This handwritten deed of sale records the purchase of an enslaved boy aged seventeen named John (born 1844) sold by Martha A. Briggs to James Roberts for $1,150.00 in order to pay off a note of $1,200.00 owed by Briggs to H. S. Blood. The paper is folded along the left side, with the terms of the sale and paying of debt written on the front and interior pages. The final page includes the date, seller, buyer, and name of the enslaved handwritten down the middle. The sale was witnessed and recorded by notary John F. Coffey, whose seal is embossed into the paper near the list of names of original signatures. The seal features a pelican inside a circular frame with the text around the rim reading "J. F. COFFEY NOTARY PUBLIC / PARISH OF ORLEANS".
| Date | March 30, 1861 |
| Written by | John French Coffey, born 1826 |
| Subject of | Martha A. Briggs, American, born 1830 |
| Subject of | James Roberts |
| Subject of | Kennett, Blood & Co., American |
| Place made | New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America |
| Medium | ink on paper |
| Dimensions | H x W: 12 3/8 × 7 7/8 in. (31.4 × 20 cm) |
| Credit Line | Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection |
| Object number | 2015.222.5 |
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This page was imported from Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Released by the Smithsonian Institution under CC0 through Smithsonian Open Access.
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Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from nmaahc.si.edu
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