Scope and Contents note
The Slavery Collection contains correspondence and legal and financial documents related to the North American slave trade, slave ownership, abolition, and political issues pertinent to slavery. These materials have all been digitized and can be viewed here.
The Slavery Collection is called an "artificial" collection because a third party placed unrelated items together according to subject matter.
Researchers who have used this collection in the past, or those following citations in published sources, should be aware that it was rearranged in 1999 in order to facilitate intellectual and physical access. Certain material that formerly was not arranged, or was arranged chronologically, is now arranged by format. For example, depositions are now grouped together, rather than being interfiled with accounts, receipts or deeds of manumission.
Arrangement note
See series descriptions for arrangement.
This collection is organized into the following eleven series:
- Series I - Samuel and William Vernon, 1756-1799
- Series II - Gardner and Dean, 1771-1807
- Series III - Material relating to slavery in Kentucky, 1785-1864
- Series IV - E. H. Stokes, 1859-1862 and undated
- Series V - Correspondence, 1766-1895
- Series VI - Manifests, 1812-1855
- Series VII - Legal Documents, 1709-1858 and undated
- Series VIII - Financial Documents, 1726-1862 and undated
- Series IX - Poetry, 1823 and undated
- Series X - Memoranda, 1790, 1791, 1799, 1800, 1855 and undated
- Series XI - Clippings, 1718-1899 and undated