| Name | Age | Color or Race | Sex | Role in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esq. Thomas Collins | Male | trustee of grantor | ||
| Jeremiah Devan | Male | other | ||
| [not stated] Burns | Male | other | ||
| Sarah Burns | Female | grantor | ||
| Jack | Black ("negro") | Male | enslaved | |
| Peter | Black ("negro") | Male | enslaved | |
| Betty | Black ("negro") | Female | enslaved | |
| Barbara | Black ("negro") | Female | enslaved | |
| Winney | Black ("negro") | Female | enslaved |
Marriage Contract, Indenture. Sarah Burns, widow, and Jeremiah E. Devan of Windsor, Bertie , intend to marry. Sarah owns land, houses, “Negros” and other property that she was given as a Dower when she married her deceased husband James Burns. She also expects to inherit from her deceased father [not stated]. In this document, Sarah gives title to all her property, including any that she may acquire during her marriage, to Trustee Thomas Collins, Esq. Collins is to “permit and suffer her the said Sarah Burns to receive and enjoy the rents, Issues and profits of every kind from or out of the Negros or other of the Estate…”. To make the point further, Sarah reserves the right to control the property as if she were “sole”, even after the marriage, and Jeremiah Devan pledges that he won’t interfere with her property. Five enslaved people are specifically named: Jack, Peter, Betty, Barbara, Winney, but there is no further information about their ages or relationships. The document was signed September 7, 1795 and presented in Court November 1795. The parties note that it is the twentieth year of American independence, and they apparently don’t understand the irony.
