Bill of Sale for Enslaved Girl Edny from J. Vanderveer to Mr. Ellison

Location of collection:

James Madison University

Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704

Carrier Library

James Madison University

880 Madison Drive

Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Contact for questions and access:

POC: Tiffany Cole

Email: coletw@jmu.edu

Phone: (540) 568-3444

Email: library-special@jmu.edu

Phone: (540) 568-3612

Fax: (540) 568-3405

Web: www.lib.jmu.edu/special

Restrictions:

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Bill of Sale for Enslaved Girl Edny from J. Vanderveer to Mr. Ellison, July 1, 1858, SC 0016, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Summary

Extent:

0.08 cubic feet 1 legal folder

Creator:

Vanderveer, J. and Cohasco, Inc.

Abstract:

The Bill of Sale for Enslaved Girl Edny from J. Vanderveer to Mr. Ellison, July 1, 1858, consists of a single hand-written receipt documenting the monetary value and sale of an enslaved girl by enslaver J. Vanderveer to a Mr. Ellison.

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Bill of Sale for Enslaved Girl Edny from J. Vanderveer to Mr. Ellison, July 1, 1858, SC 0016, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

The Bill of Sale for Enslaved Girl Edny from J. Vanderveer to Mr. Ellison, dated July 1, 1858, is a handwritten receipt documenting the sale of Edny, a sixteen-year-old enslaved girl, by J. Vanderveer to a Mr. Ellison. Edny's monetary value is documented as $550.00; payments were made to Vanderveer in five installments. The note details a guarantee of Edny's health, namely her eyesight.

Biographical / historical:

The document, dated July 1, 1858, describes Edny simply as a "Negro Girl…aged about sixteen years." As such, Edny was likely born into slavery at or around 1842. Her monetary value, as established by enslaver J. Vanderveer, was $550.00. As this bill of sale documents, Edny was then sold to a Mr. Ellison. No further information is available about Edny or her enslavers.

Acquisition information:

James Madison University Special Collections Library acquired this document at auction from Cohasco, Inc in January 2016.

Arrangement:

One document housed in a legal folder.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Slave bills of sale
Bills of sale

Names:

Cohasco, Inc.
Edny