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The data below was collected by Katherine
Hastings, manager of the Milton Roots
Project, which "tells the story of the lives of the African-American residents of Milton, Pennsylvania, and its immediate vicinity to add to the understanding of Milton�s history; to aid families in their search for roots; to teach high school and college students how to do historical and genealogical research; and to explore the role of race in a small town and for all of its inhabitants." Ms. Hastings will be adding to and expanding this list as research time permits. Afrolumens is grateful to Kate Hastings and the Milton Roots Project for sharing this data, and for granting permission to republish it here. Please note that spelling and capitalization has been preserved from original documents.
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The Data
Turbot (then Turbutt) Township, tax assessments 1776
Garret Freeland, 211 acres, 1 bound servant, 1 Negro, 4 horses, 5 cows, 1 grist mill and saw mill, 300 other acres, (p. 15.)
David Freeland, 116 acres, 2 horses, 2 cows, 1 Negroe, (p. 25.)
Researcher's Note: These are probably members of the Freeland / Vreeland family who defended Fort Freeland in the 1779 massacre in present-day Delaware Township, Northumberland County. The historic site is part of the Warrior Run School District high school complex. There are many contemporary accounts of the massacre, and none mention any slaves, although they are very specific about the numbers of people in the fort and their disposition.
Turbot (then Turbutt) Township, tax assessments 1778
John Bossley, 300 acres, 293 uncultivated, 5 improved, one servant, 7 negros, 5 horses, 7 cows, grist mill and saw mill (p. 3).
Gerrat Finelan, 100 acres, 2 negroes, 2 horses, 2 cows, grist mill and saw mill (p. 8)
Researcher's Note: I am trying to track down John Bossley, as he shows up in the Milton census with slaves later on. (And he's in the 1790 Northumberland County census as John Bozley with 5 slaves and 2 "other free." Old maps put him in the area of present-day Washingtonville, which is Derry Township, Montour County, but that may be someone by the same name. It's likely that Gerrat Finelan is the same person as Garret Freeland.
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