Skip to main content

     MANUSCRIPTS and ARCHIVAL MATERIAL

J.A. Pendleton affidavit regarding surety on James Flemming

 Unprocessed Material — Folder: 1
Identifier: ViU-2021-0085

Content Description

This collection contains an affidavit written by Albemarle County, VA Justice of the Peace, J.A. Pendelton summarizing a complaint against a James Fleming, a Black man, by F.E Johnson and asking that a surety be placed on Flemming. Sureties, noted by the historian Nancy O'Brien Wagner, were another way of perpetuating enslavement in the Jim Crow South after the end of the Civil War. She writes in "'Slavery by Another Name' History Background," "In many cases, defendents were found guilty of real or fabricated crimes and were fined for both the crime and additional court fees. When the men were unable to pay, a local businessman would step forward to pay the fines. The convict would then sign a contract agreeing to work for him without pay until the debt was paid off."

Acquisition Type

Purchase

Provenance

Puchased, 4 May 2021.

Restrictions Apply

No

Access Restrictions

This collection is minimally processed and open for research.

Dates

  • December 7, 1866

Creator

Extent

0.03 Cubic Feet (1 letter-sized folder)

Inventory

1 item