys, Samuel, 3
Johnson, James, 2
King, Jane, Widow, 2
Latta, Thomas, 1
Murray, Robert, 2
McPherson, William, 1
McPherson, Robert, 4
Morrison, Joseph, 1
McClean, Moses, 1
Riddle, James, 3
Russel, Joshua, 1
Ross, John, 1
Porter, Andrew, 1
Paxton, Nathaniel, 2
Scott, Robert, 1
Slemons, Robert, 1
Speer, James, 1
Taylor, Robert, 2
Vantz, George, 1
Dover Township
Elger, Joseph, 1
Fawn Township
Cooper, Thomas, 4
Porter, William, Lancaster county, 4
Steel, Rachel, 1
Germany Township
Feezer, Widow, 1
Hamilton's Bann [Hamiltonban] Township
Agnew, James, Colonel, 2
Agnew, John, 1
Agnew, James, 1
Agnew, David, 1
Bigham, Samuel, 1
Bigham, Robert, 3
Carnachan, Alexander, 1
Cochran, Andrew, 4
Cochran, James, 2
Cochran, William, 4
Dunwiddy, Widow, 1
Emite, Widow, 2
Jack, Andrew, 2
Kennedy, David, 2
Kerr, George, 2
Kerr, William, 1
Knox, Samuel, 1
Marshal, James, 1
McGinley, Widow, 1
McGinley, John, 1
McColough, Widow, 1
Murray, John, 1
Porter, William, 1
Ramsey, Reynold, 2
Slemons, John, Rev., 3
Waugh, William, 2
Waugh, David, 1
Wilson, Widow, (233 acres) 1
Wilson, David, 1
Witherow, William, 1
Wilson, Widow, (no acres) 1
Young, James, 2
Heidelberg Township
Ballance, James, Rev., 2
Erwin, Robert, 1
Hinckel, John, 1
Kurtz, Frederick, 1
McCherry, Patrick, 2
Reinecker, Casper, 1
Hellam Township
Gartner, Martin, 1
Neff, Daniel, in the Barrens, 1
Hopewell Township
Gemmil, William, 1
Smith, William, 1
Huntington Township
Neely, Thomas, 1
Huntington Taxables not Sworn
Folk, Stephen, 2
Hutton, Leonard, 1
Wierman, Benjamin, 1
Manchester Township, including Botts Town
Bryerly, John, 2
Eichelberger, Martin, 2
Jones, Robert, 1
Krantz, George, 1
Ritter, Andrew, 1
Smyser, Michael, 1
Wogan, Jacob, 3
Manhime [Manheim] Township
Galhoon, John, 3
Mary Ann Furnace, Gwinn William, 1
Manallen [Menallen] Township
Gilbreath, John, 2
McCaslin, Thomas, 1
Thomson, William, 150 (error?, probably in wrong column, could be acres)
Sims, Jacob, 1
Manahan [Monaghan] Township
Dill, James, 4
Dill, Matthew, Colonel, 1
Godfrey, William, 1
Mumper, Michael, 2
Mount Joy Township
Horner, Robert, 1
Horner, David, 3
Manford, Peter, 1
McElhenny, Samuel, 3
Miller, James, 2
McCush, Samuel, 1
Townsley, John, 1
Mount Pleasant Township
No slaveholders enumerated in this township in 1779.
Newberry Township
Hart, Jacob, 2
Paradise Township
Dicks, Peter, 1
Reading Township
Clark, John, 1
Chamberlain, John, 1
Chamberlain, James, 1
Davison, Widow, 1
Johnson, William, Junior, 1
Myer, John, 6
Oblenus, John, 2
Stagg, James, 1
Weakely, William, 2
Shrewsbury Township
Coller, Balzer, 1
Straban Township
Ambrose, Robert, 1
Brinkerhoof, George, 6
Beaty, David, 1
Brown, Richard, 3
Campbell, Hugh, 1
Cox, Laurence, 1
Crozine, Widow, 1
Cozat, Francis, 1
Cozat, David, 2
Dickson, James, Senior, 2
Dimoree, David, 1
Fleming, John, 1
Hayes, Samuel, 1
Hadan, Samuel, 2
Jones, Henry, 1
Livingston, John, 2
Livingston, Adam, 1
Mercer, Peregin, 3
McWilliams, James, 1
McCush, Widow, 1
Reed, Thomas, 1
Thomson, Samuel, Rev., 2
Vonasdal, Simon, Junior, 1
Vonasdal, Garret, 1
Warrington Township
Gardner, Peter, 3
Windsor Township
No slaveholders enumerated in this township in 1779.
York
Alexander, William, 1
Bailey, William, store, 2
Bair, John, carpenter, 1
Chambers, Joseph, 2
Dunn, Robert, innkeeper, 1
Doudle, Mary, widow, tanner, 1
Doudle, Michael, tanner, 3
Grier, David, 2
Hartley, Thomas, attorney, 4
Henry, Robert, surgeon, 1
Irwin, George, store, 3
Krantz, Valentine, innkeeper and brewer, 1
Moore, Widow, 1
Swoope, Michael, 2
Stake, George, 1
Spangler, Balzer, innkeeper, 3
Test, George, sadler [saddler], 1
Welsh, John, taylor, 1
YorkTownship
Johnston, William, 2
Spangler, John, 2
Source
"Provincial Papers: Returns of Taxables of the County of York, for the Years 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782 and 1783," Pennsylvania Archives, Third Series, Vol. 21, William Henry Egle, M.D. Editor, Harrisburg, PA 1897, pp. 1-164.