Series 2- Paper Materials, 1776/1930

Scope and content:

A small part of this series includes court records that relate to enslaved and freedpeople, which have been listed here. This list may not be complete, but it includes all records that have been located so far. These records include a suit by Amos and a group of other Black people against James McMechen for freedom (1820, env. 72 C-4); a case against Lucy, a Black woman, for "unlawful migration" (1852, env. 200 C); case against Oath, an enslaved man, charged with buggery (sodomy) (1818, env. 60); against Samuel Copper for bringing enslaved people out of the Commonwealth (1835, env. 136); against William Culbertom for harboring an enslaved person (1822, Env. 81 Folder 3/3); cases charging several people with teaching free Black people to read (circa? 1835, env. 162B, 162C, and 163B); the escapes of Alfred Turpin (env. 167), Noah (169 C), Joseph Bryant (171 A), John and Daniel Jackson (171 B), Hugh Cunningham (172), Benjamin Moody (200 A), and Josiah and Martha Snowdon (225 A), enslaved persons, and of Polly, a freedwoman (169 B); a deed between John Lee and Alexander Caldwell mentioning enslaved people (env. 31-3), and a case against Joseph Bryant for "enticing negro slaves from owners," (172 C 13). There are also some records of apprenticeships.

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Parent restrictions:
For materials with microfilm copies, researchers should use microfilm. Materials that have not been microfilmed are open for research. Boxes 2-5, 37-38, 65-68, 98-99, 108-109, 111-112, 115, 155-156, 159, 161, 167, 178, 183-186, 201-210, 215-220, and 606-609; record books 340, 472, 493, 495, 517, 518, 494, and 340; and all microfilm reels are accessible onsite. All other boxes and record books are stored offsite. Please make an appointment prior to visiting.
Parent terms of access:
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

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