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List of Slaves Belonging to George Washington and John Parke Custis, December 1771

List of Slaves Belonging to George Washington and John Parke Custis

[December 1771]

An Inventory of the Negro’s belonging to G. Washington & J. P. Custis As given in by the respective Overseers after the death of Mr Joseph Valentine in the Month of Decr 1771

	York County
	⟨Great⟩ House Plantn
Male	Age	Female	Age
Great Jemmy	50	Eaby	50
Joe	45	Betty	50
Isaac	35	Dinah	30
Squi⟨re⟩	35	Peg	30
Orange	55	Fanny	35
Will Shag	30	Peg	25
Roger	30	Peg	20
Peter	25	S⟨al⟩	20
Coach Jemmy	50	Alice	60
⟨Little Will⟩	25	⟨Patt⟩	15
⟨Tom⟩	⟨1⟩5	Nan	10
Phill	14	Frank	10
Jack	14	Mary	9
Morris	10	Silvia	7
Anthony	7	Harbour	5
James	3	Barbery	6
Joe	3	Lydia	3
Jasper	5 m.	A Child	Month
Peter Carpr	55	Cornelia ⟨Gr⟩r	70
Ned Miller	60	Grace	60
20		20
	[York County]
	⟨Jacksons⟩ &ca1
Male	Age	Female	Age
Crispin	85	Hannah	27
Sam2	35	Dinah	35
Jack	23	Nanny	30
Perrey	2⟨1⟩	Cuz	15
Bob	13	Grace	14
Godfrey	⟨2⟩	Eaby	17
6		Phoebe	13
		Aggy	11
		⟨Tabby⟩	9
		9

	[York County]
	Mill Quarter &ca
Male	Age	Female	Age
Jack	45	Acka	30
Autemy	55	⟨Tab⟩	50
Mocon	50	Cor⟨nelia⟩	30
Eugene	50	⟨N⟩anny	85
Peter	25	Grace	55
Phill	85	Alice	25
Ned	23	Hannah	22
Harry	25	⟨Sal⟩	20
Dick	15	⟨B⟩eck	20
⟨George⟩	14	⟨mutilated⟩tt	19
Doram	9	⟨mutilated⟩	18
Bob	4	N⟨ell⟩	18
Harry	3	Amey	15
Morris	2	⟨Je⟩nny	15
Peter	1	S⟨oock⟩	13
15		⟨Lucy⟩	7
		⟨Gals K⟩itt	7
		⟨R⟩ose	6
		M⟨oll⟩	2 Mths
		19
	New Kent County
	Rockahock
Male	Age	Female	Age
Martin	65	Nan	65
Paul	65	Mi⟨me⟩	44
Old Bob	55	Old ⟨Jude⟩	44
Old Tom	55	Jenny	38
Prince Bob	36	Bella	36
Isham	33	Nell	28
Sam	23	Beck	27
Little Martin	22	Am⟨y⟩	24
Dick	21	Nan3	24
Daniel	⟨21⟩	A⟨abov⟩	20
Little Bob	⟨17⟩	Little Nan	16
Anthony	⟨14⟩	Mill⟨ie⟩	15
Lo⟨o⟩	⟨11⟩	Little Dinah	14
Little Paul	⟨8⟩	Sall	14
Cridon	⟨5⟩	Nan	10

Cæsar	⟨3⟩	Elly	9
Sampson	⟨1⟩ month	Rose	6
17		Moll⟨y⟩	4
		⟨Betty⟩	4
		⟨Ally⟩	3
		M⟨olly⟩	3
		⟨Lucy⟩	2
		Little ⟨Jenny⟩	2
		Little ⟨Beck⟩	3 M.
		Little Jude	1 M.
		2⟨5⟩
	[New Kent County]
	Brick House
Male	Age	Female	Age
Chas Baker	P[ast] L[abo]r	Hannah	P[ast] L[abo]r
Will	60	Nanny	50
Dick	50	Beck	40
Jerry	50	Eleh	35
Nanser	48	Arber	30
Joe	35	Eve	25
Tom	30	Crayger	25
Pompey	25	Fanny	⟨25⟩
Toney	18	Nell	20
Emanuel	16	Fran⟨kie⟩	⟨16⟩
Phill	14	Suckey	⟨15⟩
Will	12	Aggy	12
Ben	12	Moll	10
Peter	12	Dolly	6
Lany	8	Moll	6
Tairy	8	Nan	3
David	8	Sibba	5
Dite	5	⟨City⟩	2
Tom	5	Tally	2
Joshua	4	Aley	2
Moses	4	Grace	1
Daniel	5	Amey with
⟨Lewis⟩	3	Dite Howl	12
Matt	3	22
⟨Ned⟩	⟨1⟩ Months
⟨25⟩

