Description
A bill of sale detailing the sale of Alfred, aged about nineteen years. Previously folded and mounted letter. Dated April 2nd, 1847 in Memphis, Tennessee. Includes receipt of the bill of sale from the Shelby County clerk. Handwritten on one side. Embossed seal at top edge. Sale price of $725 noted in letter.
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.
