Hoping to pick Heather's brains

[MythicalMarian]

I'm like a dog with a bone on this particular question, and just don't know where to go next. Heather - as our resident expert on Caribbean matters, may I begin by quoting from the codicil from my 4xgreat grandfather's will 13th July 1832:

'Whereas I did some years ago deposit in the hands of William Fowle Holt of the parish of Trelawney and island aforesaid, Esquire, the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds current money of Jamaica in trust for the purpose of purchasing and maintaining a slave belonging to Joseph Bowen of Salt Spring Bay in the parish of St. James, Esquire, named Margaret Tarrant according to the deed of trust made for that purpose, which sum is still in the hands of the said William Fowle Holt, now my will is that my executors do cause a valuation to be made of the said Margaret Tarrant, and also of her six children, William, Jane, Joseph, Olivia, Eliza and Henry, and also of two of the children of the said Jane, the grandchildren of the said Margaret Tarrant, all of whom are slaves of the said Joseph Bowen (one of the valuers to be appointed by the said Joseph Bowen, the other by my executors, which said valuers in the event of disagreement shall have power to appoint an umpire) and to offer to the said Joseph Bowen the full amount of the said valuation for the purpose of manumitting the said Margaret Tarrant, her children and grandchildren as aforesaid, the two hundred and fifty pounds before mentioned to form [part] of the said purchase money, and the remaining sum (whatever it may be according to the valuation as aforesaid) I will to be paid from any money, furniture or personal effects in Jamaica that I may die possessed of.'

(National Archives ref: PROB 11/1820 - Image 42 - Crown Copyright)

Apart from the fact that Her name is 'Torrent' and not 'Tarrant' in the slave registers at Ancestry, I have had no difficulty tracing the returns for Joseph Bowen in 1817, 1823 and 1832 in which Margaret and her children appear. My ancestor here names each child and they are found on the returns with his surname - Pigot. Plus, Family Search throws up a few baptisms - with no parents mentioned, obviously.

There are a few things I'm wondering if you can help with here. Firstly, I am concerned to know whether Joseph Bowen upheld his part of the bargain and freed Margaret and the children? The manumission papers at the National Archives site do not cover the year in question here - my ancestor died in July 1832 (he wrote the codicil just 3 days before his death). I have searched Patricia's Jamaican Family History site to no avail. Do you know of any other resources that may tell me if her manumission took place as my John wanted? I do have his death duty papers, and his executors in England certainly reiterate this wish that half his property in England plus his property in Jamaica was to be sold to boost the funds to manumit Margaret and her kiddies.

Through other research I have found out that my ancestor did not work on Joseph Bowen's estate - he was actually at the Ironshore plantation owned by Jacob Aemilius Irving - certainly between 1809 and 1816, as Irving addresses letters to him. (Letterbooks of Jacob Aemilius Irving - held at the William L Clements library, University of Michigan) so naturally I am curious as to how he came into contact with Margaret, but I guess I shall never find that out.

The other big question, of course - is it likely (and I suppose it is from background reading I've done on the subject) that these children were the natural offspring of my 4xgreat grandfather and Margaret? They certainly seem to be very special to him, and his death occurs at a time of great upheaval - just after the Samuel Sharpe uprisings, in which - sadly - many of the 'friends' he mentions in his will played a part as militia officials - Joseph Bowen and William Fowle Holt being two of them.

I suppose I'm just seeking opinions here. Mainly: does the circumstantial evidence point to Margaret's kids being my John's, and how do I find out what happened to them? Another slave named Pigot (Susan) - this one actually at the Iron Shore plantation - did appear to marry later on - the Jamaican collection at Family Search threw this up, with an image of the register, and she is still stated to be of Iron Shore. But I can find nothing at all, either on Family Search or at Patricia's site on Margaret Torrent herself or her little Pigot children.

Any ideas you have would be gratefully appreciated. I've been tearing my hair out over this one.

ETA: I should add that my 4xgreat grandma did not stay in Jamaica long with her husband, but returned to England with my 3xgreat grandfather as a young child - so John would be all alone out there.

[Heather]

WOW! That is an interesting story and many points to answer. Oddly enough, my husband's British ancestor (Cooper) lived in Trelawney and also had 5 children with a "woman of colour" who was a freed slave but I couldn't find her baptism.

For starters, slavery was abolished in the Commonwealth in May of 1834 so your lady and children would have been free as of that date. So I am quite sure of her attaining freedom either by the monies paid or natural progression in 1834. But you ask if these children could be the natural born children of your ancestor and Margaret......I would have no doubt that they are. The sum of 250 pounds to free a slave & her offspring who were owned by another planter is unusual otherwise and also a lot of money. Your 4 times ggrandfather could not marry her and if he had shown up at the baptism of the children, that meant he was acknowledging they were his!! So it could be very worthwhile to find a baptism.

Finding info on a slave in those days is difficult. In my case, I had her christian name and surname and yet couldn't find a baptism which should be there. Patricia has been of enormous help in these sorts of backgrounds. I believe that prior to 1834 it was usually only freed slaves who were baptised by the C of E. I will check that.

Leave this with me and I will talk to some of the other Caribbean researchers and do jog my memory if I am not back to you in a week. There is a lot of information to digest and different places to look.

When you mentioned "returns", did you mean "slave returns"?? Those are invaluable. And your final ETA is most telling (vbg). Wives found the culture and climate of Jamaica not to their liking and often returned to England... and men being the weaker sex, well lets's just say the servants looked mighty appealing...

I am intrigued by your information and just may see about checking the LDS microfilms....hit brick walls 5 yrs ago and had to stop with my Spanish side. Not about to look for a "Cooper" in England....probably in the top ten most common surnames, grin. Whoops, it is after 1 AM so heading for bed. TTYL

[MythicalMarian]

Thanks so much for this, Heather. In answer to your question about the 'returns' - yes, I did mean the slave returns. I've used the ones on Ancestry, which are quite informative sometimes, especially when additions are made 'by birth', and I have also used the Almanacks on Patricia's site - which of course don't give names, but just give the numbers and the name of the property.

That all Margaret's children had a white father seems certain by those dreadful racial tags they gave to the slaves.

My John was only a young man when he went out to Jamaica in about 1803 (he would have been just 23). I have a letter from him to a friend back in Bolton-le-Moors dated from Montego Bay in October 1803. Margaret's first two children - who may be twins - were born in 1805/6, if the slave returns are correct. Certainly Isabella Jane Pigot (the Jane mentioned in the codicil who had children of her own by 1832) was baptised at St. James on 22 July 1806 according to Family Search.

John also manumits his servant William Carmichael in his will 'as he's been a good and faithful boy to me'. I managed to trace his provenance a bit, as John had to 'prove' that he hadn't come from Africa on the slave return for 1826, so lists his arrival from Bermuda and the name of the ship and captain. Needless to say, I can't find out what happened to William either, but as you say, thankfully the emancipation would have come eventually by law.

I'll keep digging too, and thanks for helping.