Two North Carolina Slavery Documents Naming Enslaved Girls Sall and Bonetta – Dixon Family, 1790 and 1812
An historically important pair of original North Carolina manuscripts documenting the forced transfer of two named enslaved girls, Sall and Bonetta, within the extended Dixon family circle. Dated 1790 and 1812, the documents span more than two decades and preserve the names of two individuals whose lives might otherwise have gone largely unrecorded.
The earlier document, dated July 8, 1790, is a bill of sale executed by Stephen West of New Bern, North Carolina. West acknowledges receiving seventy-five pounds from Silvanus Dixon of Carteret County and, in return, conveys:
“one Negro Girl named Sall, a slave for life.”
The document grants Sall to Silvanus Dixon and his executors, administrators and assigns forever. It is signed and sealed by Stephen West and witnessed by George Stiron and Solomon Dixon.
Silvanus Dixon appears as a head of household in the 1790 federal census for Carteret County. His household included two enslaved individuals. Sall may have been one of the two people recorded in that census, although the census itself does not provide their names and a conclusive identification cannot presently be made.
The second document is a deed of gift executed in Craven County on July 23, 1812. In it, Patience Conway transferred to King Solomon Dixon:
“a Certain Negro Girl Named Bonetta.”
The deed conveys Bonetta and “her increase” to King Solomon Dixon and his heirs forever. This phrase meant that any children subsequently born to Bonetta would also be claimed as property by Dixon and his descendants.
Patience Conway signed the deed by making her mark. The instrument was presented to the Craven County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions during its September 1812 term, proved in open court and recorded in the register’s office in Book 3rd B, page 323. The registration endorsement is signed by John Green, Register.
“King Solomon Dixon” was the recipient’s personal name and should not be interpreted as a title.
Taken together, these documents provide sobering primary-source evidence of the hereditary system of American slavery. Their importance lies particularly in the survival of the names Sall and Bonetta—two young African American females treated as property under the laws of the period, but whose individual identities remain preserved through these records.
Document One
Date: July 8, 1790
Place: New Bern, North Carolina
Seller: Stephen West
Purchaser: Silvanus Dixon of Carteret County
Enslaved individual: Sall, described as a girl
Consideration: £75
Witnesses: George Stiron and Solomon Dixon
Signed: Stephen West
Document Two
Date: July 23, 1812
Place: Craven County, North Carolina
Grantor: Patience Conway
Recipient: King Solomon Dixon
Enslaved individual: Bonetta, described as a girl
Court acknowledgment: September 1812 term
Recorded: Book 3rd B, page 323
Registrar: John Green
Condition: Very good for documents more than two centuries old. Expected folds, toning, scattered staining and minor edge and fold wear. The 1790 bill of sale has a small marginal loss near the words “slave for life,” without preventing comprehension. The 1812 deed retains its original court and registration endorsements. Please examine all photographs carefully.
An important two-document archive suitable for a collection devoted to African American history, North Carolina history, genealogy, slavery and abolition, or early American legal manuscripts.
An historically important pair of original North Carolina manuscripts documenting the forced transfer of two named enslaved girls, Sall and Bonetta, within the extended Dixon family circle. Dated 1790 and 1812, the documents span more than two decades and preserve the names of two individuals whose lives might otherwise have gone largely unrecorded.
The earlier document, dated July 8, 1790, is a bill of sale executed by Stephen West of New Bern, North Carolina. West acknowledges receiving seventy-five pounds from Silvanus Dixon of Carteret County and, in return, conveys:
“one Negro Girl named Sall, a slave for life.”
The document grants Sall to Silvanus Dixon and his executors, administrators and assigns forever. It is signed and sealed by Stephen West and witnessed by George Stiron and Solomon Dixon.
Silvanus Dixon appears as a head of household in the 1790 federal census for Carteret County. His household included two enslaved individuals. Sall may have been one of the two people recorded in that census, although the census itself does not provide their names and a conclusive identification cannot presently be made.
The second document is a deed of gift executed in Craven County on July 23, 1812. In it, Patience Conway transferred to King Solomon Dixon:
“a Certain Negro Girl Named Bonetta.”
The deed conveys Bonetta and “her increase” to King Solomon Dixon and his heirs forever. This phrase meant that any children subsequently born to Bonetta would also be claimed as property by Dixon and his descendants.
Patience Conway signed the deed by making her mark. The instrument was presented to the Craven County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions during its September 1812 term, proved in open court and recorded in the register’s office in Book 3rd B, page 323. The registration endorsement is signed by John Green, Register.
“King Solomon Dixon” was the recipient’s personal name and should not be interpreted as a title.
Taken together, these documents provide sobering primary-source evidence of the hereditary system of American slavery. Their importance lies particularly in the survival of the names Sall and Bonetta—two young African American females treated as property under the laws of the period, but whose individual identities remain preserved through these records.
Document One
Date: July 8, 1790
Place: New Bern, North Carolina
Seller: Stephen West
Purchaser: Silvanus Dixon of Carteret County
Enslaved individual: Sall, described as a girl
Consideration: £75
Witnesses: George Stiron and Solomon Dixon
Signed: Stephen West
Document Two
Date: July 23, 1812
Place: Craven County, North Carolina
Grantor: Patience Conway
Recipient: King Solomon Dixon
Enslaved individual: Bonetta, described as a girl
Court acknowledgment: September 1812 term
Recorded: Book 3rd B, page 323
Registrar: John Green
Condition: Very good for documents more than two centuries old. Expected folds, toning, scattered staining and minor edge and fold wear. The 1790 bill of sale has a small marginal loss near the words “slave for life,” without preventing comprehension. The 1812 deed retains its original court and registration endorsements. Please examine all photographs carefully.
An important two-document archive suitable for a collection devoted to African American history, North Carolina history, genealogy, slavery and abolition, or early American legal manuscripts.
