Ms. Jeanine;  Tracing the meanderings of servants usually is very difficult.
In thinking of the problem, I would suggest that the "owner" gained those
rights for the work of people, perhaps at the docks or through an agent in
Britain, but more likely those rights were gained here.  

That "owner" may also have had an arrangement by which ship's
owners/captains would recruit a load of men (some women) bring them here,
and then sell those "servants" or otherwise place them with those folks here
who needed such talent or strong arms.  Some of such folks were sold by
still another agent/partner who often moved about the countryside seeking
out planters and merchants who needed to buy and own the years of labor in
order that their business here might prosper. 

So, remember that folks of numerous callings (and many laborers) were
recruited there, and here bargained to whoever would undertake to take those
souls off the hands of the then-owners.  As in Britain, here there were to
be found many brokers/agents who had established a ready market for the sale
of those servants for whatever term of years and other conditions to which
those immigrants had previously agreed.  That bargaining and those exchanges
of ownership hinged upon the callings/talents and desirability of each
servant, virtually all of whom touted their own abilities and knowledge,
just as would any other salesman.  

Much mumbo-jumbo has surrounded the early transportation in exchange for
years of human service.  The whole VA headright system may be very simply
stated.  Those who had an available supply of working people in the old
countries, made contacts with those who had the ships to bring such workers
here, and those who needed such people here would go down to the docks or to
the brokers and buy however many years of that service they needed.  As the
great Chief Justice John Marshal suggested, here was a near-perfect business
opportunity; a ready supplier, the means of transportation, and buyers
readily available. 

Caveat: what was being sold was personal property for a term, and that
property was transferable in any of the many ways that any other personalty
might exchange hands.

Paul Drake	
www.DrakesBooks.com


----Original Message-----
From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jeanine Scholz
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 10:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] Apprenticeship records

OK, that makes sense to me. It just seems to make it even more complicated
to find out where and why they ended up as they did.

I will most definitely look at your book, a great resource, thanks for the
leads.

Jeanine Scholz

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