Free persons of color and slave documents, 1808-1844. - Free persons of color and slave documents, 1808-1844.

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Title
Free persons of color and slave documents, 1808-1844.
Creator
New Orleans (La.). Office of the Mayor.
Contributor
Macarty, Augustin Francois de, 1774-1844.
Mather, James, 1750?-1821.
Marie Justine, born 1779?
Biographical Information
James J. Mather (1750?-1821) was a merchant, landowner, politician, planter, and mayor of New Orleans from 1807-1812. He was born in Coupland, Northumberland to Peter and Eleanor Mather. In 1776, he immigrated to America where he established a mercantile firm with George Morgan and acquired extensive land holdings in Southeast Louisiana. He married a woman named Frances, and the couple had five children: James; George; Ann, wife of Philip Hickey; Frances Sophia, wife of Abner L. Duncan; and Isabel, wife of William Wykoff. He died in St. James Parish on October 7, 1821.</br></br>Augustin Macarty (1774-1844) was a plantation owner and the mayor of New Orleans from 1815-1820. Born in New Orleans on January 10, 1774, he was the son of Augustin Guillaume de Macarty and Jeanne Chauvin, a direct descendant of Don Esteban Miró, who was the Spanish governor of Louisiana from 1785 to 1792. He lived with Céleste Perrault, a free woman of color, and together the couple had one son named Patrice (born 1799). Augustin died in New Orleans on October 16, 1844.</br></br>Marie Justine, also called "Sangosse," was born around 1779 to Marie Jeanne Breton, a resident of Cap (possibly Cap-Français, now called Cap-Haïtien). Described as a quarteronne, Sangosse was certified as free in 1808 by James Mather, the mayor of New Orleans.
Date Created
1808 - 1844
Subject
Free African Americans--Louisiana--New Orleans. Slaves--Louisiana--New Orleans
Fugitive slaves--Louisiana--New Orleans
Slavery--Louisiana--New Orleans
Slave trade--Louisiana--New Orleans
Mather, James, 1750?-1821
Macarty, Augustin Francois de, 1774-1844
African Americans--Louisiana--New Orleans--History--19th century
Mayors--Louisiana--New Orleans
Municipal government--Louisiana--New Orleans
Marie Justine, born 1779?
Letters
Affidavits
Receipts (Acknowledgments)(Acknowledgments)
Certificates
Haitian Americans--Louisiana--New Orleans
Cap-Haïtien (Haiti)
Location
New Orleans (La.)
Occupation
Mayors
Justices of the peace
Slaves
Slaveholders
Description
Certificates, municipal records, sworn statements, a letter, and financial documents relating to free persons of color and enslaved persons in the New Orleans area. Three documents verify the status of free people of color: an affidavit by Michel Amfoux certifying that Marie Justine "Sangosse" was born free; a certificate by P. A. Delachaise, justice of the peace; and a statement by Francis Wadrick, a man of color, both attest that James Brown, a prisoner in New York, was a free man of color and never an enslaved person. A few documents concern the ownership or transfer of enslaved persons by the City of New Orleans and bear the signatures of city officials, including mayors James Mather and Augustin Macarty, and city jailor B. Puche. A document signed by James Mather and a receipt given by P. Puche to Mr. McDonald concern runaway slaves. The documents are in French, English, and Spanish.
Type of Resource
text
Size
9 items.
Language
French
Language
Spanish
Language
English
Source
The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans, La., http://www.hnoc.org/
Digital Collection
Revealing an Unknown Past: Free People of Color in Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi Valley
Repository Collection
Free Persons of Color and Slave Documents, 9142L, Williams Research Center, The Historic New Orleans Collection.
Shelf Location
9142L
Contact Information
To enquire about ordering copies of these images, email louisquery@hnoc.org.
Rights
Physical rights are retained by the Historic New Orleans Collection. Copyright of the original material is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws. Permission to reproduce this image must be requested through the repository that holds the original.
Preferred Citation
Free Persons of Color and Slave Documents, 9142L, Williams Research Center, The Historic New Orleans Collection.
Related Collections
New Orleans Municipal Records, Manuscripts Number 16, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University.; John Minor Wisdom Collection, Manuscripts Number 230, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University.; Free Persons of Color In Louisiana Collection, MSS 54, Williams Research Center, The Historic New Orleans Collection.
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