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Stumpage Reports
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Friday, August 27, 2004 :::
Slave Pass
Here's a slave pass I found at work. These things don't turn up very often, because the slave often carried them around, and then probably gave them back to his master or got rid of it when it expired. Somehow, this one probably ended up at the Tyrrell County Courthouse, since it was filed with the county records. I'm going to check into this when I get a chance. Just in case you can't figure out what a "slave pass" was, it was piece of paper, usually filled out by the master, that permitted the slave to leave the plantation. The slave had to show it to the Slave Patrols or anyone that asked for it. I guess he just had to hope someone in the Slave Patrol could read. I'm still far from jaded about handling these old documents. I had this thing in my hand, and thought about some slave, probably trotting down the road with it in his pocket, on his way to see his wife. Of course it was illegal for slaves to be married, but masters let them do it.
"Permit Jack to pass to Samuel Spruill and to see his wife every night and home every morning from 1 of December until the 1 of January 1822 John Tarkington"
::: posted by tom at 9:09 AM
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