White Indentured slaves/Servants

[Matty Bottles]

This has been very informative, especially this last bit from Capt. Bo...

One thing though... All the info so far talks about the W.I.S. in the upper colonies... Va, etc...

What about in the Caribbean? I could assume it's all the same, but...

Just wondering where there might be statements of such from the Carib.

What sort of information are you looking for exactly? I assume you mean other statements than the ones included in "The Buccaneers of America" discussed on the first page.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Thanks all. I love doing this in between regular studies. It keeps me connected to this passion.

A thought on W.I.S. in the Carribean; The market was pretty much saturated with black african slaves and indian/aboriginals from the islands and South America by the time Europeans entered the scene in force. I would imagine that there would have been some degree of indentured servitude there, but due to the former statement, I think it would be minimal. JMHO.

Bo

[Dorian Lasseter]

This has been very informative, especially this last bit from Capt. Bo...

One thing though... All the info so far talks about the W.I.S. in the upper colonies... Va, etc...

What about in the Caribbean? I could assume it's all the same, but...

Just wondering where there might be statements of such from the Carib.

Haven't come across anything yet, primarily because we have been concentrating on the North American colonies... but will start looking... Also, Capt. Lasseter, have spoken to the folks at Jamestown... gave me some splendid references regarding the Native Americans. They do have evidence of them making a point of coming in to trade at port towns during the GAoP time frame, especially Williamsburg's market times. They were actually very excited about having the NAs portrayed as doing such...

Excellent!

I love it when you find the right folks with the info you want/need!

[Dorian Lasseter]

Thanks all. I love doing this in between regular studies. It keeps me connected to this passion.

A thought on W.I.S. in the Carribean; The market was pretty much saturated with black african slaves and indian/aboriginals from the islands and South America by the time Europeans entered the scene in force. I would imagine that there would have been some degree of indentured servitude there, but due to the former statement, I think it would be minimal. JMHO.

Bo

That's what I wondered... the africans were better suited to the climate and I assume were "cheaper by the dozen" than W.I.S. I'd still love to know the true statistics just for the benefit of knowledge. Thank you, keep up the good work!

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

More stuff! Regarding the Indentured servants, there was a book in my World Civ. instuctors collection that very briefly mentions these folks going from England to "New England, the southern colony farms, and the sugar plantations of the carribean islands."

Not much to go on, but there is some base for further investigation.

On the American end, here are some links to more primary info...

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/frethorn.html

http://www.pricegen.com/immigrantservants/links.htm

The first one is a letter by Richard Frethorne, 1623. The other is a source of links to other articles/info. There is one other source from Pennsylvania that can only be accessed through our library database, and I did not have time today to get to it. It promises to be full of first-hand primary documents though! I read the description breifly, and the title of the journal is; "To Serve Well and Faithfully" Labor and Indentured Servants 1682-1800

Later... Bo

[Cheeky Actress]

Wow! Thank you Capt. Bo! Great information gathered thus far.

First hand accounts are always wonderful, yet I know they may be hard to come by.

"To Serve Well and Faithfully" Labor and Indentured Servants 1682-1800 looks to be very interesting. I am on a mission to see if I cannot obtain a copy through the College here. Wish me luck.

[Capt. Sterling]

No such thing as luck!

[Cheeky Actress]

Very well...wish me..."Good Hunting!"

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I was invited to join in on another colonial history site, and several of the ladies involved there are really coming up with some good stuff, so for Cheeky and Sterling and anyone else interested, here are some links. Be sure to know they welcome new members, it is a very friendly site;

Subsequently some 52,000 Irish, mostly women and sturdy boys and girls, were sold to Barbados and Virginia alone. Another 30,000 Irish men and women were taken prisoners and ordered transported and sold as slaves. In 1656, Cromwell’s Council of State ordered that 1000 Irish girls and 1000 Irish boys be rounded up and taken to Jamaica to be sold as slaves to English planters. As horrendous as these numbers sound, it only reflects a small part of the evil program, as most of the slaving activity was not recorded. There were no tears shed amongst the Irish when Cromwell died in 1660.

However, from 1625 onward the Irish were sold, pure and simple as slaves. There were no indenture agreements, no protection, no choice. They were captured and originally turned over to shippers to be sold for their profit. Because the profits were so great, generally 900 pounds of cotton for a slave, the Irish slave trade became an industry in which everyone involved (except the Irish) had a share of the profits.

http://www.giftofireland.com/IrishSlaves.htm

And this one;

http://www.ewtn.com/library/HUMANITY/SLAVES.TXT

And her's a link to the forum;

http://colonialbackwoods.proboards83.com/i....cgi?board=csis

And to the home page if you are interested in signing up;

http://colonialbackwoods.proboards83.com/index.cgi?

