African American Slaves Listed on Ship's Manifests, 1800-1840, Port of Philadelphia

Ship's manifests give a detailed listing of the cargo, passengers and destination of the vessel.  Manifests of ships arriving at or leaving the busy port of Philadelphia included lists of enslaved persons, generally the property of one of the passengers.  These listings are often quite descriptive, giving the name, age and physical description of the enslaved person.  The information below was transcribed from copies of ships manifests on microfilm at the Pennsylvania State Archives.

The first two entries describe the schooners Phoebe and Prudence, slave ships captured by the USS Ganges and brought into the Port of Philadelphia as prizes.  The Africans on board were not returned to their native land, but were held in Philadelphia until permanent placement, suitable to the city authorities, could be found for them, generally in the form of a long indenture. The placement process took many months, and those 135 enslaved persons were the subject of a mass appeal for blankets and clothing throughout the southeastern portion of the state, to protect them from the coming harsh weather.

Date

Details

August 22, 1800

Schooner Phoebe (Prize to the Ship Ganges) Calvin Stevens, Prize Master.
Cargo taken on board at Africa, bound for Philadelphia {118 Africans men, women & children

Schooner Prudence (Prize to the Ship Ganges) W. M. Robbins, Prize Master.
{17 Africans, men, women and children

November 2, 1817

Ship Ohio, Dan L. Kurtz, master.  Bound from Philadelphia to New Orleans
Slave Martha Parent, Female, 19 yrs, 4'6", Yellow
Sam'l P. Evans, owner.

April 24, 1818

Ship Caroline of Philadelphia.  James Serrill, Master.  Bound from Philadelphia to New Orleans
Slaves:
Milly, Female, 45 years, 5'2", Crogham, owner--Louisiana
Humphrey, Male, 14 years, 5'2", Crogham, owner--Louisiana
Rhodea, Female, 32 years, 5'3", Washington Jackson, owner--Philadelphia
William, Boy, 5 years
James, Boy, 4 years
Lucy, Female, 1 year
Dillie, Female, 12 years, 4'6"

May 3, 1821

Ship Ohio of Philadelphia, S. Toby, Master.  Bound from New Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Betsey, Female, 27 years, 5'6", Black, A. B. Thompson, owner--Natchez
Harriett, Female, 30 years, 5'7", Black, A. B. Thompson, owner--Natchez

May 2, 1821

Ship Ohio of Philadelphia, S. Toby, Master.  Bound from New Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Jack Hunt, Male, 20 years, 5'8", Black, Wm. Miller, owner--Alexandria

April 30, 1821

Ship Ohio of Philadelphia, S. Toby, Master.  Bound from New Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Diana, Female, 32 years, 5'3", Black, Louis Evans, owner--Natchez
Annus, Female, 13 years, 4'10", Black, Louis Evans, owner--Natchez

December 20, 1822

Ship Georgia Packet of Philadelphia.  Jared Bunce, Master.  Bound from Charleston, S.C. to Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Nelly, Female, 13 years, 4'9", Yellow, Mrs. Rt. Chisolm, owner--Charleston.

April 18, 1820

Ship Margaret of Philadelphia.  David Ridgely, Master.  Bound from New Orleans for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
George, Male, 21 years, 5'9 ", Mulatto, David Ridgely, owner--Baltimore.

April 24, 1820

Ship Orleans of Philadelphia.  John Graves, Master.  Bound from New Orleans to Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Charlotte, Female, 15 years, 5'0", Mulatto, Wm. Stark, owner--Louisiana.

June 7, 1823

Ship Georgia Packet of Philadelphia.  Jared Bunce, Master.  Bound from Charleston, S.C. to Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Susey, Female, 19 years, 5'3", Yellow, Mrs. Chisolm, owner--Charleston.
Dolly, Female, 25 years, 5'6", Black, Wm. Lance, owner--Charleston.
Elsey, Female, 21 years, 5'0", Black, James Thomas, owner--Charleston.

May 27, 1823

Ship Franklin of Rochester.  Allen Dexter, Master.  Bound from Pensacola for Philadelphia.
Slaves:
Franklin, Male, 14 years, 4'6", Black, J. M. Glassell, owner--Pensacola.

November 7, 1824

Brig New Hanover of Philadelphia.  John P. Levy, Master.  Bound from Philadelphia for Memphis.
Slaves:
Sue, Female, 50 years, 5'6", Black, P. Houston, owner--Savannah.

November 19, 1834

Ship Georgian of Philadelphia.  A. H. Eldridge, Master.  Bound from Philadelphia for Savannah.
Slaves:
Mary Ann, Female, 19 years, 4'2", Black, Harriett Campbell, owner--Savannah.

November 14, 1835

Brig New Hanover of Philadelphia.  Charles Carty, Master.  Bound from Philadelphia for Savannah.
Slaves:
Bella Nightingale, Female, 25 years, 5'5", Dark, Wm. Hunter, owner--Savannah.
Becky, Female, 48 years, 5'4", Black, Mrs. Sarah Jones, owner--Savannah.

Source:  "Ships Manifests, 1800-1840, Port of Philadelphia," microfilm, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, PA.