("In Full Force and Virtue: North Carolina Emancipation Records 1713-1860,Pg.298 .

by William L. Byrd III, Heritage Books, Inc.

Chapter 28: Acts of Emancipation; State of North Carolina, Laws of the State of North Carolina 1790 - 1802-

1798. An Act to emancipate certain persons therein mentioned.)

 

 

EMANCIPATION RECORD OF THOMAS GREEN & FAMILY OF WARREN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA    (1798)

(These slaves appear to have been in relationship to previous petitions filed by AMELIA GREEN, described as a free woman who was the Mother of a large family of Children, all of whom except two daughters have been enabled as the fruits of their own industry and meritorious behaviour to acquire their freedom, was filed in Newbern, Craven County, North Carolina in 1798.  It is not clear about her exact relation to some of these people, but AMELIA also filed petitions 1796 for daughters NANCY GREEN also known as NANCY HANDY, who was owned by William T. Howe, and PRINCESS GREEN who was owned by Bell Chapman, as well as her daughter HARRIET GREEN, owned by Mrs. Betsey Vail, in 1801.  Amelia apparently won her freedom early in life and worked hard for many years to buy freedom for all of her children)

 

I.             Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this act, Rose the wife of Lemuel Overton, and her two sons John, Burdock, a Negro woman named Grace, and her son Harry, the property of Thomas Amis, deceased; a Negro girl named Bett, and a Negro boy named John, the property of Moses Parker; a mulatto girl named Nancy, and her child Eliza, the property of General Thomas Person, of Granville County; a Negro woman named CREASE; a Negro fellow named TOM, and his wife PRIS and her five children, to wit, ALLEN, CHARITY, BRENY, WILLIE and CREASE, the property of Samuel Williams, deceased, of the county of Warren, also the increase of the said Pris and her female children, since the date of the last Will of the said Williams; also one Negro man Daniel, formerly the property of  formerly the property of James Allen; and a Negro man named Ginger, formerly the property of mark Allen, of Montgomery County, be and they are hereby emancipated and set free, and hereafter shall be called and known by the following names, to wit: ROSE OVERTON, JOHN OVERTON, BURDOCK OVERTON, GRACE WEBB, HARRY WEBB, BETTY BLACK, JOHN BLACK, NANCY HART, ELIZA HART, ELIZA HART, CREASE GREEN, TOM GREEN, PRIS GREEN, ALLEN GREEN, CHARITY GREEN, BRENY GREEN, WILLIE GREEN,  and CREASE GREEN, and increase of the said Priss and her female children as aforesaid, by their respective names, with the addition of GREEN, DANIEL SHAD  and GINGER PEPPER, and by the names aforesaid, they and each of them shall have, enjoy and possess all the rights, privileges and immunities which they would have been entitled to, had they been born free; any law to the contrary notwithstanding.

II.             And be it further enacted, That a Negro man the property of Ozborne Jeffries, named SAM, and a Negro woman the property of  Dixon Bogye, named CHELSEA, shall be and they are hereby emancipated and set free, the said Sam by the name of BUFFALO SAM, and the said Chelsea by the name of CHELSEA REED, and they shall be entitled to the same privileges, which persons of colour born free are entitled to.

 

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