slaveryto
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A series of pages exploring
various aspects of enslavement in Pennsylvania
Enslavement in Pennsylvania
Slaveholders Enumerated in York County Tax List, 1781
Listing of Slaveholders, Extracted from the "Transcript of Taxables of the County of York, for the Year 1781."
The County of York's tax list for 1781 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 "Transcript of Taxables of the County of York, for the Year 1781" follows the the transcribed tax data from 1779 and the transcribed data for 1780 in Volume 21. It provides a snapshot of slaveholding in the county in the year following 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. This 1781 tax list adds data to that recorded from the landmark legislation a year earlier.
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 1781. 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 1781 are listed below in the order published within their township of residence, roughly alphabetical by surname. York County in 1781 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 1781 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, gristmill, 2
Carl, Widow, 1
Duncan, Seth, innholder, 1
Dorland, Garret, 1
Gerry, William, 1
Housel, Peter, 1
Lilley, Thomas, fulling mill, 1
McMaster, Gilbert, 1
Smith, William, farmer, 1
Slagle, Jacob, Senior, 2 stills, 1
Chanceford Township
Fullerton, John, Junior, 1
Fulton, James, 2
Finley, John, 4
Kelly, Thomas, 2
Kilgore, Mathew, 1
McCandless, William, 1
McCleary, Andrew, 1
McCall, Susanna, 1/2 ferry, 2 (other half ferry: John McCall)
Marlin, John, 1
Neilson, Samuel, 1
Reed, Joseph, ferry, 1
Ross, William, 2 stills, 2
Stewart, Robert, Senior, 1
Scot, Gavin, 2
Codorus Township
Diehl, Charles, 3 mills, 2 stills, 2
Egi, Michael, 1
Lawson, Widow, 1
Spengler, Balzer, 3
Cumberland Township
Black, Robert, Senior, 1
Boyd, William, tan yard, 1
Bigham, Robert, still, 3
Cobean, Samuel, gristmill, sawmill, hemp mill, 1
Dunwoody, David, Senior, 1
Ewing, James, tan yard, 1
Fleming, John, 2 stills, gristmill, 2
Gallacher, Hugh, 1
Gettys, Samuel, 2 stills, 3
Johnston, James, 2
King, Widow, 1
Latta, Thomas, still, 1
McPherson, Robert, 4
McPherson, William, 2
McClean, Moses, 1
McClellan, William, 1
Murrey, Robert, 2
Morrison, Joseph, 1
Porter, Samuel, 1
Porter, Andrew, 1
Paxton, Nathaniel, 3
Russel, Joshua, 1
Ross, John, 1
Riddel, James, 3
Scott, Robert, 1
Taylor, Robert, 2
Thompson, Samuel, 1
Dover Township
Elcker, Joseph, 2
Shwon, John, 1
Fawn Township
Cooper, Alexander, 2
Cooper, Thomas, 2
Hamilton, John, 1
McCandless, James, 3
Porter, William, of Lancaster county, mill, 3
Ramsey, James, 3
Semple, John, 2 stills, 4
Steel, Rachel, 1
Semple, Cunningham, 4
Germany Township
Lau, David, 1
Maffert, John, 1
McSherry, Edward, tavernkeeper, 4
McSherry, Patrick tavernkeeper, 3
Sherman, Jacob, tavern, 2 stills secreted, 1
Zimmerman, Michael, blacksmith, 2
Hamilton's Bann [Hamiltonban] Township
Agnew, John, 1
Agnew, James, 3
Agnew, James, 1
Agnew, David, 2
Agnew, Widow, 2
Cochran, James, 2
Cochran, William, 4
Crawford, Robert, 2 mills, still, 2
Dinwiddie, Widow, 1
Finlay, Michael, 1
Finley, William, 1
Hartt, Widow, 1
Jack, John, 1
Knox, Samuel, 1
Karr, William, 1
Marshal, James, 2
McKission, James, 3
McKission, Alexander, 3
McKission, William, 2
McPherrin, Samuel, 2
Porter, William, 2
Ramsey, Renolds, 2 mills, 2
Reed, Patrick, 5
Riddle, John, 1
