Description
A one page bill of sale detailing the sale of a “negro woman of yellow color named Naney, Twenty Two years old. And her two boy children – about five months old.” Previously folded letter, with mounting tape on back side. Some toning, as expected. Document is dated December 26th, 1851. Letter is from George Stewart of Jefferson County, Arkansas.
Comments: A slave bill of sale was a contract between a slave owner and buyer. They served as legally enforceable documents, detailing the price of the slave, the given name and a brief description of their condition at the time of sale. The recipient of these slaves, Buckley Kimbrough of Shelby County Tennessee, was a prominent attorney and landholder in Memphis, Tennessee. He operated one of the largest cotton plantations in western Tennessee, He was politically connected with Governor and future President, James K. Polk of Nashville.