Rita,
There is a possibility they were free or purchased by the mill owners, but
renting slaves to mill owners was very common in eastern Virginia.  Some of
these mills had a variety of workers, free and enslaved, who worked side by
side.  My guess is that they wanted to rent skilled slaves. You might want
to read one of the books on Gabriel Prosser's rebellion, which examines the
complexities of labor and freedom in Richmond.

Sarah

On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 11:29 AM, Rita Goldberg <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> In an 1812 ad placed in a Richmond paper, Gallego, Richard & Co. are
> seeking a "number of good negroes" to work in their mills as well as "some
> good negro coopers." Would these be free men, slaves who were hired out by
> their owners or slaves that the company would buy from their owners? If
> they were free, why would the ad specify the race and not just say
> "workers" or "coopers"?
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Rita Goldberg
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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