Bill of Sale - Purchase of Frederick Douglass

This image is the first page of a Bill of Sale regarding Frederick Douglass (then known as Frederick Bailey).  Since slaves were considered property, in American chattel slavery, this type of legal arrangement was common.

The National Park Service provides more information about this particular document:

Bill of sale written by Thomas Auld of Baltimore for sale of slave named Frederick Baily, alias Frederick Douglass, for $100 to Hugh Auld of Talbot County, MD on November 30, 1846. Inside on the second page is the continued part of the bill of sale signed by N.H. Arrington, a justice of the peace in Talbot County, MD.

Credits

Image and quoted reference, courtesy National Park Service - Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.

The document is written on paper measuring 25.2 cm in length and 20 cm in width.