Repository Heinz History Center Title Allegheny County (Pa.) Recorder of Deeds Manumission and Indenture Records Collection Number MSS 494 Extent 2 linear feet Date 1792-1857 Abstract Manumission records, also referred to in this collection as Certificates of Freedom or Freedom Papers, are legal documents used to verify the status of freeborn Blacks and those released from servitude. Copies of manumission and indenture records were recorded with the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds, the office established to document sales or transfers of property such as land, homes or businesses. In 2007, the documents in this collection were uncovered by staff at the Department of Real Estate, the office that succeeded the Recorder of Deeds, and transferred to the Heinz History Center. This collection consists of copies of 49 manumission records and 12 indenture agreements, dating from 1792 until 1857. The documents have been digitized and are accessible online at exhibit.library.pitt.edu/freeatlast. Language The material in this collection is in English. Author The guide to this collection was written by Robyn Reed and Matt Strauss. Publisher Heinz History Center Address 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Manumission records, also referred to in this collection as Certificates of Freedom or Freedom Papers, were legal documents that verified the status of freeborn Blacks and those released from servitude. Indentures records were formal agreements binding a servant to a master. In Pennsylvania, the Gradual Abolition Act called for children of slave mothers born after 1780 to serve as indentured servants until they reached the age of 28 years.
In Allegheny County, manumission and indenture records were recorded with the Recorder of Deeds, the office established to document sales or transfers of property such as land, homes or businesses. Pennsylvania law requires that for the transfer of property to be binding on third parties, the deed must be recorded with the Recorder of Deeds. Fees were collected by the Recorder of Deeds and in return the transaction was recorded, providing both parties with proof of the legal transfer of property. With a legal affidavit attesting to their status, freed Blacks could have some protection against being kidnapped and sold into slavery.
In May 2005, Allegheny County voters authorized the consolidation of several local government offices, including the Office of the Recorder of Deeds. The Allegheny County Department of Real Estate was created to manage the recording of deeds and mortgages, property ownership and mapping, and realty taxes.
This collection contains copies of 49 manumission records and 12 indenture agreements, dating from 1792 until 1857, found in deed books by staff at the Department of Real Estate in 2007. The documents were removed from the legers and transferred to the Heinz History Center for preservation purposes and to provide greater access to the public. Noted on the folder is the deed book from which each document originated.
The manumission documents typically contain the individual's name, physical description, birthplace, and reason for the manumission. If the record documents the freeing of a slave, the price the individual paid for their freedom may also noted. Records indicating freeborn status may also include verification from a witness.
Indenture documents contain the terms of the indenture and the names of the concerned parties. Often, slaves emancipated from bondage became immediately indentured, at times to a different master. The names of several notable Pittsburghers, such as William Croghan Jr., John McKee, and James O'Hara, appear in these documents as contractors of indentured servants.
Researchers should use the photocopies found in Series II or view digital surrogates online at exhibit.library.pitt.edu/freeatlast. Original documents found in Series I are only to be used under the close supervision by Library and Archives staff.
Gift of Valerie McDonald Roberts, Manager of the Department of Real Estate, on behalf of Allegheny County. The records were donated in November 2007 and March 2012.
Archives Accession#: 2007.0261, 2012.0063
The documents have been digitized and are accessible online at exhibit.library.pitt.edu/freeatlast. The website, constructed by University of Pittsburgh's University Library System, is an online version of "Free at Last? Slavery in Pittsburgh in the 18th and 19th Centuries," an exhibit on display at the Heinz History Center from October 2008 to April 2009.
Allegheny County (Pa.) Recorder of Deeds Manumission and Indenture Records, 1792-1857, MSS# 494, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
This collection was processed by Robyn Reed in January 2009. and Matt Strauss in January 2010. Finding aid updated by Matt Strauss in December 2012.
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
The container list of the photocopies in Box 2 mirrors the container list of Box 1.
Historic Pittsburgh is a collaborative effort from multiple institutions in the Greater Pittsburgh region and is hosted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Library System.