I read a document several years ago that mentioned Augustine Washingtons' 
slaves as working in his Iron Ore operations. You would have to look at his 
Will to see where the slaves were at the time of his death. I do know that 
the slaves worked in the iron ore operations.

Anita


>From: James Brothers <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history         
>      <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Slavery and immoral stance, etc.
>Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:45:59 -0400
>
>Augustine Washington was a partner in the Principio Co. Most of the  
>Principio partners lived in England (which caused no end of problems  
>during the Revolution) and most of their facilities were in Maryland.  
>Their first "ironmaster" neglected to make sure that the land he  bought 
>had iron ore (he was primarily interested in his own  commercial 
>activities). His replacement, John England (an experienced  ironmaster), 
>spent his first few months in America looking for and  securing iron ore 
>for the company. It being hard to make iron without  ore.
>
>One of the places he found it was on land owned by Augustine  Washington on 
>Accokeek Creek, near Fredericksburg (called Potomac IW,  but today called 
>Accokeek IW). A blast furnace and iron mine was  built there around 1726. 
>For a while it also served as the  headquarters of the Principio Co. This 
>ironworks was closed around  1753-57 and the HQ shifted back to Maryland. 
>However, GW retained a  minority interest in the company. I am not aware of 
>any of the  Washington's slaves working iron ore after Accokeek/Potomac 
>closed.  Because of the medieval (really!) nature of land tenure in the  
>Northern Neck, the Fairfaxes got 1/3 of all of the iron ore mined. As  a 
>result Principio, and many other Virginia ironworks, switched to  using ore 
>from Maryland in the 1750s. While I suppose technically  some of the 
>company slaves were GW's, he had little if any  control  over what they 
>did, nor how they were treated.
>
>James Brothers, RPA
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>On Jun 13, 2007, at 22:11, Anita Wills wrote:
>
>>My brother wrote his masters thesis about the migration of blacks  from 
>>the south to northern cities. That was the first time I saw on  paper, how 
>>this migration affected America. My paternal Grandfather  left South 
>>Carolina for Pennsylvania to work in the Steel Mill. The  small town that 
>>I was raised in was made up of immigrants from  Europe (mostly Communist 
>>Countries), and blacks from southern  states. The main industry when I was 
>>growing up was the Steel Mill.  I learned about the role iron ore played 
>>in the Revolution while  reading about George Washington, whose slaves who 
>>worked with Iron  Ore.
>>
>>The economics of slavery encompassed more than Cotton and Tobacco.  Thank 
>>you for pointing this out.
>>
>>Anita
>>
>>>From: James Brothers <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia  history      
>>>         <[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>>Subject: Re: Slavery and immoral stance, etc.
>>>Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:57:03 -0400
>>>
>>>It should be remembered that while the US played a part in the  slave  
>>>trade, most of the slaves shipped out of Africa to the  Americas went  to 
>>>Brazil and the Caribbean (often in ships out of  Boston and  Baltimore, 
>>>but also Liverpool and lots of other  places). But more  importantly it 
>>>was the British who outlawed  slavery and enforced an  embargo of the 
>>>Atlantic trade. This was  followed by the US. It was  the British and US 
>>>Navy that finally  shut down the Atlantic slave  trade. The East African 
>>>(overseas)  trade was not shut down until  later, and it can be argued 
>>>that  portions of the trans-Sahara trade  flourish today. Slavery in the  
>>>US should be viewed in a world  context, not just as a peculiar  American 
>>>problem. Because it was  transnational and its solution  was as well.
>>>
>>>My primary area of study is the iron industry. Many, in some case   most 
>>>or even all, of the workers at blast furnaces, forges, and   foundries in 
>>>the South and in the North were slaves.
>>>
>>>             Negroes were used in the ironworks from the early   
>>>establishment of the Pennsylvania industry.  In 1727 the shortage  of  
>>>labor was so acute that the ironmasters in the colony  petitioned the  
>>>Assembly for permission to import Negroes free of  duty to labor at  
>>>their works... A bill permitting Negroes  imported into the colony for  
>>>the express purpose of laboring at  ironworks to enter duty free  failed 
>>>by the deciding vote of the  Speaker.  Two years later,  however, the 
>>>duty of £5 on each Negro  brought into the Province was  reduced to £2... 
>>>While Negro slaves  and freed Negroes usually worked  at menial tasks, at 
>>>many  ironworks they were skilled workmen.   [Bining 1938:99-102]
>>>
>>>It was reported by Acrelius that the workers at PA ironworks were   
>>>"generally negroes". the most interesting case is that of  Monmouth  
>>>County, NJ. It was the site of an early ironworks,  Tinton Falls  (circa 
>>>1677). The large number of slaves used there  skewed this rural  counties 
>>>population well into the 19C. For  years no one could figure  out why a 
>>>rural county in NJ had such a  large Black population. The  reason was 
>>>the descendants of the  Tinton Falls slaves.
>>>
>>>James Brothers, RPA
>>>[log in to unmask]

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