Manumission & Freedom • 120 Records • Uploaded February 26, 2025
This source, titled Instruments of Freedom, Deeds and Wills of Emancipation Northampton County, Virginia 1782-1864, (F 232. N85 L37 1994), was transcribed, compiled and indexed by Frances Bibbins Latimer. This source consists of Deeds and Wills given to grant the enslaved their freedom. Slaveholders in Northampton, VA wrote wills or recorded Deeds in land records that freed enslaved people. It documents the names and emancipation of about 402 enslaved people. Some documents state that the enslaved shall be emancipated after they reach a certain age, while others are immediate. Some of the Deeds and Wills are very vague, using generalizing terms such as "All slaves over 21." The source also provides the names of the enslavers and the reasons for setting their slaves free. Some reasons given are faithful service, or the slave's enlistment into the army and for their fidelity and good demeanor. The dates of the Deeds and Wills span from 1782 to 1864.
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