Description:

Slavery
Dooly County, GA, September 2, 1850; October 2, 1850
Oaths Not to Sell Liquor to Slaves or Free People of Color for Georgia Liquor Licenses
DS

[SLAVERY.] Nathaniel Wade and William R. Dawson, Manuscript Document Signed, Oaths Not to Sell Alcohol to African Americans, September 2, 1850, October 2, 1850, Dooly County, Georgia. 2 pp., 7.5" x 6.125". Scattered staining; general toning; tape residue on verso.

Nathaniel Wade and William R. Dawson signed this pair of oaths not to sell any liquor to slaves or free people of color without the permission of their owners or guardians. These oaths from Dooly County in south-central Georgia were designed to prevent the distribution of liquor to slaves and free African Americans.

Wade (b. 1795) was a farmer who owned two slaves in 1850, and Dawson (b. 1812) was a merchant. Dawson was born in South Carolina and fled that state around 1841 to avoid debts. In 1853, the sheriff sold Dawson's store to satisfy debts he owed. Both Wade and Dawson likely operated small-scale taverns and signed these oaths to acquire a license to sell liquor.

Georgia had long prohibited the selling of liquor to enslaved African Americans. All three of Georgia's colonial slave codes prohibited the sale of liquor to slaves. The prohibition continued after American independence. In 1808, the legislature of Georgia prohibited the sale of liquor to slaves without the permission of their owners, and the prohibition continued throughout the antebellum era.

Complete Transcript
Georgia
Dooly County
I Nathaniel Wade, do solemnly Swear that I will not during the next twelve months sell barter give or furnish to any Slave or slaves or free person of colour any quantity of distilled spirituous or intoxicating liquor, without the written or verbal consent of the owners overseers or employers of such slave, or without the like consent of the Guardian of such free person of colour, and I do further swear that I will not suffer or allow any other person to do so for me by my knowledge approbation or consent so help me God
Nathaniel his X mark Wade
Sworn to before me this 2d day of September 1850
Robt B Davies Clk

[The verso has the same oath, signed by "W R Dawson" and witnessed by Davies on October 2, 1850.]

Robert B. Davies (1804-1864) was born in Georgia to William Davies (1775-1829), a state representative and senator, mayor of Savannah, and U.S. attorney and judge, and his wife Mary Ann Baillie Davies (1776-1813). Robert Davies attended Franklin College (now the University of Georgia) but did not graduate. He studied law and gained admission to the bar in 1826. In 1833, he married Louisa Jane Key (1816-1890), and they had eight children. He served as clerk of the court in Dooly County, Georgia, from at least 1848 until his death. In 1850, he owned two slaves, and a decade later, he owned at least four slaves.

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  • Dimensions: 7.5" x 6.125"
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