Elizabeth Taylor opened the door for black women today, she was one of many unknown stepping stones in our American history. She represented the courage, strength, determination and all while proving that a woman of African decent was more than capable of being a respectable, free citizen, of the country she grew to love, and herself *personally represented.
Elizabeth Taylor
b. abt. 1800 ~ d. 1842
I remember clearly the afternoon that I learned about my Great 3rd Grandmother, however, at the time I only wondered if there was any relation or not. After all, my fathers family came from Charleston SC. and this cleaver women and he do share the same surname. But whether or not, there was a connection. I was instantly intrigued!
Larry Koger's book, Black Slave Owners mentioned briefly that Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor,was pursuing legal methods in order to keep her slave husband out of the hands of the Charlestons City officials and pro~slavery holders. As a legislative function, the number of manumitted slaves sharply declined. In 1822, for example, the State Legislature granted only 6 out of 22 petitions for emancipation. The majority of free blacks who owned slave relatives and friends were adversely affected by the act of 1820.1
This meant that f.p.c. would be forced to own the ones they loved and pay a head tax on themselves and also their slave family members. Although the benevolent slave holder would have to report their slave as chattel, they would no dought treat them as kinfolk.
Free blacks would often align themselves to trusted powerful white friends, in order to further their own meager lives and their loved ones ,they often asked there powerful and influential friends to become trustees of their enslaved loved ones in order to protect the possible bargaining, exchanging or selling of their slaves after their death. Elizabeth Taylor does just that she submitted an application to the Court of Equity.
Old State House
Thru a great deal of personal research, I have found that Elizabeth used all possible resources given to her for the time in which she had lived. The Antebellum years. 1789~to 1861.
On paper, there appeared to be no room for black women to engage in a debate about the nature of their rights. The law gave enslaved persons no such authority, and S.C.'s "free people of color" occupied a tenuous legal space. It is true that their marriages to other free persons were legal; they could purchase, sell, and bequeath property; lend money at interet, and work for wages.1) Elizabeth, however, was not married to a "free person of color" but to an enslaved man Abraham Taylor, also known as Abram Wilson. This would have complicated things quite a lot, if not having a spouse that was well esteemed. Out of necessity an alliance was made with a white influential ally, that was well known and respected within the community.
The success of the household would therefore fall completely onto Elizabeth herself. There were 60 (Women of African descent) out of 267 (Women of African descent) that were heads of households in 1790. This statistic, I hope helps put a defined perspective on her life in Charleston during the 1820~40's. I'm quite sure it would have been the desire of Elizabeth to free her very own "beloved husband" Abram from the bonds of slavery, but in 1820 the State Legislature passed a statute which banned personal manumission in South Carolina. According to the act of 1820, slaveholders could not legally manumit their slaves without the consent of both House and the State Assembly. In order to obtain the permission of the legislature, the slave masters petitioned the State Assembly to issue a proclamation of emancipation which would free their faithful servants. Yet obtaining the permission of the legislator was a difficult task because most of the assemblymen believed that there were far too many freed slaves and descendants of freed slaves in the state. As a consequence, few slaves were manumitted by the State Legislature. In my ongoing pursuit to know and understand Elizabeth, I hope to research all the manumission request possible, that would pertain to Elizabeth and *any of her family members.
Until then I'm going with the documents I have found. According to her family papers I obtained from the SC. Secretary of State. Abram was deemed a slave. By 1830 the laws were that of "if the owner" without a formal act of emancipation permits his slave to go at large and to exercise all the rights and enjoy all the privileges of a "free person of color" the slave becomes liable to seizure as a derelict 3) This was surely put into place to give the city an option to claim the person acting as a "fpc". The very best behavior would always be the utmost important, otherwise an impound could be justified in their minds.
Could you imagine the burden Elizabeth had in knowing her own husband was a "nominal" slave and the daily fear Abraham had, knowing that at any time while walking, entering shops and dealing in business transactions, a white pro~slavery individual could ask to see his papers or "free badge". Life was a constant gamble at ever turn.Slavery having been a traditional habit in the south, slave masters we're known to emancipate their slaves upon their deathbeds. I've read endless will's where slaveholders attempted to do just that, free their slave or slaves, I'd imagine at an attempt to right their wrongs. Most of these slaves, were women and their mulatto children. But by 1800 it became almost impossible to emancipate a slave, due to the fear of uprising of free colored persons...[i.e.1822 Charleston Sc, Denmark Vessey]
Here below, Elizabeth Taylor clearly did not trust that a Will would secure her husbands freedom, so she had pursued the best possible coarse there was. I found she did not leave a Will. She did, however, as an astute black women, set up an elaborate plan of action thru Trustees and lawyers, and relied heavily on State legislative laws to secure her husbands freedom. I do believe she herself was born free, due to the fact that she was not actively pursuing the continued freedom of her children or herself.
