Jervey, Waring & White

Jervey, Waring, & White was a slave auction and brokerage firm in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, operating mainly in the 1830s through the 1850s, prior to the American Civil War. The partners facilitated what is believed to be the largest individual sale of enslaved people in U.S. history, one of them being Alonzo White, another being Morton Waring.[1]

Origins

Originally founded in 1828 as Jervey, Blake, and Waring, it was one of Charleston's most prominent slave trading firms in the antebellum period. It was founded by James Jervey, John Blake, and Morton A. Waring, a son-in-law of Paul Hamilton. They were headquartered on 20 Broad Street, now 24 Broad Street, in downtown Charleston. Jervey, Waring, & White conducted public auctions and private sales of enslaved Africans on commission. They regularly advertised in the Charleston Courier and sold captured individuals as well.[2]

Largest slave auction in U.S. history

On February 24, 1835, the firm placed an advertisement in the Charleston Courier announcing the public sale of 600 enslaved people. This group was described as "accustomed to the culture of rice" and including skilled laborers such as drivers, carpenters, coopers, and boatmen. This sale was held near the Customs House and is regarded as the largest slave auction in US history.[3][4]

Legacy

Their building at 24 Broad Street saw continued commercial use even after the American Civil War and was owned by the Charleston Savings Institution around 1885, Exchange Banking and Trust Company (from 1922), and American Mutual Fire Insurance Company (from 1947), before being purchased by private owners in 1989.[5]

References

  1. ^ Lauren Davila & College of Charleston research, https://today.charleston.edu/2024/01/29/graduate-student-discovers-historic-accounting
  2. ^ Public Memory of the Domestic Slave Trade in Charleston, South Carolina Street by Lauren Davila, https://avery.charleston.edu/public-memory-of-the-domestic-slave-trade-in-charleston-south-carolina-street-by-lauren-davila/
  3. ^ Anne C. Bailey, The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2017)
  4. ^ Charleston Courier, December 13, 1831; January 16, 1834; April 4, 1845; February 24, 1835; July 10, 1840; April 17, 1845; April 29, 1845
  5. ^ Charleston County, South Carolina, Register of Deeds, Book P31 Page 058; Book P47 Page 302; Book A60 Page 467
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.