Washington District of Columbia


1809 Manumissions by Josiah Fox
of Edwin Jones, Betsey Doynes and William Oakley
Furnished by : John Sharp

 

 
Introduction:
The three manumissions below dated December 1809 by Naval Constructor Josiah Fox of three of the slaves he purchased in 1804 are examples of early District of Columbia manumissions recorded in the District Deed Books. The first two Edwin Jones AKA "Negro Edwin" and Betsey Doynes AKA "Negro Betty" are both conditional manumissions which specify a certain period of time for the two enslaved individuals to labor the third is an immediate manumission which grants William Oakley AKA "Negro William" his freedom immediately. Note that each uses formulaic language that the newly freed slave could feed and provide "raiment" ( clothes) for themselves this was required in the early slave codes to avoid having masters manumit their aged slaves who could no longer work and they become public charges.

Transcription:
This transcription was made from a copy of the typewritten manuscript of Liber X, no 23 Folio 279 & 280 filed in the District of Columbia Deed Books. While most DC manumissions for newly freed individuals are found in the Manumission and Emancipation Records, 1821 -1862 National Archives and Records Administration Record Group 21 prior to the creation of that record system, most manumissions were filed in the District of Columbia Deed Books. Each deed book is identified liber (latin for book) then the alpha numeric for a specific year and defined area.

The spelling, punctuation and the use of ampersands is that of the typed documents in the collection of the District of Columbia .

Bibliography:
The District of Columbia Free Negro Registers 1821 -1861 volumes 1 & 2 by Dorothy S. Provine, Heritage Books, Bowie, Maryland 1996. See the introduction volume 1 for a discussion the various types of manumission documents

Westlake, Merle. Josiah Fox 1763 -1847, Xlibris Corporation 2003 see pages 200 & 202.for notes on Fox's enslaved workers.

Acknowledgement:
My thanks once again to Mr. Ali Rahmann Archivist, District of Columbia Archives, for generously providing copies of these three manumissions by Josiah Fox .

John G. Sharp                                 1 October 2008 

Josiah Fox    }
Manumission to}			Recorded the 12th day of December 1809, to wit
Negro Edwin   }
			Know all men by these presents that I Josiah Fox of Washington 
County in the Territory of Columbia being the proprietor of a negro boy slave named 
Edwin born the second day of January in the year eighteen hundred and being desirous to 
grant freedom to the said negro boy slave, to take effect after he shall attain the age of 
twenty five years have therefore given and granted and do by these presents give and 
grant to the said negro boy slave named Edwin his freedom and liberty to take effect from 
and after the second day of January which will be in the year of our Lord eighteen 
hundred and twenty five at which time he will have attain the age of twenty five years 
reserving nevertheless to myself and to my executors  administrators and assigns a right 
and power over the person and services of the said negro boy slave until the period 
aforesaid but from and after the said period the said negro boy shall and may enjoy 
perfect liberty and freedom to all indents and purposes and in like manner as if said negro 
boy had been originally free .  In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and 
affixed my seal this eleventh day of December one thousand eight hundred and  nine. 
Signed sealed & delivered				Josiah Fox (SEAL)				
in the presence of 
Thomas Herty - John Gardiner 

	District of Columbia, Washington County  On the 11th day of December 1809 
before me the subscriber a Justice of the peace for Washington County aforesaid 
personally appeared Josiah Fox party to the foregoing instrument and acknowledged the 
same to be his act and deed according to the true intent & meaning thereof.
						Richd. S. Briscoe

 

Josiah Fox     }
Manumission to }	Recorded the 12th day of December 1809 to wit
Negro Betty    }

	Know all men by these presents that I Josiah Fox of Washington in the Territory 
of Columbia being proprietor of a negro women slave named Betty about twenty six 
years of age who is a healthy  constitution in sound mind and body capable by labour to 
procure herself sufficient food and raiment   and being desirous to set her free, to take 
effect at the expiration of seven years from this period have therefore granted and do by 
these presents  grant freedom to the said negro women slave named Betty  her freedom, 
to take effect at the termination of seven years from this period reserving nevertheless to 
myself and to my executors  administrators and assigns a right and power over the person 
and services of the said negro women  until the period aforesaid but from and after the 
said period the said negro women shall and may enjoy perfect liberty and freedom to all 
indents and purposes whatever..  In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and 
affixed my seal this  eleventh day of December one thousand eight hundred and nine. 
Signed sealed & delivered				Josiah Fox (SEAL)	
in the presence of 
Thomas Herty - John Gardiner	