Some black slaveholders did not think that their trustees would honor the agreements, and so they established intricate provisions within the trusts to protect their loved ones. Elizabeth created an elaborate provision in her trust to protect Abram!
Guardian Bonds
Rev. Christopher Pansin, of
St. Phillips Church
 |
| The 1836 Provision I've done my best in transcribing these papers...I'm going to have to re~ transcribe them with some historical paper/book helps. But for now it will do. These (..........) portions are un~scribed. |
In the trust, Elizabeth stated:
I the said Elizabeth Taylor shall have the use and enjoy the services of the said Mulatto fellow Abram Taylor for and during my natural life and it is herein and hereby expressly agreed and understood that the sum of five Dollars to me paid annually shall be in full fair and equivalent compensation for the said use and service of the said Abram Taylor and after my death for the use and benefit of Rev. Gentleman...Rector of St. Phillips Church...the said Christopher Pansin...shall not require or compel that said Abram Taylor to pay more than two Dollars a year wages nor shall they the said Trustees...attempt by an application to the Court of Equity or by any legal provision whatsoever to sell barter or exchange the said Abram Taylor nor shall they or either of them attempt to send or force the said Abram Taylor to leave or remove from this City or State unless it is truly his own desire and with his own consent...
But should the said Christopher Pansin trustee aforesaid his heirs Executors or Administrator or any other person whomsoever...the said trust and Limitations and all the Interest hereby Conveyed or intended to be conveyed shall cause and determine and the said Abram Taylor Shall pass to and be held in trust by the Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church.... 2.)
I've ordered and transcribed:
The State of South Carolina
Know all men by these .......... that I Elizabeth Taylor a free person of color of the City of Charleston and in the state ........ ....... for and in Consideration of the sum of five dollars ...... me in hand paid at and before the ............ and delivery of these presents and for ................ other good causes and ......... hand .................... ............. assigned .......... ......... and by these presents........ bargain sell assign ........... the mulatto fellow called Abram Wilson ........... in fact named Abram Taylor who I purchased from Mr. Peter Drege and Company unto Christipher Pansin ..............and to his heir....... and Admors in trust ........ the .........and to and for the .......... here in after expressed that is to say that I the said Elizabeth Taylor shall have the use and enjoy services of the said mulatto fellow Abram Taylor for and during my natural life and it is herein and hereby expressly agreed and understood that the sum of five dollars {to} me paid annually shall be in full fair and equalant compensation for the said use and service of the said Abram Taylor and after my death for the use and benefit of Rev. Gentleman .......... rector of St. Phillips Church in the City of Charleston and in the State a for said ........ and ....... in office upon the express condition that the said Christipher Panis the trustee afor said and the said ......... ........ ......... shall not require or compell the said Abram Taylor to pay ........ ..........$? dollars a year ........ shall they .......said trustee or .......... ........ attempt ........ ....... application to the court of equity or by any legal procing whatsoever to sell barter or exchange the said abram Taylor ........ shall they or ........ of them attempt by to send or force the said Abram Taylor to leave or remove from the said city or state ..... is to by his own desire and with his own constent and that ? only? .......... the condition of his ........ to some? other state where by the ....... of ........ state he shall be manumitted and set free any thing? here? to this country? notwithstanding. But should the said Christipher Pansin trustee aforsaid ......... hereis executors or administrators or any other person whomsoever appointed trustee in his or then stead? or the said ............. or ........... any one of his successors shall attempt to do any set whatsoever ........... .......... or annaul ........................... ........................................ the said ..................and limitation and all the interest hereby conveyed or intended to be conveyed shall ........ and determined and the said Abram Taylor shall pass to and be held in trust by the Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diouse of the State of South Carolina and his sucessor in office who shall recieve his .......... of ten dollars a year and appropriate the said wages to Christopher Pansin and the said Bishop Shall hold the said Abram Taylor .......... the same ................... limitation ......... as are here in before set forth ........... mentioned in withness wherefor I have here unto set my hand and seal this the fifteenth day of June in the year of the Led One Thusand eight hundred and thirty six and in the Sixtenth year of the soverenty Independance of the United States of America .
Sighned Sealed and Delivered
Elizabeth Taylor
When Elizabeth Taylor made her trust, she was aware that her trustees could violate their agreements and sell Abram Taylor or my not have enough clout themsevles within in the Charleston community.. In order to further ensure the freedom of her beloved husband, she requested that an alternative trustee (original trustee unknown, possible Amos Baxter *fpc himself) should take possession of Abram Taylor, if the original trustees failed to honor their commitments. On the whole, this trust permitted Abram Taylor to interact as a free man of color as long as the document was honored by the trustees.
