How many more were there?

 

This is Silas Burke’s property tax record for 1832, the first year in which he acknowledged owning a human being outright. He had reported joint ownership, with his brother Levi, of as many as three enslaved people from 1824 to 1826.

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In 1832 Silas listed a single enslaved person who had reached the age of 12 but was not yet 16. This supports the conclusion that Fenton turned 12 in 1832, making him 6 years old when Silas Burke bought him in 1826.

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Property owners weren't required to count slaves younger than 12.

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Take me back to the document library.

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