1805 Bill of Sale for Three Slaves Donated to Duke University

The Rubenstein Library of the Franklin Research Center at Duke University recently received the donation of a bill of sale for three slaves in Baltimore that is dated October 11, 1805. The document was discovered among the papers of Edna Balderston the great-grandmother of Marley Braun, an employee of Duke University. Braun wanted the document to be preserved and made available for study, and therefore decided to donate the bill of sale to the university.

The bill of sale lists three slaves, Elizabeth, a 20-year-old woman and her daughter Harriet who was six months old. A third slave Delilah, aged 14, was also included. The three slaves were sold for a total of $493.

SlaveBofS

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3 COMMENTS

  1. This is why 100% of all(White Americans) benefited from the (slave life)……. all of them.

    There is no such thing as a white person saying they had nothing to do with slavery.

    All white people today are still making a inherited profit from the slavery of black people.

    Never forget who your enemy is never, and this is why we call them White devils.

  2. This is very important to consider. But one thing is troubling. Duke U. wasn’t founded until 1838 (according to Wikipedia). So the 1805 date seems off. Please clarify.

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