Author Topic: Indentured Servant Contract  (Read 9118 times)

Texasbadger

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Indentured Servant Contract
« on: March 02, 2010, 09:35:13 am »
Hey guys, my pickers are on a streak, they now are calling me about a framed Indentured Servant contract, Im going to meet them this afternoon and cant find any online sales prices at all, fairly scarce Item I imagine if authentic.  Im going into it with the usual mind set,,,its a Reproduction until proven otherwise, not the opposite.  Will get photos at the meeting and perhaps the document, anybody have a source so that I can be fair to my pickers if this turns out to be genuine?  An interesting week for sure! 

talesofthesevenseas

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2010, 11:02:06 am »
I bought one of these old vellum indentures before as a gift. Below are some sources. They also come up on Ebay searches. Look for scarcity of the type of contract, condition of the vellum it is on , how elaborate the writing is, and if the original seals are still present.

There are some amazing old documents out there, and it's fun to try to research the people. If you can locate them and record their history, the document increases in value too. My favorite document I bought was a privateering document purchased for the captain of the ship I crewed on for his birthday. The whole crew chipped in on this one. It was a list of investors in the privateering venture. They were all based in New York and being wealthy, prominent and politically active, I was able to find out all kinds of info about them and about the Spitfire, the ship they funded. It was not on vellum, but the content was amazing to read and one of the most fun research projects I ever took on. Privateering is essentially government sanctioned piracy, authorizing privately owned ships to capture enemy ships for a share of the ship's contents. It is authorized by a letter of marque from the government. If you read the modern day constitution, we are still authorized to issue letters of marque today!

As you can see in the last two examples, there can be an enormous variation in price on old vellum indentures and other contracts. I posted one with a starting bid of $49 bucks and another with a purchase price of $6500. I would look for something similar to the content and condition of your own.

http://www.historicpages.com/texts/vellcat9.htm

http://www.billmarger.com/products.html

http://www.prices4antiques.com/ephemera/historical-documents/Historical-Document-Indenture-1690-Vellum-A091277.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/1863-English-Indenture-Lease-Victoria-Reign-Vellum-Seal_W0QQitemZ350321843594QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20100228?IMSfp=TL100228139015r22505

http://www.abebooks.com/Marriage-Indenture-Trollopes-Grandparents-Barchester-Towers/1876130431/bd
« Last Edit: March 02, 2010, 11:45:53 am by talesofthesevenseas »
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Chinese Antique Furniture

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2010, 11:36:41 am »
What Fun!!

Tales, you never cease to amaze me with the breadth and depth of your interests!!

Good for you!

talesofthesevenseas

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2010, 12:21:47 pm »
Thanks C.A.T.! If you run a search on Royaliste, you can see some photos of the historic tall ship I crewed with for 2.5 years. I actually learned to sail on her rather than on a modern boat. Sadly the owner moved back east but we have a little modern sailboat and still sail now. OK I'm done with my temporary topic hijack!
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Texasbadger

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2010, 01:04:26 pm »
Imagine that Pirate Woman has Privateer papers!  Thanks for the links, Im really into strange territory, want to be fair to me and my "pickers"  Amazing that the prices in the majority are so low for such old items, but there were quite alot of them I imagine.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2010, 01:15:44 pm by Texasbadger »

talesofthesevenseas

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2010, 03:17:53 pm »
That surprised me too. I got my step dad a beautiful old indenture of some sort (it was a few years back) on old sheepskin vellum with seals and some amazing script. I don't think I paid much for it as I recall. I also bought some beautiful painted pages from religious manuscripts that were surprisingly affordable.
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Texasbadger

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2010, 04:40:41 pm »
Well they were a no show, called eventually and said that the framed item wouldnt fit in their car, stated it had several red wax seals across the bottom edge and was about three feet across,, supposedly Ill see it tomorrow,

talesofthesevenseas

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2010, 04:57:37 pm »
Wow that is big. VERY cool. I can't wait to see photos!

