doc_berk0028

Registration Details

Date: 1780

Registrant: Bird, Mark

Historical County: Berks

Modern County: Berks

Residence: Birdsboro

Tags:

Registered Individual(s)

Details given are as recorded in the registration.

Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


York

Date of Birth: 1690

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Maria

Date of Birth: 1735

Sex: Female

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Male

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Female

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Female

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Female

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Unspecified

Date of Birth: Unspecified

Sex: Female

Race: Unspecified

Status: Lifelong Slave

Name of mother: Unspecified

Race of mother: Unspecified

Status of mother: Unspecified

Description of mother: Unspecified


Enslaver(s)

Details given are as recorded in the registration.

Bird, Mark

Occupation: Ironmaster

Relation to registrant: self


Document Transcriptions

Publication



[page 9]

In 1780 the largest slaveholders in Berks Coun-
ty, according to the record, were Mark Bird, of Birds-
boro, with 18 slaves …

As we might expect, the iron-masters had more
male than female slaves. Thus Mark Bird’s group con-
sisted of ten males ranging in age from 28 years to
90 years, four women, three boys, and one girl …

[page 14]

Among the slaves registered by Mark Bird in
1780 I find two which have the names mentioned in
the inventory of William Bird’s estate, to wit, York
and Maria. York’s age in 1763 was given as 65, and
he was appraised as of no value because he was sick;
in 1780 his age was given as 90 years. Maria was 42
in 1763, and the Maria of 1780 was only 45–clearly
not the same person. John Patton, who marriedMark
Bird’s widow, registered in 1780 a “Tom” aged 46
years, and Mark Bird in 1763 had a “Tom” then 19
years. An examination of the lists of the Birds and
Patton indicates that there must have been some buying

[page 15]

and selling in the intervening years.

Sources

  • Publication: Paul N. Schaeffer, "Slavery in Berks County," pp. 9, 14-5, manuscript, 1941, Wilbur H. Siebert Collection, MSS116AV, BOX63 F04 001, Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH