Dauphin Guardian, 21 December, 1805; page 3.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
This is a very unusual slave advertisement in that it announces the public sale of two slaves. The spectacle of a slave auction was very rare during this time period in Pennsylvania. Most people who wanted to buy a slave would wait until a local slaveholder was ready to sell one, and would then negotiate with the seller for the terms. If no slaves were available locally, buyers would travel to Baltimore or Philadelphia.
Both of these slaves were born after the Gradual Emancipation Act of 1780, making them slaves until age 28. This is evident from the wording "the time of servitude of," which indicates that they are not slaves for life. John Wilson did not register any slaves in Dauphin County during the 1780 registration process, nor did he register any children of slaves. He either moved into the county after owning these slaves, or bought them from another slaveholder who would have registered them under his or her name.
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