In a letter to the Father General, Vespre explains the rental and management of the former plantation lands. He suggests ways for streamlining their oversight. He also expresses doubt that the Jesuits will ever receive the full proceeds from the…
This receipt from 1839 charges Fr. Thomas Mulledy thirty one dollars for the transportation of a number of enslaved persons from the plantations to Washington. In addition to this charge, the receipt also includes the cost for a pair of shoes for an…
Entry from a St. Inigoes accounts ledger for September 19, 1835 recording the sale of 11 "servants" by the Corporation of Roman Catholic Clergymen for $4000. The next entry in the ledger is for the sale of two barrels of corn.
This letter from 1838 illustrates the aftermath of the Jesuit's sale of 272 enslaved men, women and children to Louisiana. Just eight days after the terms of agreement, Jesse Batey wrote to Fr. McSherry to inquire about the whereabouts of Eliza, a…
Henry Johnson reports to Rev. McSherry SJ that the enslaved people transported to Louisiana were "healthy and well pleased with their situation." Compare withGSA88:"A cruel overseer": Letter from Fr. Grivel to Fr. Lancaster, May 30, 1840
In this letter from 1840, Fr. John McElroy, acting as Procurator of the Maryland Jesuits, and Dr. Jesse Batey haggle over the price of three enslaved persons sold in 1838 to Louisiana. After the sale, Batey demanded a sum to be deducted for some of…
In this letter, Fr. Francis Neale, SJ reports that he must sell an enslaved man at St. Thomas Manor to the owner of the man's wife, who was planning to sell her and her three children. This letter demonstrates the complex family lives of people…
In November 1838, as the remaining members of the Maryland Jesuit slave community were being shipped to Louisiana, Fr. Grivel wrote a letter to Fr. Lancaster with a glimpse of the proceedings at White Marsh.
Fr. Grivel reports from Georgetown on the aftermath of the sale of the Maryland Jesuits' human property. He notes that the Jesuits tried to keep husbands and wives together, but that some children were sent to Louisiana without their mothers. Some…
Four years after the sale of 1838, Fr. Grivel reports to Fr. Lancaster about his recent visit to the White Marsh. During his stay at the plantation, Grivel spoke with Isaac Hawkins, an enslaved man who had been listed as part of the 1838 sale, but…