A Guide to the Virginia Central Railroad Slave Rental Receipt, 1855-1857 #Ms2015-043

Special Collections, Virginia Tech

Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
USA
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Email: specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/

Processed by: Ryan Mair, Special Collections

Abstract

This collection contains a slave rental receipt issued by the Virginia Central Railroad Company in 1855 to Mrs. Elisabeth S. Lindsay. The receipt promises a payment of $175 to Lindsay after the one year rental period for the work of the slave, a man named Isaac, ends.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Virginia Central Railroad Company Slave Rental Receipt must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Virginia Central Railroad Company Slave Rental Receipt, Ms2015-043, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Virginia Central Railroad Company Slave Rental Receipt was purchased by Special Collections in 2014.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Virginia Central Railroad Company Slave Rental Receipt was completed in July 2015.

Historical Note

The Virginia Central Railroad Company started as the Louisa Railroad Company. Formed in 1836, the Louisa Railroad Company built several railroad lines in south and central Virginia. In 1850, the company name was changed to the Virginia Central Railroad Company. The company's trains and tracks became vital to the Confederacy during the Civil War, transporting men and supplies throughout Virginia. Most of the rail lines belonging to the Virginia Central Railroad Company were destroyed by order of Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Phillip Sheridan. Although heavily damaged at the end of the Civil War, the railroad was rebuilt and fully operational by the end of 1865. The Virginia Central Railroad Company merged with the Covington and Ohio Railroad in 1868 to form the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.

Scope and Content

This collection contains a receipt from the Virginia Central Railroad Company for the rental of a male slave named Isaac. The receipt is a check-sized form made out to Mrs. Elisabeth S. Lindsay. The receipt promises to pay Mrs. Lindsay $175 in exchange for Isaac's work as a slave during the year of 1856. The document also states that money is to be paid after the first day of January 1857 and that the railroad must return Isaac with a hat and blanket and be "well clothed ". The receipt is signed by E. Fontaine, president of the Virginia Central Railroad Company. The back of the document bares the signature of Lindsay and states that the sum was paid out on January 15, 1857.