Description:

Colonial Pennsylvania
Westmoreland County, PA, ca. 1789
"Negro & Mulatto Slaves" 44 Pages Assessor Values Property in Western Pennsylvania in 1789
MD
[PENNSYLVANIA.] Robert Flemman, Manuscript Document, Return of Taxable Property of Hempfield Township, February 10, 1789, Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. 44 pp., 9" x 7.5". General toning; some folios torn on spine.

This inventory of taxable property in Hempfield Township in western Pennsylvania consists of an alphabetical list of the heads of households for the township. Each entry includes the number of servants or "Negro & Mulatto Slaves"; land by deed, warrant, or location; improvements; and the number of horses, horned cattle, mills, stills, houses/lots, and outlots. Finally, each entry includes the value of the property in pounds, shillings, and pence. Several entries have "Single Man" written across the first few columns.

Among the more important individuals listed are Michael Huffnagle (1753-1819), prothonotary for Westmoreland County, a captain in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment during the Revolutionary War, and the first lawyer admitted to the bar west of the Alleghenies (1779).

The total taxable property in this return is £12850..3..9. The assessor is listed on the last page as Robert Flemman, and Robert McKee (1771-1850), a native of Scotland, and Robert Taylor are listed as his assistants.

Historical Background
Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was organized with the county in 1773. It was named for Hempfield in Lancaster County, which was formed in 1729 and is named for the hemp fields in the area. The first settlers of Hempfield Township were nearly all Germans, many from Lancaster County.

Only five of the entries have a number in the "Negro & Mulatto Slaves" column, and all of those have "1." By an act of 1780, children born to slaves in Pennsylvania were to be free when they turned 28 years old. In 1782, there were 443 slaves in Westmoreland County. By 1790, there were 128 slaves, in part because other counties had been carved from Westmoreland. There were only 12 slaves in Hempfield Township in 1798.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 9" x 7.5"
  • Medium: MD

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