The above advertisement is the third that I have located so far in which free people of color sought to find their lost free papers. Unlike the other two, this one does not offer a reward. It ran in the September 27, 1855, edition of the Petersburg Daily Express by George Valentine.
Valentine is not listed in the 1850 census, but is in the 1860 census. George's age in 1860 was twenty six, and his occupation is shown as a "ditcher," with a personal property value of $20. He is the head of a household that included his wife Angeline, who was thirty, and their two daughters Sytney, age two, and Joanner, age one. Both George and Angeline were listed as illiterate. George was described as black, while Angeline and the children were mulatto.
No comments:
Post a Comment