Jones, Jehu
Manumission of Jehu Jones from Christopher Rogers of Charleston for 100 pounds, January 1798
Source: Teaching American History in South Carolina Project
This document records the manumission of Jehu Jones from Christopher Rogers of Charleston for the sum of 100 pounds. Jehu Jones' life exemplifies that of a free person of color living in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Charleston. Born a slave c. 1769, Jones learned the trade of his master, a tailor, and became proficient by practicing the craft on his own. In 1798 when his master freed him, Jones set up his own shop. Often, he had trouble collecting the money his white patrons owed. As a free person of color, however, Jones could sue customers who owed him large sums. The City of Charleston supported the largest number of free blacks in the state. By 1860, 74.71 percent of South Carolina’s free black population not only lived there but made up 17.19 percent of the city’s population. Cosmopolitan and urban, Charleston offered free blacks the best cultural and economic opportunities, and its compact design fostered an unusual relationship between blacks and whites. Manumission of Jehu Jones from Christopher Rogers of Charleston for 100 Pounds. 22 January 1798. Secretary of State. Recorded Instruments. Miscellaneous Records (Main Series). Volume 3H, pp. 442-443. S 213003. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.
Jehu Jones Hotel
Source: College of Charleston Special Collections
Includes image of William Burrows house at 71 Broad Street, Charleston
