Slaves, Slave Owners, and Compensation

Emancipation Act - Washington, DC. NARA

Emancipation Act, D.C.

As family researchers we know that one of the keys to successfully tracing our ancestors, is to follow the "money trail." This is a key to following both slave holders and their slaves.  As with any property transaction,  records were generated; and since money was involved when selling, or even emancipating slaves, you may learn more about your ancestor, the slave owner, or even your slave ancestor.

More Than One Emancipation 

Some would say slaves were freed by the Union government three (3) times. Although this posts emphasizes the Emancipation Act, District of Columbia, knowing where to look for records becomes much clearer when we understand accurate history. 

Slaves Freed, Slave Holders Compensated 

1) Jan 1 1863

Slaves were not freed due to the Emancipation Proclamation. This was absolutely impossible since President Lincoln did not have recognized jurisdiction over the ten rebel states that had seceded from the Union. But the Union Army did free approximately 20-50 thousand slaves as they marched through and gained control of Confederate territories.

Even as it were, slaves from Confederate states that did not attempt to secede from the Union, were not affected by the proclamation. Kentucky, Missouri, eastern Tennessee, West Virginia (western part of Virginia , to include the border states of Maryland and Delaware and the New Jersey "3500 apprentices for life" were exempt from the proclamation and the slaves remained in bondage. Keep in mind the Emancipation Proclamation, although it was a step to the 13th Amendment that freed of all slaves, was designed to encourage rebel states to reunite with the Union. Of course after its signing on 1 Jan 1863, the war emphasis expanded to not only preserving the Union, but instating a slave-free reunited Union.

2) Dec 18, 1865

Slavery was actually abolished 18 Dec 1865 upon the ratification of the 13th Amendment. Where as the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves of the Confederate states that seceded from the Union, the 13th Amendment freed all slaves - approximately 4 million slaves.

3) April 16, 1862
The District of Columbia Emancipation Act freed approximately 3000 slaves 16 April, 1862, beginning nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1 Jan 1863. To encourage the freeing of the D. C. slaves, slave owners were compensated from $1 - $300 for each slave. There are cases where slaveholders sought for higher compensation. A 15 July 1862 deadline for submitting petitions to receive the compensation and free slaves gave a sense of urgency. Over 161 slaves also petitioned directly, usually after the 15 July deadline. 

Where Are the Records?

Emancipation Act, District of Columbia

Federal records held at the NARA include the emancipation of District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. If researching these files be sure to reference both the last name of the slaveholder and that of the slave. These records are digitized on Ancestry.com and Fold3: 

Washington, DC., Slave Emancipation Records, 1851-1863 

Washington, D.C., Slave Owner Petitions, 1862-1863

• Records of the Board of Commissioners for the Emancipation of Slaves in the District of Columbia, 1862–1863 (Microfilm M520) relates directly to dispensation of the emancipation acts of April 16 and July 12, 1862 and information on the 966 petitioners. Reference Record Group 217: Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury
• Records of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Relating to Slaves, 1851–1863 (RG 21, M433). These records include manumission papers, and certificate of freedom" of free blacks and documents of enslaved blacks living in Washington, DC
• Habeas Corpus Case Records, 1820–1863, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (M434), contain records relevant to runaway slaves in the District of Columbia. However, due to the nature of the cases, researchers may find manumission papers and detailed statements of freedom. 

For more information be sure to visit the National Archives Prologue Magazine article: Slavery and Emancipation in the Nation's Capital.

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy@gmail.com
Website: a3genealogy.com