Written by
Witsell, Mary, American, born 1782
Subject of
Witsell, Eliza, American, born 1815
Witsell, Emanuel, American, born 1815
Date
February 1844
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 12 1/16 x 7 3/4 in. (30.6 x 19.7 cm)
Description
A bill of sale for an enslaved woman named Nancy written at Witmarsh Plantation in the Colleton District of South Carolina by Mary Witsell in February 1844. It is a single page document handwritten in brown ink on linked paper. The price for Nancy is given as $125.63. Spaces remain blank where the buyer's name is to appear, where his or her legal representatives are meant to sign, and where the specific date in February should appear. The document reads in part: [bargain sell and deliver to the said (blank space) the / Negroe Slave named Nancy____ / To have and to hold the said Negroe Slave and / her future increase unto the said (blank space)]. At bottom right, in black ink, is Mary Witsell's signature and handwritten seal. At bottom left, in black ink, is the signature of two witnesses: [Eliza Witsell / Emanuel Witsell]. On the verso, which appears as the front when folded, is handwritten in graphite: Bill of Sale / From Mrs. M Witsell / of girl Nancy / February 1844].
Place made
Colleton County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Liljenquist Family Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts
Type
bills of sale
Topic
Domestic slave trade
Slavery
U.S. History, 1815-1861
Women
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
Object number
2012.158.16
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd56029d693-307c-464b-b313-a4e106ae262c

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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