Francis C. Brown Collection on Slavery in America, 1766-1868 (mostly 1820-1865)

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Title:

Francis C. Brown Collection on Slavery in America

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/qz20ss51w

Dates:

1766-1868 (mostly 1820-1865)

Size:

2 boxes and 0.8 linear feet

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-2

Language:

English French

Abstract: Consists of over 150 manuscript and printed documents related to slavery, the trade of enslaved persons, plantation labor, and free people of color, primarily in the United States and to a lesser extent in the Caribbean, that were collected by Francis C. Brown (Class of 1958).

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of over 150 manuscript and printed documents related to the institution of slavery in America that were collected from various sources by Francis C. Brown (Class of 1958). Materials pertain to slavery in Louisiana and, to a lesser degree, in Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, and the Carolinas, with a few documents relating to the Caribbean and West Africa. While many documents relate to enslaved persons from the perspective of plantation owners and traders, others depict resistance to slavery and the lives of free people of color. Included are testimonies and legal documents regarding escaped and recaptured enslaved persons; deeds of manumission; papers of freedmen and other free people of color, including labor contracts, receipts for services rendered, and documents pertaining to inheritance and property sales; auction and estate records of plantations concerning their products, animals, and enslaved persons; mortgages of property and enslaved persons; a Civil War army discharge for an African American sergeant; receipts for the medical care and board of enslaved laborers; manifests of enslaved persons transported by ship; and bills of sale for enslaved persons, including many sold to Andrew Hynes of Tennessee; among other documents. Also of note are several documents and letters pertaining to abolitionist and anti-abolitionist movements, as well as to emancipation, including a loyalty oath signed by a Southern plantation owner shortly after the American Civil War and a group of pamphlets concerning changes to France's Code Noir in the 1840s that affected French colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. While the majority of documents are in English, many of the documents from Louisiana are in French.

Arrangement

Materials related to the same person are grouped together. Otherwise, materials are not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Collection Creator Biography:

Francis C. (Cabell) Brown Jr. was born on January 6, 1936, and graduated from Princeton University in 1958 with a degree from the Woodrow Wilson School. He attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1961, and practiced law in New York as a solo practitioner for most of his professional life.

Brown, Francis C. (Francis Cabell), 1936-

Francis C. (Cabell) Brown was born on Jan. 6, 1936, and graduated from Princeton University in 1958 with a degree from the Woodrow Wilson School. He attended Harvard Law School and graduated in 1961. He is currently an attorney in New York City.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gift of Francis C. Brown, Jr., Class of 1958, in 1980 (AM 1981-58).

Appraisal

No materials were separated during 2016 processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Teresa T. Basler in 2003. Finding aid written by Teresa T. Basler in 2003.

Finding aid terminology and access terms updated by Faith Charlton in November 2016. In December 2016, materials related to the same person were grouped together and description was further enhanced by Kelly Bolding, with assistance from Fiona Bell '18. 2016 updates focused on improving description of enslaved people.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Francis C. Brown Collection on Slavery in America; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

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