Slemmons, John, Rev., 3
Slemmons, Robert, 1
Scott, William, 1
Waugh, David, 1
Waugh, William, 2
Willson, David, 2
Withera, Widow, 1
Wilson, Widow, 1
Young, James, 2
Heidelberg Township
Ballens, Jacob, Rev., 4
Carl, George, 1
McAlister, Richard, Esq'r, 1
Owings, William, 1
Reinecker, Jasper, 2
Hellam Township
(Records for 1781 Hellam Township show only total tax assessed for each propertyholder, with no breakdown of property)
Hopewell Township
(Records for 1781 Hopewell Township show only total tax assessed for each propertyholder, with no breakdown of property)
Huntington Township
Dodds, Joseph, Senior, 1
Foulk, Stephen, 2 stills, gristmill, sawmill, 2
Hutton, Leonard, 1
Nealy, Thomas, 1
Smith, James, still, 1
Manchester Township, including Botts Town
Bryerly, John, ferry, 2
Krantz, George, still, 1
Rutter, Andrew, 1
Woogins, Jacob, 3
Manheim Township
Colhoon, John, 3
Eichelberger, Adam, sawmill, still, 1
Gwynn, William, 3
Hoopert, Adam, 2
Kitzmiller, George, gristmill, sawmill, still, 2
Morningstar, Philip, still, 2
Scherman, Conrad, still, 1
Manallen [Menallen] Township
Biggard, William, 1
Cookston, Samuel, gristmill, sawmill, 1
Gilbreath, John, 2
Johnston, Ephraim, 1
McConaughy, David, 4
McCashlin, Thomas, still, 1
McConaughy, Robert, gristmill, sawmill, 2
Moor, James, gristmill, sawmill, 1
McKinley, Isaac, 1
McElheny, William, 1
Moor, Widow, 1
Pollack, William, 1
Stockton, David, 1
Manahan [Monaghan] Township
Dill, James, 3
Dill, Mathew, still, 1
Mumper, Michael, still, 1
Richason, Jacob, 1
Williams, Daniel, 1
Wilson, Andrew, Captain, 2
Mount Joy Township
Borlen, James, 1
Horner, Robert, still, 1
Horner, David, 5
Miller, James, 2
McCush, Samuel, 2
Stewart, James, 2 stills, 1
Townsley, John, 1
Mount Pleasant Township
Andrew, John, 1
Buchanan, Henry, 2
Brinkerhoof, James, 2
Brinkerhof, Gilbert, 1
Cooper, James, 1
DeGroff, Michael, 1
Houchdelen, Hezekiah, 1
Lilley, John, 1
McArter, Alexander, Senior, 1
Shekley, William, 2
Vanorsdel, Luke, 1
Newburry [Newberry] Township
Chesney, William, ferry, still, 7
Paradise Township
Bowser, Jacob, 2
Dix, Peter, 2
Reading Township
Chamberlain, James, 1
Chamberlain, John, sawmill, 1
Obleanes, John, still, 2
Stagg, James, 1
Weakly, William, 1
Johnston, William, 1
Shrewsburry [Shrewsbury] Township
Balthaser, Coller, 1
Low, Joshua, 1
Straban Township
Beaty, David, Esq'r, 1
Brinkerhoof, George, 4
Brown, Richard, 3
Campble, Hugh, 1
Cossart, Francis, 2
Cose, Lawrence, 1
Cossart, David, 1
Dickson, James, still, 2
Demaree, David, 1
Demaree, Samuel, 1
Ewe, Michael, 1
Hadden, Samuel, 2
Hays, Samuel, 1
Jones, Henry, 1
Livingston, Adam, 1
Livingston, John, still, 2
Merar, Perngan, 2
Reed, Thomas, 1
Thompson, Samuel, 2
Vanersdal, Simon, 1
Tyrone Township
Brown, Alexander, 2
King, William, 3
Walker, James, 1
Warrington Township
Gardner, Peter, 3
Windsor Township
Herkins, Daniel, 1
York Town [York]
Andrews, John, 3
Alexander, William, 1
Baily, William, 2
Brobst, John, 6
Chambers, Joseph, 1
Cornelius, James, 1
Doudle, Widow, 1
Doudle, Michael, 3
Irwin, George, 3
Greer, David, 2
Hartley, Thomas, 2
Kersey, William, 1
Krantz, Valentine, brewery, 1
Moore, Widow, 1
Reel, Peter, 1
Seechrist, Jacob, 2
Spangler, Balzer, 1
Schaffer, Jacob, Junior, 1
Stake, George, 1
Welsh, John, 1
YorkTownship
Johnston, William, 2
Jameson, David, 1
Stauffer, Henry, 2 stills, gristmill and sawmill, 1
Spengler, John, 2 stills, 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. 325-492.