The whole indentured servitude thing is really interesting and very hard to look at objectively with our modern eyes. I have copies of court papers from my great-great-great-grandfather, who was a large landholder in east TN. He gave money to a woman and in exchange, he got her son as an indentured servant for a period of 14 years. Things didn't go well and the boy ran away, which is why the whole thing ended up in court. I can't help but feel sorry for that poor kid. Can you imagine? I forget his age, but it was in the single digits. I will post copies tomorrow. I hope it will be a little bit of interesting insight into some of the personal feelings that were behind the practice.
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Texasbadger

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2010, 03:00:49 pm »
Bought it for $60 and will go back an settle up if it turns out to be a big deal but its dated 1783 and framed by an art gallery here in Dallas so several angles to research.  Put a bill on the frame for scale. Looks like its regarding a financial arrangement but Im going to have to bring out the Vodka to read all of this. Thanks for the help Pirate!
« Last Edit: March 03, 2010, 03:14:19 pm by Texasbadger »

talesofthesevenseas

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2010, 04:02:01 pm »
VERY cool Tex!  ;D

Here is the transcription of my gr-gr-great-grandfather's petition to have a boy who was bound into indentured servitude to him returned after he was removed from the possession of my ancestor. This transcription is easier than reading the scanned images. Amazing to imagine being sold by one's parents! I guess the idea was that the boy would have learned to farm and would be fed, housed and clothed by my ancestors for the next 14 years in exchange for his work and the lump sum paid to his parents. But it doesn't sound like he was too happy there. I'd be interested to see the contents of your indenture Texasbadger!! I would also like to know if anyone else out there knows more about indentured servitude.

***

Isaac Arterburn Petition

It is a Circuit Court of Hawkins County, Tennessee document dated Sept Term, 1846.
PETITION FOR HABEAS CORPUS BY ISAAC ARTERBURN
It reads as follows  (Pages b & c):

State of Tennessee
Hawkins County
Circuit Court
Sept. Tm. 1846
To the Honorable Seth J. W. Luckey.
    The petition of Isaach Arterburn humbly represents unto your Honor, that at the request of Sarah
Courtney, her son Andrew R. Courtney was bound to your petitioner at the September term of the County Court 1846 for the term of (fourteen? - unreadable) years at the end of which time, the said boy so bound will be twenty one years of age.
    Your petitioner further represents unto your Honor, that in a few days after said boy was bound to him, he got him into his possession and carried him home with him.
    Said boy was at the house of your petitioner but few days, when some five or six men, as your petitioner is informed I believe came up back of the stable in the field of your petitioner, and carried said boy off by force.  Your petitioner is also informed and believes that Larkin Willis Jr. is one of the individuals who came and assisted in carrying the said boy off from the premises of your petitioner.  and your petitioner is further informed and believes that the said boy so bound to him as aforesaid, is now in the possession of and detained from your petitioner by the said Larkin Willis, Jr. - your petitioner therefore prays that your Honor will order a writ of Habeas Corpus to issue, to have said boy so bound to him as aforesaid, brought up before your honor at this term of the court, and the final prayer of your petitioner is that your honor will order said boy to be delivered into the care and keeping of your petitioner, where he rightfully belongs.
signed:  Isaac Arterburn
Sworn to and subscribed in Open Court 29 Sept 1846 - signed (Gro. R. Povrel Clk. - hard to determine)
 

Second Document (Page e):
 
State of Tennessee
To the Sheriff of Hawkins County
Greeting
Whereas on this 29th day of September 1846, Isaac Arterburn filed his petition in the Circuit Court of the County of Hawkins setting forth among other things that a certain Larkin Willis Junr had wrongfully taken out of his possession a certain bound boy named Andrew R. Courtney and the Judge of our said court having ordered a (Cartionan - unreadable-citation maybe) to issue in the cause.  We therefore command you to take the body of the said Andrew R. Courtney and bring him forthwith before his honor the Judge of the Circuit Court at the Court House in Rogersville at a court now sitting for the County of Hawkins, there and then to be dealt with by said court as to right and justice may assertain.  Herein fail not and have show thus then this court witness Gro.R. Povrel Clk of our said court at office in Rogersville this 20 Sept 1846.
(signed) Gro. R. Povrel clk.   (clk – Clerk)
 
 
Cover of Habeas Corpus Order (page f):

I Jarvis P. McCarty, Sheriff of Hawkins County do hereby deputise David S. Rogers to execute the within 29th Sept 1846
(signed) J.P. McCarty.
 
On Cover of Habeas Corpus Order (page f):

Habeas Corpus
Isaac Arterburn for Larkin Willis
Issued 29 Sept 1846
Not Found
(Signed)  J.P. McCarty
 
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Texasbadger

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2010, 10:07:47 am »
Very nice! Mines looking like a financial arrangement involving bankruptcy, so boring, now my mother wants it as shes big into History and genealogy so its going to be her birthday present.

talesofthesevenseas

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Re: Indentured Servant Contract
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2010, 10:20:39 am »
How cool and happy B-Day to Mom!
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