- Written by
- Coffey, John French, born 1826
- Subject of
- Briggs, Martha A., American, born 1830
- Roberts, James
- Kennett, Blood & Co., American
- Date
- March 30, 1861
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 12 3/8 × 7 7/8 in. (31.4 × 20 cm)
- Description
- This handwritten deed of sale records the purchase of an enslaved boy aged seventeen named John (born 1844) sold by Martha A. Briggs to James Roberts for $1,150.00 in order to pay off a note of $1,200.00 owed by Briggs to H. S. Blood. The paper is folded along the left side, with the terms of the sale and paying of debt written on the front and interior pages. The final page includes the date, seller, buyer, and name of the enslaved handwritten down the middle. The sale was witnessed and recorded by notary John F. Coffey, whose seal is embossed into the paper near the list of names of original signatures. The seal features a pelican inside a circular frame with the text around the rim reading "J. F. COFFEY NOTARY PUBLIC / PARISH OF ORLEANS".
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcription Available
- Place made
- New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Liljenquist Family Collection
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Manuscripts
- Type
- bills of sale
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
- Object number
- 2015.222.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




