Description
“Bill of Sale For Negroes – Ante-Bellum Relic Shows How Slaves Were Transferred.” - - A relic of antebellum days, now in the possession of T. Percy Bryan, secretary of the Gray-Bryan Coal Company, is a bill of sale governing a transaction in which his grandfather, William H. Bryan, sold two slaves to Miss Jane C. Skinner, September 17, 1851. The sale took place in Platte County Missouri. The bill of sale is in William H. Bryan’s handwriting and is written on rather heavy paper. The ink is faded considerably. Bills of sale of this type were common at that time, and few of them bore the signature of witnesses.
“Now all men by these presents that I, William H. Bryan of the County of Platte and State of Missouri, for value received the receipt where of is hereby acknowledged and this day bargaining sold onto Jane C. Skinner of the County and State aforesaid certain Negroes, two in number named Sylvia a girl and her child Dick, the first 19 and the second 1 year old. And I hear by warrant them both slaves for life and defend the title of sad slaves to be good and to be of sound mind and body this 17th day September 1851. William H. Bryan (seal).”
Platte County at that time was known generally as the Platte reservation. Kansas City was a small village and Weston was the big landing place on the Missouri river. Boats from St. Louis stopped there and a ferry line ran across the river. Weston now is nearly 5 miles inland. William H Bryan died in 1853, 2 years after the sale took place. Miss Skinner lived in Kansas City until 2 years ago and owned considerable property here. John Georgen, an attorney with offices in the Bryant building, is a nephew.Date(s) of Creation
3/3/1912
