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PAGE 6—THE ECERALD, Ahoskie. N. C—MILESTONE YEAR 19S9
Position Indicated By Gun Permits;
Free Negro Population Was Large
One of the 'most significant sta
tistics in the governmental his
tory of Hertford County in the
1830-61 period is the total of Free
Negro citizens allowed to keep
guns.
Under the slate laws regulat
ing Free Negroes, a permit was
required by free persons of color
in order to keep a gun.
During the period, Hertford
had one of the largest Free Negro
populations in the South. From
eight to 12 per cent of the popu
lation consisted of free persons
of color.
And, during this entire period,
most of these Free Negro families
were trusted to the extent that
they were allowed permits to
carry guns.
The statistics are indicative of
the place of the Free Negro in
ante bellum Hertford society, of
the wide extent of the Freeman’s
influence. No other county in
North Carolina has had the
unique racial relations story
which is the product of the pres
ence of this large number of pre-
Civil War free colored people.
During the 1830-61 period, a
total of 384 permits to carry guns
were granted to Hertford County
Free Negroes. This is an average
of 22 permits per year for which
there was a report.
Permit History
The gun permit history of the
Hertford County Court of Pleas
and Quarter sessions shows:
There were no reports on gun
permits until 1843. One permit
was issued that year. (The rec
ords for 1829-43 are missing.)
In 1845, the first complete total
was reported. In that year, 14
Free Negroes were issued per
mits. In 1846, four gun permits
were allowed.
Then, in 1847, a total of 35 gun
permits were allowed. This in
dicates that at least half of the
Free Negro families in the coun
ty were allowed to keep firearms,
and had resources enough to own
a gun.
In 1848, a total of 36 gun per
mits were issued.
In 1849, only four permits were
listed. However, the law was
loosely observed, and families
which kept guns sometimes for
got to come in and renew their
permits.
In 1850, 47 gun permits were
allowed. Among those given per
mits were names familiar today
as leading Negro families of
Hertford County. They included
Boon, Newsom, Chavis, Reed,
Archer, Manley, Reynolds, Weav
er and Hall.
1851—A total of 21 gun per
mits were issued.
1852— Thirty-three gun permits
were issued.
1853— Thirty-three gun permits.
1854— Fourteen gun permits.
1855— Thirty-eight gun permits.
1856— Twenty-one gun permits.
1857— Fourteen gun permits.
1858— Thirty-eight gun permits.
1859— Eighteen gun permits.
1860— In this final year before
the Civil War^ eleven gun per
mits were issued to Hertford
County Free Negroes. Probably
many other Free Negroes were
using old permits. At this time,
there were over 1,000 Free Ne
groes in Hertford, out of a pop
ulation of some over 8,000. Two
of those granted gun permits
this year were Augustus Reynolds
and Henry Best.
In 1861, two gun permits were
issued. After this year, when the
Civil War began, no permits were
issued.
County Court Granted Hundreds of Indentures
Apprenticeship Way of Life for Many Negroes
One of the major tasks of the
County Court in the ante bellum
period had to do with apprentices.
These were of two types.
Major type were the children
of Free Negroes. The Free Negro
es constituted from 8 to 12 per
cent of the population of Hert
ford County during the 1830-61
period.
Under stringent state laws.
Free Negroes were carefully
regulated as to the occupations
which they could undertake. The
great majority of Free Negroes
served as farm laborers. Many
owned their own land, some even
owned slaves.
Many Free Negro families ap
prenticed some children of the
family to white masters, who
were required to pay them in
kind for their work. Undoubtedly,
much of this was done unoffici
ally.’
Thus, during the entire period
of 1830-61, the Hertford County
Court minutes show a total of 220
orders for apprenticeship. Most of
these were children of Free Ne
groes apprenticed to white fam
ilies to learn fanning or house
work.
Some Whites
Another much smaller group
were white childrenf- mostly or
phans. About five per cent of the
apprenticeships in Hertford Coun
ty during the 1830-61 period in
cluded this type.
A year by year rundown of the
apprenticeship picture in Hert
ford County Court minutes show:
1830 — Five apprentices, some
times known by the colonial de
signation of “indentured ser
vants,” were bound to white fam
ilies.
1831 — two apprentice orders.
1832 — 29 apprentices were
bound to families, most to learn
farming.
1833 — A total of 12 appren
tices were bound by order of the
County Court,
(There is a gap in the Hert
ford Court Minutes from 1833
to 1842.)
1842 — Two apprentice orders.
1843 — Seven apprentice or
ders.
1844 — Two apprentices were
bound at the one term of court re
ported that year.
1845 — Six apprentice orders.
