Record of Enslaved Individuals from the Estate of John L. Millard

Collection — Box: GTM Shared Box 45, Folder: 27

Identifier: GTM-20250620

Request

Scope and Contents

This ledger provides a record of enslaved persons hired out from the estate of John Lewis Millard (misspelled on this document as Milliard) in Leonardtown, St. Mary’s County. Titled "Servants belonging to the Estate of John L. Milliard the year 1845 and to whom hired and for what amounts," the document lists each hirer's name, the names of the enslaved individuals, and amounts allowed or owed.

Notably, several entries show a woman named Ginnie who either "hires herself" or "supports herself." These phrases indicate that she may have entered into her own labor arrangements and made payments directly to her enslaver--a practice sometimes referred to as "self-hire." Further, the ledger occasionally records sums "allowed" to hirers (viz., O. B. Brooke), reflecting deductions granted for specific individuals.

Dates

Creation: 1845 - 1852

Conditions Governing Access

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials in this collection are in the public domain. Permission to publish or reproduce is not required.

Historical Note

See more See less

John Lewis Millard (1789-1836) married Symphorosa Hill (1785-1830) in 1826, with whom he had one child Symphorosa "Rosa" Hill Millard (1829-1919). After her parents died in the 1830s, Rosa inherited at least three estates in St. Mary’s County: "Prospect Hill" (overlooking Breton Bay), "Woodbury" (formerly owned by her father’s sisters), and "Rosedale" (now part of Greenwell State Park). The 1850 census lists Rosa under the same family number as Mary Millard (86) and Catharine Millard (70) and in the same dwelling as O. B. Brooke (45), who may have served as a guardian along with Rosa's nearby relatives.

The uniform handwriting suggests the records were copied from another source, possibly in 1852 when Rosa had reached her legal majority and also married Francis Constantine Neale (1829-1895). The contents of the ledger may have been useful for managing her future household finances across at least three estates. Rosa remained in St. Mary’s County with her husband and children through at least 1870, after which she relocated to Baltimore by 1880.

Marylu Hill--the donor of this collection and the great, great, great, great granddaughter of Millard--notes that a family document describes John Lewis Millard as "a good Catholic ... and very pious, naming his children for the saint on whose day they were born, irrespective of euphony, and he also encouraged if not demanded the same custom among his slaves." It is therefore possible that birth months and days can be surmised for the names of the enslaved found within this ledger.