Slaves often went shoeless even in winter
In the South, those held in slavery often did not wear shoes. They weren’t always given shoes to wear, particularly in their younger years, or the cheaply made shoes they were provided quickly fell apart and were not replaced.
By itself, not having shoes was a minor deprivation compared to many other things they also had little of in their lives — freedom, food, basic clothing, any human rights, a family life, simple medical care, the list goes on.
A lack of shoes could be a serious problem in certain circumstances, however. In the 19th Century, weather forecasting was a primitive science and systems, particularly cold fronts, could approach suddenly with unpredictable temperature drops.
When temperatures dropped into the single digits, having no shoes was dangerous.
That is what happened to Peter (last name unavailable), sometime before 1839. He had lost all the toes on his left foot and the little toe off his right foot to frostbite.
As a result, when he escaped from slavery off the plantation near Charleston, S.C. owned by slave holder Benjamin Adams in May of 1839 he was wearing shoes, partly because the shoes helped him walk and also because they hid his feet from view.
Adams believed Peter would be heading toward the plantation of his previous owner, slave holder G. W. Egleston or the plantation of slave owner Thomas Gadsden, where his wife was held captive.
Adams was offering a $20 reward for Peter’s capture.
The notice appeared in the Jan. 7, 1840 edition of the Charleston Daily Courier.
This week’s stories.
LESS THAN THREE WEEKS after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Pennsylvania Gazette of Philadelphia had a notice that a Black man named Jacob Kelly had escaped captivity from William Whiteford, related to slave holder Hugh Whiteford.
ncG1vNJzZmiomJ65rXrSrpmsrJGYuG%2BvzqZmqWejoa63sdJmpp%2BslaN6uLHNrWSsoJ%2Bauaa%2F0macr52eYrav