1846 — Twenty-three appren
tices were bound. Most were list
ed as “child of color” and bound
to white families to “learn farm
ing.”
1847 — Thirteen apprentice or
ders were signed by the County
Court.
1848 — Four apprentices were
bound.
1849 — Six apprentices were
bound.
1850 — Only one apprentice
order was given.
1851 — Ten apprentices were
bound, including “two orphans.”
1852—Fifteen apprentice orders
were given by the county court.
1853 — Fourteen apprentice or
ders were given.
1854 — Five apprentice orders.
By this year, white landowners
were using the apprentice laws
to get labor for the booming cot
ton business. Apparently, they
were taking young Free Negroes
into apprenticeship against their
will.
The County Court passed a rul
ing at its August, 1854, session
that “no Free Negroe 15 years or
older may be bound without no
tice given to the Free Negro at
the courthouse door.”
At the same term, the County
Court ordered one white farmer
to appear before it and “show
cause why an indenture should
not be rescinded.”
1855 — Seven apprentice or
ders.
1856 — Five apprentice orders.
1857 — Thirteen apprentice or
ders. Five of these were describ
ed as “mulattos,” recognizing the
fact that many of Hertford Coun
ty’s Free Negroes were white
skinned people, descendants of
lines that were almost completely
white.
1858 — Twelve apprentice or
ders. Six of these listed as “mulat
tos” and four were “orphan
whites.”
At the same time, the Court or
dered a Free Negro woman to
come into court and show cause
by her daughter should not be
apprenticed. This reflected new-
ly-pased law regulating Free Ne
gro apprenticeship. These new
laws made it easier for Free Ne
groes to be indentured to whites.
1859 — Only four apprentices
were bound this year, but the
operation of new laws was caus
ing some confusion. One Negro
girl only three years old was
bound, this although the law re
quired that apprenticeship had to
be a voluntary action on the part
of the person to be apprenticed.
Further, the court ordered two
more Negro women into court to
show cause why their children
should not be bound as appren
tices.
1860 — Nine apprentice orders.
1861 — Fourteen apprentices
were bound.
1830-60:
Top Dates
In Hertford
Indicated By Inspection Points
1830—Hertford Courthouse is
burned by Wright Allen, seek
ing to destroy papers of a trial.
1832— "Ahotskey Ridge" post of
fice becomes Mulberry Grove,
then "Saint John's, as Dr. God
win Cotton Moore settles near
by and rejuvenates old center
of colonial life west of Chowan
River.
1833— New Hope Methodist
Church formed in far northern
corner of county. Maney's
Neck one of county's most pop
ulous rural areas.
1835—Bethlehem Baptist and
Buckhorn Baptist churches are
organized as the denomination
becomes strong in two impor
tant rural areas.
1835—Constitutional Convention
liberalizes North Carolina gov
ernment. Party politics begins
to bring slate out of slough
which has earned it name as
"Rip Van Winkle State."
1837—Pleasant Grove Baptist
Church organized near Mulber
ry Grove plantation in Saint
John's area.
1839— Mount Tabor Church or
ganized south of Murfreesboro.
1840— First public school system
organized in North Carolina.
Hertford has a dozen small
1840-60—Whig Party becomes
dominant in Hertford politics.
Kenneth Rayner county and
slate Whig leader. Dr. Godwin
C. Moore leader of minority
Democrats in Hertford.
1842—Union Academy organized
at Bethel (later Harrellsville).
With older Buckhorn Academy
of Maney's Neck and Banks'
School of Murfreesboro, form
. educational triumvirate above
level of tiny public schools.
1844—Murfreesboro Baptist
Church organized. Town is
largest county community with
200 population.
1847— Harrellsville incorporated
as town. Nearby Pitch Landing
still most important Wiccacon
River point.
1848— Chowan College founded as
Chowan Female Baptist Insti
tute.
1849— Wesleyan College organized
by Methodists in Murfreesboro.
1854—Julian H. Picot becomes
master at Buckhorn Academy.
County spending about $2,000
for public school system.
1854—Murfreesboro Gazette be
gins publication as party news
paper.
Naval Store Industry Big
An important county official
in ante bellum days was the “in
spector of naval stores.”
These inspectors were respon
sible for checking the quality of
the vast barrels of tar, pitch and
turpentine which were a major
product of Hertford County for
ests.
An insight into the extent of
the forest industry is indicated
by the story of inspector appoint
ments made by the Hertford
County Court during the 1830-55
period.
During colonial times, inspec
tors appointed by the colonial
government were assigned to
various busy river landings to in
spect all products that were to be
exported.
In this early period of the re
public, the inspectors were re-
Road Upkeep
Local Tosk
The upkeep of roads was a
responsibility of the County
government of Hertford in the
1830-60 period.
