Receipt of $400 for the sale of a 30-year-old Negro slave named Laura from Nathan Cole to Mrs. Virginia Wilkerson of St. Louis, Missouri. Document further states, “Mrs. Wilkerson is to hold the said Laura and her issue for the joint benefit of said Wilkerson and of Elihu W. Brown of Jacksonville, Ills. & the said Mrs. Wilkerson shall first apply the wages of sd.[said] Laura to the reimbursement of herself for the four hundred dollars paid me & shall then hold the said Laura for four hundred & fifty dollars for account of said E.W. Brown as aforesaid & whenever the said Laura shall have earned eight hundred & fifty dollars or if the same shall be paid to the respective party the said Mrs. Wilkerson & to said Brown by Laura's sister Ellen Wells then the said Mrs. Wilkerson shall give to said Ellen a bill of sale for said Laura or set her free at the option of afsd.[aforesaid] Ellen Wells, at all times, barring death or the running away of said Laura.” Includes correspondence dated 1933 between the donor and the Missouri Historical Society. (two items) [gift of Mrs. Carrie L. Wilkerson, May 1933], 1861 June 12

Item — Box: 1, Folder: 6

Identifier: D01363

Staff Only

Receipt for $400 signed Nathan Cole, June 12, 1861

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Slaves and Slavery Collection is an artificial, or subject-based, collection comprising a variety of documents that have been placed in this collection over the years due to their common subject matter. Approximately half of the documents in the collection are receipts for sales of slaves, some of which were recorded in various courts. The collection also includes deeds of emancipation; personal correspondence; and broadsides offering rewards for the capture of runaway slaves.