Bill of sale for a 16-year-old girl named Polly

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

An official copy receipt bill of sale for transferred ownership of "one Negro girl named Polly aged about sixteen years, yellow complexion and black eyes," from Martin Bridgeman to William H. Mood, both of Jackson County, Territory of Arkansas, for the sum of $600. The document is a single sheet, with handwritten black ink on both sides. It is dated December 23, 1835, and signed by Martin Bridgeman and witnessed by Thomas R. Paul and John Hall on the recto. On the verso is a note by the County Clerk of Montgomery County, Texas on recording sworn witness statements and signatures by Thomas R. Paul and John Hall, and entry into Montgomery County records, May 15, 1851. In the center of the verso is written [Martin Bridgman / Bill of Sale / To Wm. H Mood / Negro Girl Polley / $600 Fee paid].

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