Dozens of roads crisscrossed
the county, but most of them
were little more than paths.
People who lived along the
roads were responsible for their
upkeep. The County Court named
overseers for each road. Over
seers were empowered to use
slave labor from plantations along
the roads for their upkeep.
The County Court paid in
creased attention to roads after
1840, and overseers were appoint
ed for more than a score of roads
during the period.
The court also apointed over
seers for the streets of Hertford’s
two major towns, Murfreesboro
and Winlon,
Diuing the 1830-60 period,
they included:
James W. Hill was appointed
Murfreesboro street overseer in
1849, but there had been others
before him.
John H. Buckley was in the
same year named ovei-seer for
Wmton’s streets.
In 1851, George Nicholson was
named Murfreesboro street over-
In 1854, in a period when road
improvement was being urged
throughout the state, the Court
appointed A. B. Britt as Winton
overseer and Jesse H. Jackson as
Murfreesboro overseer.
sponsible only for the purity and
correct weight of naval stores.
During the 1830 - 55 period,
eight landings in Hertford County
had inspectors appointed to look
after the naval stores business.
Ended in 1855
No inspectors were appointed
after 1855, indicating the waning
importance of naval stores as a
product of the county.
But, in 1830, when the period
opened, naval stores were prob
ably the county’s most valuable
export. In that year, the Hertford
County Court appointed inspec
tors at four places.
These included Murfreesboro,
Fitch Landing (near present-day
Harrellsville). Inspectors were ap
pointed for the Chowan River
and Wiccacon River shore from
Pitch Landing to the Bertie Coun
ty boundary.
From Pitch Landing to Tay
lor’s Mill on the Chowan River
was one inspection district, from
Taylor’s south to the Bertie Line
was another district.
In 1831, inspectors were nam
ed for Murfreesboro, Pitch Land
ing and Hill’s Ferry. The latter
point was on Meherrin River half
way between Murfreesboro and
the river’s mouth.
In 1832, an inspector was ap
pointed at Pitch Landing.
In 1833, an inspector was ap
pointed for Pitch Landing and
Isaac Taylor was named inspector
from his Chowan River Mill (now
known as Swain’s Mill) to “The
Harbor,” a famous landing on the
Chowan River in what is now
Christian Harbor section of south
eastern Hertford County.
(There is a gap in the records
from 1833 to 1843.)
In 1843, an inspector was ap
pointed for Pitch Landing.
In 1846, Augustus Bass was
named inspector at Pitch Land
ing and Thomas Britton at Hill’s
Ferry,
In 1847, inspectors were named
at The Harbor, at Hill’s and Pitch
Landing. Bass was renamed to
the job at Pitch Landing.
New Landing
In 1848, Bass was reappointed
at Pitch Landing and a new land
ing was becoming important.
John B. Sharp was named inspec
tor at Tar Landing. This was the
Wiccacon River landing point at
present-day Harrellsville. It ’
also an important ferry point.
Abner Harrell, the namesake of
Harrellsville, was for many years
the ferrykeeper.
In 1849 and 1850, Augustus Bass
renewed his $1,000 bond as in
spector at Pitch Landing.
In 1851, Joseph Scull was nam
ed inspector at Tar Landing. In
1852, Scull and Bass were reap
pointed.
In 1863, Bass was reappointed
at Pitch Landing and James Al
ston was appointed as Tar Land
ing inspector. They renewed their
bonds in 1354 and 1855.
After 1855, there is no record
of inspectors. Naval stores were
waning as an economic product
of Hertford, County.
Poor Fund
Existed in
1830-60 Era
The poor of Hertford County in
the 1830-60 period were a con
cern of government officials, but
there was no elaborate govern
mental machinery to help such
poor.
The County Court named a
three-year board of “Wardens of
the Poor.” A tax was annually
levied for aid to the poor. During
the period, this tax usually
amounted to about $1,000 a year.
The Wardefis doled out the
funds.
Hertford County early decided
that it should have a poorhouse.
In 1830, the wardens were em
powered to purchase land lor a
poorhouse. Although there is no
record that the facility was built,
it is safe to assume that some sort
of home was "built.
That the Poor Fund was not
always used is indicated in that
same year, when $450 was taken
from the fund to help pay for a
new county courthouse.
In 1843, the poor problem seem
ed to have been acute. The Coun
ty Court ordered that $380 worth
of corn be purchased for distri
bution to poor.
In 1857, the Court ordered that
100 bushels of corn be purchased
for the same reason.
This indicated the usual man
ner in which destitute people
were taken care of by the county.
Gifts to the poor were usually
made “in kind,"^ in the form of a
dole of corn, bacon, sometimes
clothing.
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