Series VII - Legal Documents, 1709-1858, and undated, 1709-1858, and undated

Arranged alphabetically by last name of the slave-holder. Certificates usually include information such as the slave-holders occupation, the mother's name, and the date of birth and sex of the child.

Arranged chronologically. Assorted depositions relating to slave ownership and trade from New York, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland. One item in French from Martinique regarding a vessel from Rhode Island captained by Samuel Johnson.

Assorted petitions from South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Massachusetts.

The deposition from Massachusetts is actually two petitions, one on either side of the paper. The earlier is dated January 1709, from the court of general sessions in Boston, Mass., and the petitioner is Jack, a negro, servant to Samuel Bill. Jack testifies that he has a marriage agreement with Esther, a servant of Robert Gutteridge, however, Gutteridge refuses to give his consent to the marriage. The second petition is from the Council and house of representatives in General Court in Boston assembled March 1780. Mercy Turner of Pembrook seeks to divorce her husband Philip Turner of Scituate whose "conduct and behavior is utterly inconsistent with the marriage covenant."

The earlier indenture is from New York and states that Walter Butler, Jr. of the Mohawks agrees to "keep and maintain... a N[egro] boy called Primus for three years." The later is a partially printed form dated 1797, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania declaring that Negro Joseph, a manumitted slave, indentures himself for 14 years to John Delaval.

Three of the five items in this series are deeds of manumission signed by Robert Carter of Nomony Hall in Westmoreland County, Virginia, dated January 2, 1792.

Arranged chronologically. Assorted estate inventories and property appraisals that make provisions for slaves from Alabama, New York and other places not named.