----, OLD SAM
    by Julia Munro

JUEL ID/KEY: P47548
Old Sam (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 (1822-1827), "Young Sam" or "Sam jr." (1823, 1825, 1826), Simon (1823, 1825, 1827), and William (1823, 1824). 
 
The following entries record Old Sam's work at the University (listed in chronological order):

  • "General Exp. Dft. to A. S. B. for hire of Sam to cover the buildings with Tin from 25 Sept. last at 20$ p[er] m[onth] ASB boarding him - $80" (January 9, 1822)
  • "Building Acct. draft to A. S. B. for hire of workman Same from 25 Jan: to this date at $19 per month board included 152$ [left margin indicates Hotel AA $66, Hotel CC $10, Pav[ilion] 7 $25, Pav[ilion] 5 + 8 $5]" (September 25, 1822)
  • "Hand hire draft of Sam from Dec. 15th to October 1st, making 9 months after deducting. . .$19 per month including his board $171.00" (September 16, 1823)
  • "Building expenses credit to A. S. Brockenbrough for hire of Old Sam & William from the 1st to 16 Oct a[t] 10 p[er] m[onth] - $10" (November 27, 1824)
  • "Sundries draft to A.S.B. building expenses for his hire of Sam, Davey + Young Sam for building stables. . .from 30 Sept a[t] 10$ per month each - $30" (December 30, 1825)  
  • "Building expenses Draft to A. S. Brockenbrough for hire of Sam, Davey + Young Sam From 1 January to 1 April at 10$ per month each 50 - Memorandum Davey + Sam quited work on the 11th April but as Davey was at work for SB a part of his time have only. . .$90"  (April 27,1826)
  • "To A. S. Brockenbrough for hire of Old Sam 1 day $12.50" (January 3, 1827)

 
 
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 
 
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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