Ann Savage seeks the emancipation of Susan Savage and Susan's four children. She states that in 1786 "your oratrix, wishing to emancipate a small negro Girl named Susan Savage, one of whose parents had belonged to your oratrixs family, advanced the Sum of Twenty Pounds Sterling to Susan Ellis a free Black and the Grandmother of the said Child Susan, for the sole purpose of purchasing the freedom of the said Susan from her master the late John Scot." She avows that the said Ellis instead "procured an absolute Bill of Sale to herself from the said John Scot of the said child Susan Savage and that this was done, either with the intention at some future time to emancipate the said child herself, or with the dishonest and unnatural purpose of frustrating the good intentions of your oratrix and enslaving her own Grandchild." Noting that Ellis died without freeing Susan, Ann cites that Ellis's son and administrator, Samuel Savage, "promised to have the necessary Deeds drawn to secure their freedom to his Daughter and to her said Children," but died before doing so; she also charges that Susan and her son Thomas labored for Samuel for fifteen years. Ann Savage, on behalf of Susan and her four children, thus prays that Thomas Raine, administrator of Samuel's estate, be compelled to emancipate the slave family and that "some compensation may be made to the said Susan Savage for her work and labour for so many years expended for the said Samuel, and for that of her said Son Thomas." A commissioner's report notes that "the said Susan served the said Saml Savage in the capacity of a Servant for Fifteen years altho' a free woman and that it is but reasonable she should be rewarded for the Same," recommending "that the Sum of Forty Dollars per annum for the term of fifteen years be allowed."
Or you may view all people.
Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
