Good Afternoon Rita,
I can give you part of the answer. It typically means they will accept both enslaved and free blacks. However, the advertisement is more geared to slave owners who rent their slave(s) out for an annual basis. Slaves with a specialized skill was more likely to be leased out by their owner to make money. On rare occasions, the slave themselves got a portion of the fee. These requests were not solely geared to slaves with specialized skills. I have seen advertisements in Norfolk's newspapers for generalized labor as well.
You see this same type of advertisements in the Southern newspapers during the early 1800s.
Dr. Tommy Bogger talks about the advertisements a little in his book, "Free Blacks in Norfolk, Virginia, 1790-1860: The Darker Side of Freedom". Check out his thesis " The Slave and Free Black Community in Norfolk 1775-1865" from UVA.
You may want to check the business records and personal papers held in the different archives and libraries around the state to see if there are mentions about this topic.
Sincerely,
Troy Valos, MA, MSIS
Special Collections Librarian
Sargeant Memorial Collection
Norfolk Public Library
235 East Plume Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-431-7451 office| 757-431-7429 dept.
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From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rita Goldberg
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2018 11:30 AM
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Subject: [VA-HIST] Hired men or slaves?
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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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