In a message dated 10/19/08 12:50:13 PM, [email protected] writes: > Actually, these tri-racial people were not the descendents of slaves, but > of > free blacks. Many folks do not know that the first blacks were treated as > indentured servants and released; one even imported white indentured > servants from Europe. It took most of a century to evolve our "peculiar > institution" of chattel slavery. At first, "slaves" could be white, black, > or Indian, and could be released after a term of servitude. > > Roy Johnson > Yes, Roy. It could have also happened in the mix of Irish and African slaves in the Caribbean. I never knew about Irish slaves till I started questioning the phrase in my own early RI Quaker tree. Background: A household member of the Quaker Slocum family of Rhode Island and Dartmouth, Massachusetts who was reportedly purchased as a slave and ended up marrying the master's son was "Lady" Elephel Fitzgerald (b. ca 1664 Ireland-1748, Massachusetts): A snippet: The "children stolen," "maidens pressed," and political prisoners from England were in great demand in the American Colonies and many women were brought who were "young, handsome and well-recommended for their virtuous education and demeanour, and were sold as wives to the planters fetching from one hundred and twenty to three hundred and fifty pounds of tobacco, i.e., from £18 to £52 sterling. Source: Slocum, Charles Elihu. A SHORT HISTORY OF THE SLOCUMS, SLOCUMBS, AND SLOCOMBS OF AMERICA. Genealogical and Biographical. [1882] Syracuse, NY, page 56. A friend challenged me on the term "slave." I found out that indeed, many Irish were slaves in every sense of the word. Do a google search for " Irish Slaves Caribbean" or "Irish Slaves" A snippet from one: There was no racial consideration or discrimination, you were either a freeman or a slave, but there was aggressive religious discrimination, with the Pope considered by all English Protestants to be the enemy of God and civilization, and all Catholics heathens and hated. Irish Catholics were not considered to be Christians. On the other hand, the Irish were literate, usually more so than the plantation owners, and thus were used as house servants, account keepers, scribes and teachers. But any infraction was dealt with the same severity, whether African or Irish, field worker or domestic servant. Floggings were common, and if a planter beat an Irish slave to death, it was not a crime, only a financial loss, and a lesser loss than killing a more expensive African. Parliament passed the Act to Regulate Slaves on British Plantations in 1667, designating authorized punishments to include whippings and brandings for slave offenses against a Christian. Irish Catholics were not considered Christians, even if they were freemen. The planters quickly began breeding the comely Irish women, not just because they were attractive, but because it was profitable, as well as pleasurable. Children of slaves were themselves slaves, and although an Irish woman may become free, her children were not. Naturally, most Irish mothers remained with their children after earning their freedom. Planters then began to breed Irish women with African men to produce more slaves who had lighter skin and brought a higher price. The practice became so widespread that in 1681, legislation was passed “forbidding the practice of mating Irish slave women to African slave men for the purpose of producing slaves for sale.” This legislation was not the result of any moral or racial consideration, but rather because the practice was interfering with the profits of the Royal African Company! It is inter esting to note that from 1680 to 1688, the Royal African Company sent 249 shiploads of slaves to the Indies and American Colonies, with a cargo of 60,000 Irish and Africans. More than 14,000 died during passage." link: http://www.giftofireland.com/IrishSlaves.htm http://www.kavanaghfamily.com/articles/2003/20030618jfc.htm ------------------ This same SLOCUM family of Dartmouth Quakers educated and freed a slave named Kofi who became known as Cuffe SLOCUM. Cuffe's freeborn son, (born to him and his Native American wife), rejected the SLOCUM name to become Paul Cuffe. http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/cuffe-paul-sr-1759-1817 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Cuffe Maureen Mead [email protected] SC CTGenWeb Project: CTGenWeb.org My grandmother, Eva May Poole (Pettypoole)>Elizabeth Poole>Demarcus R. Poole> Maiden Seay Pace>Stephen Pace>etc. ************** New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)