Important Historic Americana | October 17, 2024
Thu, Oct 17, 2024 10:00AM EDT
Lot 1178
Meek's Family Slave Documents
Estimate: $1,000 - $3,000
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
74 total pages bound by tied ribbon in period script, covering mid 19th century slave trade details of the Meek family, ripe for research, 12 x 7-3/4 in. when laid flat
Provenance: Private Tennessee Collection
Note: This document outlines an 1842 complaint by Washington County (Virginia) investor Samuel Logan filed with the Chancery Court of the Town of Franklin, Tennessee. In it Logan claims that money is owed to him by the slave trader Jesse Meek and other members of the Meek family operating throughout the deep South and into the Southern backcountry. Over 200 slaves are listed within this 37 page document, written front and back, with age, price realized, and purchaser name. An interesting survey indicating activity in Livingston, Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama, New Orleans and Natitoches, Louisiana and also the backcountry of Abingdon, Virginia, Rogersville, Knoxville, and Nashville, Tennessee. A Court resolution was ultimately determined through specifics related to purchase prices and incurred expenses.
Details of travel routes, origins, and resultant placement of individuals sold, as well as loans for funding purchases, credits extended, and even “swapping” can be gleaned from this file. In one case, five shares of the steamboat “Alabamian” were traded, in another, “4,400 acres of Texas land”. Many early Southwest Virginia names are mentioned throughout this thorough account of the slave trade in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Available payment options
Purchased items will be available for pick up or shipping from our Asheville, North Carolina auction facility within ten business days of the auction will be assessed a storage fee of $5.00 per day, per item. Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done at the purchaser's risk and that the purchaser will pay in advance all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. At our discretion, items will either be packed by an agent such as a packaging store or Brunk Auctions. Please allow two weeks for shipping after payment is received. Shipment of large items is the responsibility of the purchaser. We are happy to provide names of carriers and shippers if a purchaser so requests. Brunk Auctions will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items.
Private Tennessee Collection
good overall, some foxing and toning, expected wear along edges, folded over in quarter sections, some detached seals at bottom of document