	[New Kent County]
	Old Quarter4
Male	Age	Female	Age
Joe		Betty
Harry		Sarah
Paul		Molly
Mike		Sarah
Bristol		Eby	11
Tom	15	Betty	⟨9⟩
Godfrey	⟨13⟩	Esther	⟨7⟩
Julius	⟨12⟩	⟨Patty⟩	⟨1⟩
Isaac	4	⟨Old woman Patty⟩5
9		9
	[New Kent County]
	Harlows
Male	Age	Female	Age
Goliah	66	Kate	66
Scipio	63	Moll	35
Abram	41	Phoebe	30
Goodwin	40	Sall	19
Roger	31	Esther	14
Stephen	30	5
⟨Jacob⟩	30
⟨George⟩	23
⟨John⟩	1⟨9⟩
⟨Tom⟩	⟨14⟩
Ne⟨d⟩	13
Charles	10
Harry	6
Abram	3
Sam	2
Batt	10 Mth
16
	Geo: Washington
	In King William County
	Claibornes
Male	Age	Female	Age
Stephen	55	Sarah	60
Pieras	57	Moll	56
Solomon	36	Rachael	36
David	36	Patt	38

George	21	Crayger	36
Mingo Will	19	Kitt	36
Jack	17	Hanah	22
Cully	16	Milly	16
Little Davy	14	⟨Jane⟩	⟨13⟩
Little Will	12	⟨Nan⟩	⟨11⟩
Joe	11	Corn⟨elia⟩	⟨9⟩
Little Guy	8	Dinah	11
Bob	2½	Sall	8
⟨Peter⟩	1½	Arba	7
Stephen	1	M⟨olly⟩	⟨5⟩
Natt	2	⟨Eve⟩	⟨5⟩
Old Guy	58	Frank⟨ey⟩	Dead
17		16 [17]

Note the total ⟨mutilated⟩ Negroes is ⟨33 mutilated⟩ upwards ⟨mutilated⟩.

D, in GW’s hand, ViHi: Custis Papers. This is one of two inventories that GW drew up at the end of December 1771 or early in 1772 from the inventories that were sent to him after Joseph Valentine’s death. See Richard Croshor Graves to GW, 24 Dec. 1771, n.1. This inventory is very badly mutilated, but many of the names and ages have been filled in by comparison with the lists sent to GW. These lists include Stanhope Vaughan’s accounts of slaves and stock at the Great House, at the Mill quarter (given Vaughan by Henry Street), and at “the Quarter over the Mill called new quarter,” all dated 20 Dec.; Richard Street’s “Inventary of the Negroes and Stock at Old Quarter,” dated 20 Dec.; William Vaughan’s list of slaves and stock at Brick House, dated 22 Dec.; Stanhope Vaughan’s inventories of slaves and stock “under my cear” at Jackson’s, and at Mill quarter that Henry Street “give me,” and at the Great House, all dated 24 Dec.; and Henry Gilbert, Jr.’s inventory of slaves and stock at Rockahock, and Samuel Trower’s inventory of the slaves and stock at Harlow’s, both undated (all in ViHi: Custis Papers). The slaves at Claiborne’s were compared with the “List of Slaves and Livestock at Claiborne’s,” enclosed with Joseph Davenport’s letter to GW of 23 December. The first column of the inventory, not printed here, is headed, “Eastern Shore Arlington.” There are no names under this listing, but at the bottom of the column GW has written, “N.B. The Total number of Mr Custis’s Negro’s ⟨mutilated⟩ above is ⟨mutilated⟩.” The other inventory in GW’s hand and derived from those sent by his various overseers is headed, “An Inventory of the Stocks As given in by the respective Overseers in the Month of December 1771, after the decease of Mr Valentine.” This listing gives the plantation, the county in which it was located, and the numbers of horses, “Black Cattle,” sheep, and hogs it contained. The horses are further broken down into riding and work horses, and the cattle, sheep, and hogs into sex and age.

1. “Jacksons” was a small tract of land bought by GW on 26 April 1771 from Fips Jackson Eater (Easter) for £600 current money. The 250-acre tract, bought for John Parke Custis, was located “in the Parish of Bruton in the County of York . . . and bounded . . . on the Eastward and Southward by Queen’s Creek and on all other sides by the Lands of the said John Park Custis being the Land devised the said Fips Jackson Easter by the last Will and Testament of Fips Jackson, deceased” (Deed from Eater to John Parke Custis, ViHi: Lee Family Papers, 1732–1892). A receipt for £200, the first payment for the land, was made 10 May 1771 (receipt owned [1959] by Mr. Beverly Middleton, Washington, D.C.). Jackson’s land was probably combined under one overseer with all or part of GW’s dower lands in York County which he was now renting to John Parke Custis; some of this dower land may also have been combined with the “Mill Quarter &ca” listed just below “⟨Jacksons⟩ &ca” in the inventory. For GW’s rental of the Ship Landing and Bridge Quarter plantations to Custis, see Petition to the General Court, c.4 May 1769 and notes to that document.

2. Stanhope Vaughan’s inventory lists this slave as “Sam Crolley.”

3. She appears on Henry Gilbert’s inventory as Nan Keen.

4. Richard Street’s inventory of the slaves at Old Quarter did not supply the ages of the adult slaves.

5. On Richard Street’s inventory, this appears as “Old woman Patty” with no age given.

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Source Project: Washington Papers
Title: List of Slaves Belonging to George Washington and John Parke Custis, December 1771
Author: Washington, George
Date: December 1771

Reference

Cite as: “List of Slaves Belonging to George Washington and John Parke Custis, December 1771,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/02-08-02-0382. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, vol. 8, 24 June 1767 – 25 December 1771, ed. W. W. Abbot and Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993, pp. 587–592.]