Browse Items (59 total)

A report on the eight postulates proposed during the Maryland Provincial Congregation, and the decisions regarding each. Postulates six and eight deal with a proposal to sell the Province's slaves and indicates the sharp debate among the Jesuits over…

Fr. McSherry wrote to Fr. Roothaan, the Jesuit Superior General, about a conversation he had with the Archbishop of Baltimore, who suggested that the Jesuits consider selling their land and slaves and devote the proceeds "to purposes of education."…

Fr. McSherry wrote to Fr. Roothaan to follow up on his previous letter urging that the Jesuits consider selling their slaves. That spring, the United States fell into the throes of the Panic of 1837. McSherry lamented that if they sold then, they…

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…

Rev. Thomas Mulledy expresses relief at having concluded the sale of the Jesuits' slaves. He reports that all the enslaved people had been put on board a ship except for those who were "married off" to husbands and wives who were not owned by the…

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…

This series of letters from 1843 illustrates the Maryland Jesuits' attempts to sell Isaac, an enslaved man who appeared to be "fugitive since the fall of 1838." The Jesuits received news of Isaac's whereabouts after he was arrested in Baltimore. The…

The Jesuit Superior General, Fr. Jan Philip Roothaan, writes to Fr. Thomas Mulledy, the Maryland Provincial, to express his satisfaction that the sale of the Maryland Jesuits' slaves had been completed, but he also expresses dissatisfaction with the…

In this letter from 1840, the Procurator of the province writes to Fr. Matthew Sanders, the manager of the White Marsh plantation, requesting information on the enslaved community that remained in the plantation after the sale of 1838.

The Federal…

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…