Richard Derby & Enslaved People in Salem

Richard Derby was a wealthy, Salem merchant. His story is deeply tied to the history of slavery in Salem and at Salem Maritime. We know he enslaved at least six people while living on Derby Street. Through primary source documents connected to Derby, we can learn about the lives, labor, migration, and freedom of enslaved people in Salem.

Visit Derby Wharf
Richard Derby and his son Elias Hasket Derby began construction of Derby Wharf in 1762. Today the wharf extends 2,045 feet into the Salem Harbor. At one time, Derby Wharf was home to nearly twenty structures and at the center of international trade in Salem.

Visit the Derby House
Richard Derby paid for the land and construction of the brick house across from Derby Wharf. This house was given as a wedding gift to his son, Elias Hasket Derby, in 1762.

 

Duration:

5 minutes, 37 seconds

How did different groups of people shape the American Revolution and events leading up to it? This film uses primary source documents to explore the stories of two men - a Salem colonist, Richard Derby, and an enslaved man, