Whaleboat Escape from Northampton County, Virginia, 1832

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Rosenberg, Alexandra, 2021, "Whaleboat Escape from Northampton County, Virginia, 1832", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/IZC1PB, Harvard Dataverse, V1, UNF:6:TEl0Enb7rHp/KR3+t9DcjQ== [fileUNF]

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Description	In July 1832, seventeen fugitives from slavery and one free Black man stole a whaleboat and fled Northampton County, Virginia, with the goal of attaining freedom in New York City. The dataset contains the names of the eighteen freedom-seekers who stole the whaleboat, the names of their enslavers, and the locations of properties owned by the enslavers at which the freedom-seekers likely lived and worked. The place-names utilized in the transcribed census records illustrate the importance of water access on the cultural landscape of Virginia Eastern Shore’s and suggest that the freedom-seekers’ decision to run away using a small watercraft was influenced by their familiarity with maritime culture and material culture. This data set highlights a large coordinated water-based escape, sheds light on the names of several free Black residents of Northampton County, and illustrates a kinship network of free and enslaved Black individuals across the lower Delmarva (DE-MD-VA) peninsula. Although fourteen of the eighteen freedom-seekers were re-captured in New York and returned to Virginia, only four were formally tried at an Oyer and Terminer court.
Subject	Arts and Humanities
Keyword	Slavery, Northampton County, Virginia, New York, New York
Related Publication	This data has been described in the following data article: Alexandra Rosenberg, "Whaleboat Escape from Northampton County, Virginia, 1832," Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 2, no. 3 (2021). https://doi.org/10.25971/BFAS-G668.
License/Data Use Agreement	Custom Dataset Terms

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Citation Metadata

Persistent Identifier	doi:10.7910/DVN/IZC1PB
Publication Date	2021-12-31
Title	Whaleboat Escape from Northampton County, Virginia, 1832
Author	Rosenberg, Alexandra
Point of Contact	Use email button above to contact. Alexandra Rosenberg Journal of Slavery and Data Preservations (Michigan State University)
Description	In July 1832, seventeen fugitives from slavery and one free Black man stole a whaleboat and fled Northampton County, Virginia, with the goal of attaining freedom in New York City. The dataset contains the names of the eighteen freedom-seekers who stole the whaleboat, the names of their enslavers, and the locations of properties owned by the enslavers at which the freedom-seekers likely lived and worked. The place-names utilized in the transcribed census records illustrate the importance of water access on the cultural landscape of Virginia Eastern Shore’s and suggest that the freedom-seekers’ decision to run away using a small watercraft was influenced by their familiarity with maritime culture and material culture. This data set highlights a large coordinated water-based escape, sheds light on the names of several free Black residents of Northampton County, and illustrates a kinship network of free and enslaved Black individuals across the lower Delmarva (DE-MD-VA) peninsula. Although fourteen of the eighteen freedom-seekers were re-captured in New York and returned to Virginia, only four were formally tried at an Oyer and Terminer court.
Subject	Arts and Humanities
Keyword	Slavery Northampton County, Virginia New York, New York
Related Publication	This data has been described in the following data article: Alexandra Rosenberg, "Whaleboat Escape from Northampton County, Virginia, 1832," Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation 2, no. 3 (2021). https://doi.org/10.25971/BFAS-G668. “Escaping Enslavement by Whaleboat, 1832,” in The Material World of Eyre Hall: Four Centuries of Chesapeake History, edited by Carl R. Lounsbury: 132-138 (Lewes, UK: Maryland Center for History and Culture, Baltimore in association with D. Giles Limited, 2021). Alexandra Rosenberg. “Hiding in Plain Sight: Virginia Oystering and Landscapes of Abolitionism,” M.A. Thesis, University of Delaware, forthcoming.
Language	English
Depositor	Journal of Slavery and Data Preservation
Deposit Date	2021-12-11
Time Period	Start Date: 1820; End Date: 1838
Date of Collection	Start Date: 2017; End Date: 2021
Data Type	Census or Register; Criminal Document; Digital Data Repository; Newspaper; Freedom Suit
Data Source	“Affidavit of William Nottingham, Sr.” Northampton County, Virginia, October 4, 1832. Governor’s Office, Letters Received, John Floyd, Record Group 3, Library of Virginia. https://www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/deathliberty/resistance/nottingham9607c.htm.; “Case of Slavery.” New York Spectator; “Deposition of Peter S. Bowdoin.” The Commonwealth of Virginia v. Ben and others, Slaves, &c. October 4, 1832. Governor’s Office, Letters Received, John Floyd, Record Group 3, Library of Virginia. https://www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/deathliberty/resistance/bowdain062b.htm.; Northampton County Court Order Book, No. 39, 1831–1836, 249–52, 282. November 9, 1833. Reel No. 56. Microfilm. Library of Virginia. Oyer and Terminer trial of four whaleboat escapees examined and transcribed by Carl Lounsbury on Feb. 5, 2018.; Northampton County, Virginia Census Records 1820-1840. Transcribed and compiled by Allen B. Hamilton. Revised ed. Berwyn Heights, MD: Heritage Books, [2014] 2018.; Northampton County, Virginia Land Tax Records 1800-1825. Transcribed and compiled by Allen B. Hamilton. Berwyn Heights, MD: Heritage Books, 2018.; Northampton County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists 1800-1820. Transcribed and compiled by Allen B. Hamilton. Harbeson, DE: Colonial Roots, 2017.; “Northampton Petition.” Richmond Enquirer, November 11, 1831.; Waddey, Edward R. of Northampton County, Virginia Petition to General Assembly of Virginia (Requesting Payment). January 1, 1838. Petition 11683807. Abstracted by Race & Slavery Petitions Project, University of North Carolina, Greensboro from Virginia Legislative Petitions Repository at Library of Virginia. Last Updated March, 14, 2009. https://library.uncg.edu/slavery/petitions/details.aspx?pid=2762.
Origin of Historical Sources	Library of Virginia

Geospatial Metadata

Geographic Coverage	United States, Virginia, Northampton County United States, New York, New York

Journal Metadata

Journal	Volume 2 Issue 3 2021-12
Type of Article	article-commentary

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