Browse Items (90 total)

In this rich letter from 1817, Fr. Francis Neale, the pastor of Holy Trinity Church at Georgetown College, writes to Fr. Joseph Marshall at St. Inigoes to inform him of the impending arrival of Ned, an elderly man who will be sent from Georgetown.The…

On May 4, 1818 Benedict Fenwick, a former President of Georgetown University recorded in the city of Washington the manumission of an enslaved woman named Jane Smith.

The document describes Smith as "formerly of Virginia," and "between five and…

This entry in the Procurator ledgers of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus indicates that the Jesuits' general fund financed the hire of "servants" for Georgetown College in 1804. The reference to "servants" most likely refers to enslaved…

In 1843, Georgetown College hired Frank Butler, an enslaved man owned by Doctor N.W. Worthington. The following letter from 1846 records the treasurer's authorization to give Frank "the highest hire we give to our hired servants, of much more…

The marriage of Ben and Nell, took place on March 13, 1803 at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. Their union, officiated by Rev. Francis Neale, SJ, took place at the "request" of their owners, a Mr. Key & Thomas Sim Lee. The witnesses for this…

The marriage of William and Sarah, took place on September 22, 1836, at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. Their union took place with permission from their owner, Mary Fenwick, a resident from Georgetown who regularly hired out slaves to the…

In this account from 1792, Dr. Charles Worthington -Georgetown College's on call physician- was credited for the medical visits and treatment he gave to three enslaved persons at the College: Sukey, Byrne, and "the boy Ja's"- probably James.

These two documents from 1837 provide an account of the death and burial of Margaret Smallwood, an enslaved woman who worked and died at Georgetown College at the age of 45. Margaret was born in St. Mary's County and was buried at the College…

Fr. McElroy, the parish priest of Holy Trinity Church at Georgetown, recorded the death and burial of Suckey, an enslaved woman owned by Mr. Key. Fr. McElroy noted that around 400 people attended her funeral.

This cash book entry from September 20, 1847 shows a payment of $6 being made to Ben and James, described as "hired col[or]d serv[an]ts," for "extra work in vacations."  Ben and James likely refer to Benedict Johnson and James Young who appear to…