Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-06-07
IN SLAVERY DAYS.
An Interesting story From a Nearby Section
..A 5. ofPennsylvania. fr.as


Delaware county may be news to most
OF the Times readers hut the following
| paragraphs, taken from tho chapter
on slavery in Ashmead 8, excellent his
tory, will be interesting to Delaware
couptians OF the present day:
When slavery of the negro and Indian
races first showed itself ia the annals
of Pennsylvania is difficult Of ascertain
ment for ii is well known that previous
to the grant of the province to William
Penn, the Swedes and Dutch settlers
bad the pernicious system OF servile
labor implanted in the territory. In
1877, James Sandelands was the only
person on the Delaware River from
Upland northwsld who owned slave.
The wrong, however, did not long
remain unchallenged after the English
power had acquired ownership of the
soil, for as early ~ 1858 the Friend
settlers at Germantown issued their
now famous protest against the holding
of their fellowmen in bondage.
Although the movement was purely ad-
dressed to the conscience OF the public,
and did not prevent the importation
| Of the negroes in the cclony, it was the
cornerstone on which the principles of
| emancipation of slaves in every Chris
| tianizsd nation Of the earth were sub
sequently erected.
| In 1896 the Yearly Meeting of Quak-
ers put themselves broadly on record as
| follows: Friends are advised not to
encourage the bringing ID of any more
negroes. From these small begin
| nings the sentiment adverse to slavery
| extended ard when Penn made his
| second visit to this province in 100,
he was instrumental in incorporating
in the discipline of the society provi-
sions regulating the treatment of
slaves among those members of that
religious order who, at that time. did
not regard the no ding OF bondsmen as
o moral wrong. Not Only did the pro-
| prietary take that step, but he proposed
to the Assembly two bills, one iegu-
lating marriages among the negroes, and
| the other establishing trials of slaves
before magistrates, instead of leaving
| them as heretofore, entirely under the
control of their masters. The latter
| bill became the subject OF legislative
enactment. .-
The Quarterly Meeting held at Ches-
| ter for the county of Chester. Sixth
| month !, l700, prohibited the m s,nbers
Of the meeting from purchasing Indi
ans as slaves, and in It'll, the same
meeting declared that 1t was "dissatis-
| fled with Friends buying,and encourage
ing the bringing in of negroes" -Four
years after Chester Monthly Meeting
again brought this matter prominently
\ before the society and determined to
press it at the Yearly Meeting. That
this was done is evidenced by letter
| Of Isaac Norris In 17l5, quoted by
Watson, wherein the writer says: 'Our
business would have been very we'll
| were it not for the warm pushing by
some Friends at Chester, chiefly in the
business OF negroes. The aim was to
obtain minute that none should buy
Them for the future. -
The agitation of the public had 80
attracted public attention to the evil of
slavery that Assembly as early as 1705.
levied an impost duty on Slaves
brought into the province, and In ITO
| again enacted q similar law. In It'll,
IN act was passed absolutely forbidding
| the Importation Of slaves, but the
| English ship owners, at that time
| largely interested in the traffic in
negroes, influenced the crown to declare
| the colonial law nugatory. The AS
| sembly in the following year imposed a
duty of g20 head on every negro
siava brought into Pennsylvania, and
again Queen Anne crushed the pro-
| vincial statute at the instance of those
who were growing wealthy in the trade.
The opponents of the system of slav-
| cry were not dismayed into silence by
| The royal mandate, but In 1716, 1928
and 1880 Chester Quarterly Meeting,
with no uncertain sound. pressed the
matter on the attention of the Society
Of Friends, and in 1761, d.. Smith tells
| US, that member of Chester Meeting
was dealt with by that body for having
bought and sold q negro, but having
made proper acknowledgment he was
not disowned,
That slaves were generally owned and
kept by persons Of wealth and by farm
ers in this county at an early date is
fully established by an examination OF
the records which show in settling
estates frequent mention of negro
slaves. The first case in this county
where slaves we're manumitted that /
nave found is in the will of Lydia
Wade, widow of Robert Wade, dated
the both day of Fourth month, I701.
Lydia Waldo. in all probability, died in
July, and her will, probaed August
9Th, 1901, before Register General
Moore. at Philadelphia, has the follow
ing clauses respecting her slaves:
''16ly. My will is that my negroes,
John and Jane, his wife, shall be sett
free ore month after my decease.
lily. My will is that my negro child
called Jane shall be sett free after she
has lived with my negro John twelve
years and after that with my kinsman
John Wade five years. y
In TIT the public sentiment among
Friends against slavery had become so
general that the ownership of bonds
man for life was regarded as sufficient
own members thus offending. As
stated before, the conviction of the
wrong and evil of slavery made perma.
nent Judgment in the opinion of the
people, when the struggle between the
oolonists and England began, inceasiug
as the spirit of liberty increased until
Maj oh LIST. 1880, the Assembly enacted
law providing for the gradual aboli-
labor in the Commonwealth. Its pro-
slaves to be made prior to the first day
Of November following, in the office Of
the Clerk of the Court of Quarter Ses.
sions in the several counties, and de-
clared that all persons born after that
date In Pennsylvania should be free.
executing the children of registered
slaves who should be servants to their
pal ents' masters until they had at
tanned % years, after which they also
became freemen. Under this law a
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