Slave owning ancestors - Genealogists' Forum

Olde Crone · #1 16-01-14, 20:44

Apologies if I'm the last to know about this, but I just saw it mentioned on another site, searched it and found two of my slave owners:

.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/search/

It has quite a few Kirbys.......

I knew that my lot freed their slaves but what I had not realised is that everyone who freed their slaves was awarded hefty compensation for their loss - my Henshall Stubbs was awarded £2298.19s0d. for the 192 slaves he released and his wife was awarded £71 for the five she released.

OC

kiterunner · #2 16-01-14, 21:52

One of the projects that the World Archives Project transcribed fairly recently was about the compensation, so I did know about that. Thanks for the link.

Olde Crone · #3 16-01-14, 22:48

I am quite disgusted to read that many slave owners actually bought up more slaves as a form of speculation against the coming compensation. Urrggghh.

OC

Kit · #4 17-01-14, 04:48

Thanks OC. I have some ancestors who were in some way involved in the slave trade, I didn't go to far into it to work out if it was directly or not. Something I read about one of OH's twigs recently indicate they owned/inherited slaves but I haven't had time to verify it.

Merry · #5 17-01-14, 06:44

Thanks for the link OC.

I have a lot of anti-slavery people in my tree with my heavy sprinkling of Quakers. However, surprisingly, the only known slave owner I have on my tree lived in Jamaica until he was about 50 at which time he came to England having lost his wife and having no children he married the 20 year old daughter of one of my Quaker twigs. That must have gone down well.

I just put his surname into that database and got this single entry which must be him:

William Wyllys
Unsuccessful claimant (consensual)
Jamaica St Thomas-in-the-East, Surrey 473 (Mount Lebanus Estate) £2881 5S 0D [152 Enslaved]

So, he didn't get any money? I wonder why his claim was rejected? Any ideas? Maybe he had done as OC said and bought these slaves in anticipation of compensation? I had previously thought he owned a significantly smaller number (from the records I'd seen).

Olde Crone · #6 17-01-14, 09:25

Or perhaps he had already released the slaves. Many freed slaves stayed exactly where they were, exchanging slavery for a small wage and the security of staying where they had a good master.

OC

Kit · #7 18-01-14, 08:13

Just searched OH's newest relative and not one mention. I know there is something on ancestry about slaves and he had a page full of them.

Good news about my relative though is that he didn't own the slaves. He was a creditor to someone who did so he applied to take part of their money to pay the debt. Between all the creditors the slave owner didn't get a cent.

Kit · #8 18-01-14, 08:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olde Crone

Or perhaps he had already released the slaves. Many freed slaves stayed exactly where they were, exchanging slavery for a small wage and the security of staying where they had a good master.

OC

I like that idea. That the master had been a good one.

Nell · #9 21-01-14, 07:21

I see the slaves themselves didn't get any compensation!