New Orleans Slave Market Bills of Sale Illustrate Internal Slave Trade

[SLAVERY.] Two Manuscript Bills of Sale for slaves sold in New Orleans 1856, 1861. 7 pp., 8.5? x 14?. The second is a copy certified by the Notary Public. Expected folds

some minor fold tears

both have embossed seals of notaries public

very good.

Excerpts:

May 26, 1856, before Octave de Armas, Notary Public: “Mr John Foretich, of the Said City, who declared that for & in consideration of the Sum of Four-hundred & fifty Dollars ($450) to him in hand paid cash...does by these presents, Sell, convey, assign, transfer & set over, with all legal warranties, & with subrogation to all his rights of action & warranty against all preceding vendors or proprietors Unto Mrs Helene Ward, wife of John Ochiglevich, & by him hereto & herein duly assisted & authorized…a certain negress slave, named Marie Thereze aged about 38 years

fully guaranteed against the vices & diseases prescribed by law, with the exception of the vice of drunkenness to which the said slave is declared to be somewhat addicted

which said slave belongs to the said John Foretich by means of the purchase he made thereof from Mrs Eliza Deckery, wife of Alexander Benjamin, as per act passed on the 16th December 1853.... And the said Mrs Helen Ochiglevich presently declared, and her said husband does hereby acknowledge that the purchase of said slave is made for her personal & exclusive advantage

the price thereof being paid out of the paraphernal funds belonging to her & coming from her private labor & industry.”

January 29, 1861, before James Graham, Notary Public: “Julian Neville, of this City, herein acting as the agent of James B. Smith of the City of Mobile and State of Alabama...declared, that for and in consideration of the price and sum of Seven Hundred Dollars ($700 00/100) to him in hand well and truly paid in ready money by John Ochiglevich...does by these presents, in his said capacity, grant, bargain, sell, and convey with all legal warranties unto the said Ochiglevich...A certain negro man, a slave for life named Willis, aged about twenty years. Said Slave is guaranteed in no respect save and excepting the title thereto, he having been in the habit of running away from his said Master’s Residence near Mobile to that City, and not being perfectly sound in body.... Said slave is the true and lawful property of the said Smith, as his said agent hereby declares, the same having been recently imported into this State from the State of Alabama.”

Historical Background:

New Orleans had a notoriously thriving market for the sale of human beings in antebellum America. In many areas of the South, masters threatened their slaves with being “sold to New Orleans” if they were rebellious or frequently ran away, as Willis, sold in 1861, evidently did while enslaved near Mobile.

The husband-and-wife purchasers of these slaves, Austrian-born John Ochiglevich (1811-1883) and Irish-born Ellen Ward Ochiglevich [written incorrectly as Helen and Helene in one of these documents] (b. 1824) lived in New Orleans, where he was a sailmaker and merchant.

Octave de Armas (1804-1889) was part of a family that immigrated from Spain to New Orleans in 1796. He served as a notary from 1828 until age prevented him from continuing the office. James Graham was born in Ireland and moved to New York as a child and later to New Orleans. He served as marshal of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1863 and 1864.
This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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