	District of Columbia, Washington County  On the 11th day of December 1809 
before me the subscriber a Justice of the peace for Washington County aforesaid 
personally appeared Josiah Fox party to the foregoing instrument and acknowledged the 
same to be his act and deed according to the true intent & meaning thereof.
						Richd. S. Briscoe

 

Josiah Fox    }
Manumission to}			Recorded the 12th day of December 1809, to wit
Negro William }
			Know all men by these presents that I Josiah Fox of Washington 
County in the Territory of Columbia being the proprietor of a negro man slave named 
William Fletcher otherwise William Fox otherwise William Oakley about twenty two 
years of age who is of healthy constitution and  sound in mind and body capable by 
labour to procure himself sufficient food and raiment and being desirous to grant freedom 
to the said negro man slave, named William his freedom and liberty to be henceforth 
discharged from all claims of service and right of property whatsoever by me the said 
Josiah Fox For my heirs, executors and administrators.  In witness whereof I have 
hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this eleventh day of December A.D. one 
thousand eight hundred and  nine. 
Signed sealed & delivered				Josiah Fox (SEAL)				
in the presence of 
Thomas Herty - John Gardiner 

	District of Columbia, Washington County  On the 11th day of December 1809 
before me the subscriber a Justice of the peace for Washington County aforesaid 
personally appeared Josiah Fox party to the foregoing instrument and acknowledged the 
same to be his act and deed according to the true intent & meaning thereof.
						Richd. S. Briscoe

 

 
END NOTES

Josiah Fox (1763 -1847) was a well known Naval Constructor (similar to Naval Architect) who worked at the Washington Navy Yard from 1804 -1809. Josiah Fox was a "Quaker" or a member of the Society of Friends. Quakers were for the most part opposed to slavery and critical of war and their members supporting war like concerns they actively discouraged their members from holding slaves or joining the military. Fox was criticized during his lifetime by his fellow Friends for doing both and ignoring the tenets of the Friends Discipline.
For more on Naval Constructor Josiah Fox see Biography of Josiah Fox
Josiah Fox probably purchased the three enslaved individuals listed above in 1804

Edwin Jones AKA "Negro Edwin"

Betsey Doynes AKA "Negro Betty"

William "Billy" Oakley AKA "Negro William"

Edwin Jones and William Oakley were both trained as shipwrights a highly skilled occupation and continued to work with Josiah Fox long after their manumission. When Fox was dismissed from WNY in 1809 ( he did not get along with Thomas Tingey) the letter below was send to him, the letter also mentions William Oakley AKA "William Fox".

Betsey worked in Fox's house as a servant and cook she died in 1814

 

      Capt. Thomas Tingey			Navy Dept.
	Navy Yard	 			11 Aug 1809
      I have received your letter of yesterdays date. Mr. Fox may be allowed the whole of this present month to prepare & finally to settle his accounts and upon settling them satisfactorily he may be paid up to the 1st of Sept.

      All the apprentices of Mr. Fox excepting Wm. Fox may be continued in the Yard till 1st day of Sept, and after that day, if the public should require their services in the Yard, I shall have no objection to their being continued in the Yard at reasonable compensation for their services. Wm Fox must be dismissed immediately.

      To cover the loss sustained by Mr. Byers in consequence of my letter to him informing him that his appointment was revoked he may be allowed the Salary & house rent to the 1st of Oct. next with the liberty to withdraw from the Service immediately.

      Mr. Small may upon Settling his accounts satisfactorily be paid up to the 1st of Sept. 


                                                           [signed]    Paul Hamilton

 

For more on Josiah Fox at Washington Navy Yard and his apprentices
(although they are not mentioned by name on the 1808 document)
see Washington Navy Yard 1808 Reduction in Force

 

 

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