Lot 390
Certificate of Freedom. An elaborate vellum document dated Nov. 7, 1828, whereby attorney Ross Wilkins of Pittsburgh certifies "that the bearer hereof George Howard aged Eighteen years; of a bright yellow complexion; five feet five or six inches high, with a small scar on his forehead over the right eye, has been known to me from his boyhood; that he was born in Pittsubrgh; and that by the laws of Pennsylvania, he is a Freeman to all intents and purposes… he has secured an excellent and deserved reputation; and that as a Freeman therefore he is entitled to every protection as well in the United States and Elsewhere." Wilkins signed the document before a notary. An 8½"x3" pale pink ribbon is threaded into the left side of the vellum, covered by a seal of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. Very good; some age wear. On the back, a county clerk from Adams County, Illinois certifies in 1842 that George Howard brought this certificate to be recorded and describes him in detail. Because of Illinois' infamous Black Laws (revoked when the constitution of 1848 was passed), any freed negro or mulatto who came into the state without a certificate of freedom under seal of a court order could be deemed a runaway and sold as a slave.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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| Realized $3,105 |
