Jarman, a Slave, the Property of Thos. Reynolds

In my February 6 post I remarked about a newspaper advertisement in 1864 offering a reward for the capture of a slave named Rial, who was accused of killing a man. In that post I speculated that the man that was killed might have been a slave since I could not find him in the census. But, I also mentioned that that victim was not noted as a slave in the advertisement, which seemed strange to me.

I now think the man was not another slave. I believe that to be the case because I recently found another reward advertisement (albeit earlier) for a slave killing a fellow slave. In this ad the victim is specifically noted as a slave.

This ad was in the February 15, 1856 edition of the Frankfort Commonwealth. It read in part:

"Proclamation by the Governor $100 Reward

In the name and by the authority of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Whereas, it has been represented to me that Jarman, a slave, the property of Thos. Reynolds, Esq., in September 1855, did, in Jessamine county, Kentucky kill and murder Horace, a slave, and is now going at large.

Now, therefore, I , Charles S. Morehead, Governor of said Commonwealth, do hereby offer a reward of One Hundred Dollars for the apprehension of the said Jarman, and his delivery to the jailer of Jessamine county within a year from this date."

After additional technical language the ad provided a description of the alleged murderer. "Jarman is about 30 years old, about six feet high and dark complexion."

I have not had an opportunity to look up owner Thomas Reynolds of Jessamine County. I am curious to find out more about him, such as his personal worth and how many slaves he owned, especially since the suffix Esquire is used. I would also be curious to know if Horace also belonged to Reynolds or someone else. Of course, the census slave schedules would not list the Reynolds slaves' names, so much deeper digging would be necessary to find this out.

Gov. Charles S. Morehead image courtesy of the Kentucky Historical Society.