Unidentified artist. Benjamin Hawkins and the Creek Indians, circa 1805, oil on canvas, 35 7/8 x 49 7/8 inches. Collection of the Greenville County Museum of Art, gift of The Museum Association, Inc.
Manumission of Jehu Jones from Christopher Rogers of Charleston for 100 pounds, January 1798
This document records the manumission of Jehu Jones from Christopher Rogers of Charleston for the sum of 100 pounds. Jehu Jones' life exemplifies that of a free person of color living in late
eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century
Charleston. Born a slave c. 1769, Jones learned the
trade of his master, a tailor, and became proficient by
practicing the craft on his own. In
1798 when his master freed him, Jones
set up his own shop. Often, he had
trouble collecting the money his white
patrons owed. As a free person of color, however,
Jones could sue customers who
owed him large sums.
The City of Charleston supported the largest number of free blacks in the
state. By 1860, 74.71 percent of South
Carolina’s free black population not
only lived there but made up 17.19
percent of the city’s population.
Cosmopolitan and urban, Charleston
offered free blacks the best cultural
and economic opportunities, and its
compact design fostered an unusual
relationship between blacks and
whites.
Citation:
Manumission of Jehu Jones from Christopher Rogers of Charleston for 100 Pounds. 22 January 1798. Secretary of State. Recorded Instruments. Miscellaneous Records (Main Series). Volume 3H, pp. 442-443. S 213003. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.
Transcription:
State of South Carolina
To all to whom these Presents shall come be seen or made known I Christopher Rogers of Charleston in State aforesaid send Greeting. Know ye that I the said Christopher Rogers for and in consideration of the Sum of one hundred Pounds Sterling to me in hand well and truly paid at or before the Sealing and delivery of these presents and for divers other good causes and considerations me thereunto especially moving, have manumitted enfranchised and set free, and by these presents do manumit enfranchise and set free a certain Mulatto Man named Jehu Jones of and from all manner of bondage and Slavery whatsoever. To have and to hold such manumission and freedom unto the said Mulatto Man named Jehu Jones for ever. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal the twenty second day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight-
Sealed and Delivered in the Presence} Chrisr Rogers (LS)*
of James Donaldson, Alexr. Clarkson } Charleston
Personally appeared Mr. Alexander Clarkson who being duly sworn made oath that he was present and saw Christopher Rogers sign seal and as his Act and Deed deliver the within Deed &c&c for the uses and purposes therein set forth and that he the Deponent with James Donaldson signed their names as witnesses thereto-
Sworn to the 22d day of January 1798 before Stephen Ravenel JQo
Recorded 22d January 1798.
[*The (LS) or Locus Sigilli, meaning in place of seal on documents, shows the originals were signed by the individuals with their legal signature.]
Correlating SC Social Studies Academic Standards:
Standard 8-1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the settlement of South Carolina and the United States by Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans.
Indicator 8-1.4 Explain the growth of the African American population during the colonial period and the significance of African Americans in the developing culture (e.g., Gullah) and economy of South Carolina, including the origins of African American slaves, the growth of the slave trade, the impact of population imbalance between African and European Americans, and the Stono Rebellion and subsequent laws to control the slave population.
Standard 8-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the American Civil War—its causes and effects and the major events that occurred during that time.
Indicator 8-3.1 Explain the importance of agriculture in antebellum South Carolina, including plantation life, slavery, and the impact of the cotton gin.
Indicator 8-3.3 Draw conclusions about how sectionalism arose from events or circumstances of racial tension, internal population shifts, and political conflicts, including the Denmark Vesey plot, slave codes, and the African American population majority.
Note: Although this document was originally posted as part of a lesson specifically designed to teach the above standard(s), other Social Studies Standards may apply.
