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Preferred Citation

Templeman and Goodwin Slave Dealers Account Book, 1849-1951, Accession #11036, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Templeman and Goodwin account book was purchased by the Library from Bauman Rare Books of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 20, 1992.

Biographical/Historical Information

William H. Goodwin (1796-1864?) resided in the city of Richmond (Henrico County); according to the census of 1850, he was an unmarried fifty-four year-old native Virginian who owned $5,000.00 worth of real estate and listed his occupation as "trader." He owned thirteen slaves between the ages of two and forty. According to one source, Goodwin died on April 12, 1864, and was buried at Richmond's Shockoe Hill Cemetery. [Seventh U. S. Census, 1850, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia, November 28, 1850, p. 819 (handwritten); 1850 Slave Census, Richmond, November 21, 1850, p. 643; William L. Montague, The Richmond Directory And Business Advertiser For 1852 (Richmond, 1852), p. 58; Alice Bohmer Rudd, Shockoe Hill Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia: Register of Internments April 10, 1822-December 31, 1950 In Two Volumes: Volume Two: January 1, 1851-December 31, 1950 (Washington, D. C.: A. Bohmer Rudd, 1962), p. 72.]

H. N. Templeman (1804-?), also a Richmond resident, is described in the census of 1860 as a fifty-six year-old native Virginian who resided in the city with his wife and children. Templeman listed his occupation as "Negro Trader" and owned six slaves between the ages one and twenty. [Seventh U. S. Census, 1860, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia, July 16, 1860, p. 516; 1860 Slave Census, 3rd Ward, Richmond, July 13, 1860, p. 65; Montague, Richmond Directory And Business Advertiser , p. 121.]

Templeman and Goodwin were based in Richmond, and their firm's location on the James River made it ideal for the slave trade.

Scope and Content Information

This item is a manuscript ledger account book, with entries in ink and pencil, 1849-1851, of two Richmond, Virginia, slave dealers, William H. Goodwin and H.N. Templeman. The majority of the pages are blank.

Templeman and Goodwin were based in Richmond, and their firm's location on the James River made it ideal for the slave trade. In their account book they enter the date, the name of the slave bought, and sometimes the age and the price paid. On the right side they enter the date of sale, the name of the buyer and the price received.

A typical entry under the headline "A list of Negroes taken South by H. N. Templeman on account of Templeman & Goodwin" reads: "Sept. 2, 1850: Betty and child Mary. [ages] 27 & 4. [$]625.00/Oct. 8th Sold to J. D. Baldwin 1000.00; Caroline & 2 child[ren] Geo[rge] & Elmora. [$]800.00/Dec. 2 Sold to Mathew Tidwell 2250.00." At intervals the amounts were totalled on each side and the profit divided between the two partners. On other pages are accounts for "Negroes swaped," or exchanged, for other slaves as well as the costs of conducting the business, cash put in, and other company matters. One such entry, dated November 15, 1849, reads: "H. N. Templeman expences to Georgia and back to Richmond with thirty three negroes [$]298.50."

"A list of Negroes taken South by H. N. Templeman on account of Templeman & Goodwin" indicates that in September 1850 Templeman procured thirty-eight slaves valued at $9,482.00. This trip's expenses (horses, mules, wagons, harnesses) totalled $1,150.00 but the firm sold these slaves for $12,390.00.

The last pages of this volume contain entries for cash sent to Goodwin during October, November and December of 1850 and January, February, April and May of 1851; Goodwin's 1849-1850 accounts with Templeman in addition to debts owed to the two men, including John Cock's debts owed to Templeman; and, an entry indicating the sale of a slave named Granville for $975.00 on January 14, 1851.

Of special interest are slaves bearing surnames, and as this information may be of particular interest to African-American history and genealogical research these are listed below:

"Cost of Negroes Taken South by Goodwin & Templeman," 1849 Nov.
George Savage, James Claborne, George Stephens, Lansen Surles, James Carter, Ephram Edwards, Lansen Coleman, Lucy Ann, George Randolph, Allen Lawrence, George Carter, George Fantleroy, George Washington, Marca Goodwin, Summer Doswell, Mary Ballard, Lawsen Harrison[?]

"Negroes swaped for"
1850 Oct. 15 Jane Matilda; 1850 Nov. 16 Mary Austin

"Negroes bought and Sold by Goodwin & Templeman"
1850 Feb. 8 Phillip Ross, Susan Johnson

"A list of Negroes taken South by H. N. Templeman on account of Templeman & Goodwin"
1850 Sep. 2 Mary Coleman, Mary Bosi[?], Susan Parker, Dolly Ann, Susan Cocke, Henry Davis