----, Jack
by Julia Munro
JUEL ID/KEY: P47547
Jack (last name unknown), adult male.
Arthur Spice Brockenbrough (A.S.B.) (P43627) was Proctor of the University of Virginia from 1819 to 1831. In this position, particularly during the years of the academical village's construction, he was frequently part of early transactions in hiring slaves, as detailed in his own records in the Proctor's Daybook. Most of the transactions detail his hiring slaves on behalf of the university, while some record payments to overseers involved in procuring slaves for labor. Numerous entries were recorded in his Daybook from 1822 through 1827, involving the slaves Aaron (1826-7), Davey (1823, 1825-7), Dick (1827), "hands" (CB0931) (1825), "Harry of A. S. B." (1822), Henry (1822, 1827), "Jack of A. S. B." (1827), John (1827), Moses (1825), Ned (1827), Reubin (1825-6), "Old Sam" or Sam (P47548) (1822-1827), "Young Sam" or "Sam jr." (1823, 1825, 1826), Simon (1823, 1825, 1827), and William (1823, 1824).
The following entry regarding Jack is worded as Jack "of A. S. Brockenbrough" - suggesting, perhaps, his working directly for Brockenbrough.
- "Labour acct. draft Bills Payable for hire of the following laborers this year - Jack of A. S. Brockenbrough to attend about [the] Laboratory, Library, etc. - $50" (January 1, 1827)
Information found in the Chairman's Journal, contemporaneous to this reference in the Proctor's Daybook, mention a Jack that seems quite likely to be one and the same person. In Session 5 of the Chairman's Journal, October 11, 1828, the following information can be found:
- "Dr. Emmet(P43625) complained that he was unable to have the services of Jack(P47547) to clean out his Laboratory when he wished in consequence his being employed, according to Jack’s statement, in private personal attendance in Dr. Johnson(P43633). An Inquiry was made of the Proctor(P43627) concerning the matter who returned the following answer. The Proctor's answer to this complaint:
Sir, In reply to your verbal communication of this morning, I beg leave to state I consider Jack(P47547) as hired to the University for this year [as per the Proctor's Daybook entry, above] and as the servant designated to attend on the Lecture Rooms, the Library etc. I have not called on or assigned to him any other business during the year. Dr Johnson has presently expressed a wish to have the services of Jack for the use of the Anat. Hall and for his own private use, he paying half the hire. I have always told him no arrangement of the sort could be entered into until Jack’s place could be filled in attending on the Rotunda Lecture Rooms and Library - A Brockenbrough. P.
Another instance in the Chairman's Journal also refers to Jack, dated November 14 and 15, 1828:
- "The Proctor(P43627) sent a note this morning complaining “that the servant, Jack(P47547), could not perform his other Duties, if he had to call at all the different Pavilions for wood to make fires in the Lecture rooms” securing that the Faculty would make some arrangement on this subject by which the task could be easier.
Nov. 15. Informed the Proctor(P43627) was told to consider it as the Duty of Jack(P47547) to make the fire, but that the wood must be sent by the Professor themselves, until some further arrangement was made by the Faculty."
PRIMARY SOURCE INFORMATION
1. References to the Individual in the JUEL Digitized Transcripts
(Links below are to JUEL's full-text digital transcripts of primary sources that refer to the individual. If no links display, this indicates that either the JUEL digitized texts have not yet been tagged with the individual's ID/Key, or, that no reference is made to the individual in any JUEL digitized texts, or, that the primary source has not yet been digitized).
Proctor's Daybook=NOT YET DIGITIZED
Chairman's Journal, Session 5, 1828-9
2. Library Call Numbers/Bibliographic Records
Proctor's Daybook [Manuscript], 1821-1828. Special Collections, University of Virginia Library. RG-5/3/2.102
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