{"product_id":"two-north-carolina-slavery-documents-naming-enslaved-girls-sall-and-bonetta-dixon-family-1790-and-1812","title":"Two North Carolina Slavery Documents Naming Enslaved Girls Sall and Bonetta – Dixon Family, 1790 and 1812","description":"\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 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:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“one Negro Girl named Sall, a slave for life.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSilvanus 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe second document is a deed of gift executed in Craven County on July 23, 1812. In it, Patience Conway transferred to King Solomon Dixon:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“a Certain Negro Girl Named Bonetta.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePatience 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“King Solomon Dixon” was the recipient’s personal name and should not be interpreted as a title.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTaken 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDocument One\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDate: July 8, 1790\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlace: New Bern, North Carolina\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeller: Stephen West\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePurchaser: Silvanus Dixon of Carteret County\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnslaved individual: Sall, described as a girl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConsideration: £75\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWitnesses: George Stiron and Solomon Dixon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSigned: Stephen West\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDocument Two\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDate: July 23, 1812\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlace: Craven County, North Carolina\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGrantor: Patience Conway\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRecipient: King Solomon Dixon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnslaved individual: Bonetta, described as a girl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCourt acknowledgment: September 1812 term\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRecorded: Book 3rd B, page 323\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRegistrar: John Green\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52866256109850,"sku":null,"price":1750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_3066.jpg?v=1789334320","url":"https:\/\/www.thearchiveauthority.com\/products\/two-north-carolina-slavery-documents-naming-enslaved-girls-sall-and-bonetta-dixon-family-1790-and-1812","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}