Read Online Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction: Slavery in Richmond Virginia, 1782–1865 by Midori Takagi - Free Book Online
Authors: Midori Takagi
Ads: Link
permission to travel, such as this one that slave worker Will held: "Will has lief [leave] to pass to Richmond without any interruption as long as he care to stay. . . . James Gary." 5
Although it appears that male slaves made up the vast majority of those allowed to "hire their own time," a handful of women also enjoyed this privilege. Sarah Clayton from Charles City County, for example, allowed her slave Nancy Read to find work in Richmond by herself. 6
Where slaves worked and whether they were self-hired or directly owned dictated where they lived. Housing options available to workers such as George, Richard, and the other tobacco hands were greatly determined by their occupation and position, the wealth and generosity of their owner, the budget constraints on their employer, and the physical layout of the city. As a result, slave living conditions varied widely and were subject to constant change.
Even living in the "Big House" which meant a place in the master's residence for rural slaves had a slightly different connotation for urban domestic slaves. For some, such as Edmund Randolph's eight adult slaves, it meant any corner in Randolph's modest two-story brick and wooden house, which measured 50 by 20 feet. 7 For Carter Braxton's slaves, however, it meant sleeping in a separate one-story building about ten paces from the main house. And for Cyrus, Smith, Ford and Jerry, four of John Wickham's eight slaves, living in the "Big House" meant sleeping in the wooden barns across the yard. 8
Homes in Richmond generally were much less spacious than plantation mansions because city lots were small and the cost of building an urban home was high. As a result, it was common for domestic slaves to sleep wherever space was available. Some were lucky: Claiborne and his wife Nancy, for example, were fortunate enough to share a private room below their employer's chambers. 9 And no doubt Henry, who lived with his owner Nancy Ellert, was pleased that he did not have to share his
Page 40
bedroom with any other servants. 10 More commonly, however, domestic slaves did not have private rooms and had to sleep in parts of the house that served other functions during the day. Martha Hill's servant Lucy spent her nights in front of the fireplace in the kitchen and would roll up her bed linens in the morning. Another Lucy, a domestic hired to John Chevallie, had to sleep in the cellar among the many preserved foods and stored clothing and furniture. 11 In rare instances domestic slaves were given the opportunity to live apart. Charlotte was one of those lucky individuals able to live with her husband and children even though she was a servant in a private household and her husband ran errands for a nearby druggist. 12
If domestic slaves found their choice of living quarters limited, then slaves working on construction projects, such as the canal workers, probably found their arrangements unbearable. These laborers had to live under the most uncomfortable conditions, often sleeping in "crude, poorly constructed dirt-floored cabins, without shutters or doors." Meals were "usually cooked . . . in an open pit at the center of the shack; smoke rose through a hole in the roof, since few dwellings had chimneys or fireplaces." Not all slaves working on construction projects lived in such rough quarters, but those working on ''temporary" projects often endured brutal conditions. As a rule, the shorter the job, the poorer the facilities. Canal building, though it took years, was considered a temporary job because once the canal was completed, slave labor was no longer needed. As a result, housing for canal laborers tended to be hastily built shacks made from leftover lumber. Many of these dwellings were no more than propped-up rooftops that kept the rain off workers while they slept. 13
In contrast to either domestic or construction slave workers, most factory (or nondomestic) slave hands had enormous choice of and control over their living quarters.
Although it appears that male slaves made up the vast majority of those allowed to "hire their own time," a handful of women also enjoyed this privilege. Sarah Clayton from Charles City County, for example, allowed her slave Nancy Read to find work in Richmond by herself. 6
Where slaves worked and whether they were self-hired or directly owned dictated where they lived. Housing options available to workers such as George, Richard, and the other tobacco hands were greatly determined by their occupation and position, the wealth and generosity of their owner, the budget constraints on their employer, and the physical layout of the city. As a result, slave living conditions varied widely and were subject to constant change.
Even living in the "Big House" which meant a place in the master's residence for rural slaves had a slightly different connotation for urban domestic slaves. For some, such as Edmund Randolph's eight adult slaves, it meant any corner in Randolph's modest two-story brick and wooden house, which measured 50 by 20 feet. 7 For Carter Braxton's slaves, however, it meant sleeping in a separate one-story building about ten paces from the main house. And for Cyrus, Smith, Ford and Jerry, four of John Wickham's eight slaves, living in the "Big House" meant sleeping in the wooden barns across the yard. 8
Homes in Richmond generally were much less spacious than plantation mansions because city lots were small and the cost of building an urban home was high. As a result, it was common for domestic slaves to sleep wherever space was available. Some were lucky: Claiborne and his wife Nancy, for example, were fortunate enough to share a private room below their employer's chambers. 9 And no doubt Henry, who lived with his owner Nancy Ellert, was pleased that he did not have to share his
Page 40
bedroom with any other servants. 10 More commonly, however, domestic slaves did not have private rooms and had to sleep in parts of the house that served other functions during the day. Martha Hill's servant Lucy spent her nights in front of the fireplace in the kitchen and would roll up her bed linens in the morning. Another Lucy, a domestic hired to John Chevallie, had to sleep in the cellar among the many preserved foods and stored clothing and furniture. 11 In rare instances domestic slaves were given the opportunity to live apart. Charlotte was one of those lucky individuals able to live with her husband and children even though she was a servant in a private household and her husband ran errands for a nearby druggist. 12
If domestic slaves found their choice of living quarters limited, then slaves working on construction projects, such as the canal workers, probably found their arrangements unbearable. These laborers had to live under the most uncomfortable conditions, often sleeping in "crude, poorly constructed dirt-floored cabins, without shutters or doors." Meals were "usually cooked . . . in an open pit at the center of the shack; smoke rose through a hole in the roof, since few dwellings had chimneys or fireplaces." Not all slaves working on construction projects lived in such rough quarters, but those working on ''temporary" projects often endured brutal conditions. As a rule, the shorter the job, the poorer the facilities. Canal building, though it took years, was considered a temporary job because once the canal was completed, slave labor was no longer needed. As a result, housing for canal laborers tended to be hastily built shacks made from leftover lumber. Many of these dwellings were no more than propped-up rooftops that kept the rain off workers while they slept. 13
In contrast to either domestic or construction slave workers, most factory (or nondomestic) slave hands had enormous choice of and control over their living quarters.
Similar Books
