Monday, April 09, 2007

A Deal Went Down

My great-great grandfather was Jason Henderson Hunter. He lived about 12 to 15 years in Macon County, North Carolina.

This is in the Macon County Deed Book D:

From Macon County, North Carolina, Deed Book D:

1782. Mortgage: JASON H. HUNTER of Macon to NICHOLAS W.WOODFIN of Buncombe Co., NC for $1, 167 ac. on which Hunter lives, purchased lives, purchased from Michael Wikle on the Tennessee R., Sec. 38, Dis. 16; also the Sellers tract purchased of JAMES SELLERS, 174 ac., Sec. 38 Dis. 1; also 50 ac. Sec. 64, Dis. 8, purchased of BENJAMIN HYDE; also 116 ac., purch. of Hyde, Sec. 69, Dis. 8. Also for $1 has sold to Woodfin three negro slaves, woman of dark complexion named EMMA, 27 years, one boy child of the woman Emma, aged abt. 4 yrs, of yellow complexion named JOHN and one other child of same woman, a female named MARGARET, aged 1 yr. Condition: Hunter indebted to Woodfin by $602 note dated Sep. 15, 1843, also following notes in hands of Woodfin as attorney for following Charleston merchants: $185.58 due firm of ROOSEVELT & BARKER, dated Oct. 26 1843, with credit of $50; one of $144.11, same firm, dated June 4, 1844; another of $61.60, due TOWNSEND & MENDELHALL & CO, dated Oct 27, 1843, with credit of $140.00; another of $351.79, due KELSEY & DEAS, dated June 4, 1844; another of $100.12, same firm, Dec 14, 1844.
J.H. Hunter, Wit: H.G. WOODFIN, who proved Dec 17, 1844. Registered Feb 12, 1845.

I don't know what transpired here but it looks like some kind of deal was made and that different sorts of property and money changed through several sets of hands.
Back then, slaves were considered property.

When whoever wrote up this deed and describing the three slaves felt he had to mention that Emma's youngest son John was "yellow" in complexion. I wonder if he had to force a non-smirk off his face when taking this inventory?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ed,

Kind of weird to think about your ancestors keeping other human beings as slaves, isnt it? I have only found one in my ancestry- he was my GGG Grandfather.

kenju said...

I hope we are all properly ashamed of what out ancestors did regarding slaves. I know I am.

Eddie said...

Steve,
Yes it is. And being that the little boy John was noted as being yellow complexion sort of alluded to the fact that John was part white. Which, with my g-g-grandfather's history, I think I know who the father probably was.
Which makes this even wierder - slaves are property.... and property to have sex with.
Just like Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemming.

Eddie said...

Judy,
Yes, I am too.... I wish such a movement never existed which made the white man think it was morally condoned to own another human being. tch tch.

Suzanne said...

I think part of the way we can heal these wounds is to acknowledge the roles that our past played in causing them. That said, I think this was a very brave post.

Eddie said...

Suzanne,
I agree, acknowledge that we thought every other race owed us white folks and forced them to work by force if need be.