Bill of Sale for Frederick Douglass
November 30, 1846
Written in ink by Tthomas Auld to Hugh Auld of Baltimore in the sale of a negro man named Frederick Baily alias Douglas (sic) for $100. Mary Richardson, a Quaker and the wife of Henry Richardson of Newcastle-upon-tyne, England, wrote to Hugh Auld asking him whether Douglass's freedom had a price. Hugh Auld replied in October of 1846 that he would manumit Douglass for £150 sterling. Anna Richardson and her sister-in-law, Ellen Richardson, took steps to raise the purchase money and made arrangements with american abolitionist, Ellis Gray Loring of Boston to handle the details of the negotiation. On November 24, 1846, Walter Lowrie of New York City, an abolitionist, also carried out the negotiations and notified Hugh Auld that the £150 had arrived in New York and directed him to produce proof of legal ownership of Douglass. Less than a week later Thomas Auld filed a bill of sale (FRDO 3861) in Talbot County signifying the transfer of douglass to Hugh Auld, and on December 5, 1846, Hugh Auld filed Douglass's manumission papers in Baltimore county. One week later the transaction was consummated, Hugh Auld handed over the papers to Lowrie a copy of the bill of sale from Thomas Auld, a deed of manumission for Douglass and a receipt showing he had received $711.66 for Douglass's freedom. All of these papers were placed in Douglass's hands shortly afterwards.
Paper. L 25.2, W 20 cm
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. FRDO 3861