Enjoy...

Bo

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Still finding more stuff now that I know what to use for a search. Google "Irish slave trade" and WOW! look at all the goodies!

Here is another article which says some of the same things as the others, but has the DATES we are looking for... GAoP!;

http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgi-bin/foru...rames/read/1638

Bo

[Lady Seahawke]

my grand mum was an indentured servant from England early 1900's...yeah. I know out of period...but it shows that the servantude was still going strong even after all those years.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

And here is another interesting web news site that is exploring the issue of White slavery;

http://elliotlakenews.wordpress.com/2007/0...lavery-existed/

Seems to be a subject taking flight, no?

Bo

[Silkie McDonough]

Supports my characters history! Yippie for me! LOL

[Jib]

So you want a new start and can not afford the cost of the journey to the new world. You sell yourself into bondage and end up in the colonies on the continent or in the islands working harder than the slaves. I believe the English kept a man for 7 years and the French 3. What else do we know of this bitter life? Indentured Servitude seemed like a curse that was hung around the neck of many a colonist and may have provoked them to sign articles and join a pirate crew. Do we know of pirates who owned indentured servants? What about those caught and convicted of crimes and sent (transportation) to the new world as a punishment?

[Capt. Sterling]

Oi Jib...do a search on Indentured Servants... been through this a few times I think...

[Quartermaster James]

<SNIP> You sell yourself into bondage <SNIP> working harder than the slaves. I believe the English kept a man for 7 years and the French 3. What else do we know of this bitter life? <SNIP>

I believe this is now done through credit cards, and the usual term of servitude is 30+ years.

[Capt. Sterling]

I thought that was the current American version of slavery??

[Bess Hagarty]

https://pyracy.com/index.php?showtopic=11705&st=0&p=283534&hl=White%20Indentured%20Servants&fromsearch=1entry283534

Here you go Jib...this should help.

Edited August 27, 2009 by Bess Hagarty

[Raphael Misson]

https://pyracy.com/index.php?showtopic=11705&st=0&p=283534&hl=White%20Indentured%20Servants&fromsearch=1entry283534

Here you go Jib...this should help.

In the interest of keeping information localized, I've combined these two topics. Hope no one minds.

[Jib]

Thank you! I must have missed this thread.

[Cheeky Actress]

Earlier in this thread the topic of criminals and war convicts taken as Indentured Servants during the early 17th to late 17th century was briefly talked about.

Here is an account of such, and it hits very close to home, seeing that this is a very distant ancestor to my mother’s side of the family. A most interesting fine; considering the history and behavior about this servant.

From the following; Wyne and Allied Families: Genealogical and Biographical by Mary Catherine Wyne Whitney.

The age old antipathy between the English and the Scots broke out into war in 1649. By 1652 over 500 Scottish prisoners from Dunbar and Worcester had been transported as indentured servants to Massachusetts Bay Colony. By 1680 only some 120 remained. During the 1650s they certainly made their presence felt, but as much for their savage violence as well as their sexual indiscipline.

James Ross (Goodnow, Mann, Martin,Wescott, McKinney), was one of the surviving soldiers of Charles II's Scottish army made prisoners at the Battle of Worcester 3 Sep 1651 by Cromwell. After the battle, Cromwell was greatly exercised to find sustenance for them and to keep them under restraint as a potential source of danger. Many died of pestilence and, as a measure of relief; many were sent to Boston as ‘Redemptioners’ on such terms that they soon acquired their freedom.

John Cotton, minister of Boston, wrote to Cromwell that they were kindly used, having been sold for a limited servitude in a country where their labor was in such demand that they were not ill-rewarded. James, along with 272 others, were transported from Gravesend to Boston on the ship John and Sarah, leaving Gravesend in November 1651 and arriving 13 May 1652.

The Scots transported to the Massachusetts Bay Colony were noted for their savage violence and their sexual indiscipline. Thus James Ross, the father of Mary's (Goodnow) bastard, had received heavy punishment of 39 stripes from "shameful abuse and violence towards his master."

James Ross was in prison at least from May 23, 1655 onward and was ordered released from prison when he petitioned the court with a "humble apology" and promised to reform his behavior on August 31, 1655.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Cheeky Actress