Hiring agreement for an enslaved woman named Martha in South Carolina
date: label: Date
content: December 31, 1858
name: label: Printed by
content: Unidentified
label: Signed by
content: William A. Hunton, American
label: Signed by
content: John Fox, American, 1805 - 1884
label: Subject of
content: Unidentified Woman or Women
notes: label: Description
content: A hiring agreement for an enslaved woman named Martha in South Carolina. The small, single sheet and page document is on yellowed paper with black preprinted and handwritten text. The document represents the hire of an enslaved woman named Martha to William A. Hunton by John Fox on January 1, 1859 for 1 year. It the top left corner on the front of the document is a printed dollar sign with “17.00/100” handwritten next to it. The document begins “On the 1st day of January, 1860, we bind ourselves and our heirs / to pay unto JOHN FOX the just and full sum of Seventeen dollars / and – cents, for the hire of the Negro Martha, for the year 1859….” The document also notes that Martha will be furnished with summer and winter clothes as well as a bonnet and blanket. The document ends with “Given under our hands ad seals this 31st day of December of 1858. / William A. Hunton.” In the bottom right corner there ar two boxes with “SEAL.” printed inside. William A. Hunton’s signature is next to the top box. The back of the document has an inscription in graphite written in a different hand than the text on the front. The inscription reads “No 24 / WM A. Hunton / $17, Martha / John Fox.”
label: Transcription Center Status
content: Transcribed by digital volunteers
place: label: Place used
content: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Finance
label: Topic
content: Slave hire system
label: Topic
content: Slavery
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Liljenquist Family Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Documents and Manuscripts
label: Exhibition
content: Slavery and Freedom
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Liljenquist Family
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2018.43.5
objectType: label: Type
content: financial records
label: Type
content: receipts
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 3 15/16 × 5 5/8 in. (10 × 14.3 cm)