In the antebellum era, it was not unusual for "nominal" slaves to approach free blacks and request them to serve as their agents to purchase their freedom. Usually a slave worked in his spare time to earn the capital to facilitate the purchase. 3.)
Although many free blacks did everything in their power as parents and grandparents to free their kinfolk, they were not always able to obtain their dream of doing so. In 1800 South Carolina's state assembly passed a new statute that narrowed individual manumissions. One could not free a slave unless the manumit could prove the slave was capable of supporting themselves, The slave then would have needed to be skilled in a trade or have a role within the social providence.
Skilled Slaves and Free Persons of Color
It's likely that the kinfolk that Elizabeth purchased would have been apprenticed out in order to learn a particular trade, that being if they were under age, or unskilled at the time of her purchase. I have found several records of slaves that Elizabeth purchases, and will present these in part 2. along with a more intimate view of Elizabeth (Eliza) Taylor.
Elizabeth had taken a great risk at every turn.She must have been a women of a strong constitution. Her responsibilities, would have been a great weight for her to have had carried. And the daily life was always a reminder that she was a person of lesser class. Taxes must be paid on all individual slaves, and penalties were unforgiving to blacks.
If she was unable to pay taxes on her slave or slaves. The slave, was to be seized and sold to pay that or any other dept. During this time, if her slaves posed any threat, rebelled or accounted a white person unfavorable, her slave could be taken in by the marshal of the city, and placed back into slavery. There was always, a fine line one would have to tow. Having purchased her family, she put her own reputation at a high risk and her own prosperity. No doubt though, she would have gladly done all that she did for the ones she loved.) Living in the Southern States it was an essential to behave a certain way for a negro free or in bondage.
While doing research on the Parris family of Charleston County, I found a women that was petitioning the state to allow her and her young children to return into slavery. She was unable to pay the taxes on herself and her small children. This was not uncommon, and likely on the mind of Elizabeth at every turn. She had to have been of a strong mind. Her reputation would have been a huge factor within Charleston. She would have been dependent upon the white community. Herself, family members and other black friends would work either in the homes of the white elite or owned shops themselves (I *believe Elizabeth was a confectioner or pasty maker by trade and my have owed her own shop on the neck of Charleston City) or along other free persons of color, but relied heavily upon the patronage of white costumers. Abram Taylor, Elizabeth's husband was a tailor and a shoemaker. (I believe in the shop owned by a black man, Mr. Abraham Parris) And if the economic static of the white patronage dropped this could greatly affect and reduce their business, opening the possibility of un payed bills and the threat of a take over of their slaves, their own loved ones. Abram in this case was one of Elizabeth's own slaves, being that he was only a "nominal slave".
Taylor Family home.
Life in Charleston in the early 1800's was going to change the lives off all black free persons and slaves alike.
The statute of 1820 by the state legislature was a great hardship on free blacks, the opinion of the state legislature was that the free colored population was growing to rapidly and could pose a threat to the way of life in Charleston and the safety of the white community. During the second "Great Awakening" some white Charleston slaveholders had freed their slaves after their own great repentance and deep conversion. I will at some point put to light those that did free their slaves and righted a great wrong!
Second Great Awakening
Giving honor, where honor is due!
Bishop Francis Asbury
Free blacks, like Mrs. Elizabeth were required to petition the state assembly to manumit their
This is an early Census that I will be reviewing...Elizabeth Taylor's name is down on the 4th row.
I hope I have given a base of Elizabeth and the City of Charleston.
In part 2 & 3 I pope to bring out the personal side of Elizabeth (Eliza) Taylor and her Husband Abram Wilson/Taylor.
I'm currently reviewing the legal papers of Mrs.Taylor. There is a court case involving Isaac W. Taylor & Anna Williams (Anna is the widow of Abram Jr. and daughter in~law of Abram and Elizabeth Taylor, )
She purchased several slaves.......
......... and, I need to review and sort out there relationship's to her, before putting the records on this blog. Also Abram and Elizabeth's children later became part of the Talented Tenth, within the Republican Party.
On a more personal note it's been quite a journey to have reached back to meet my (our) 3 Great Grandmother, when my own grandparents had passed on before me, long before I was born. I hope I have given a glimpse into the life of Elizabeth Taylor and a bit into Abram Taylor's life. My has focusing on Elizabeth Taylor born abt. 1798, butI wonder about her birth place. At this point there are a few possibilities Virginia, SC, or France;however, there can only be one!
Please leave a comment!
Felissa Velvet :)
1.) Larry Koger "buying my children".
2.) Forging Freedom
3) H. Bailey,ed., report of cases argued and determined in the court of appeals of SC vol. 11
3.) Teaching American History in South Carolina
4.) Miscellaneous Records vol. 5R 1835-1837 (Secretary of State)
5.) Black slaveowners Larry Koger
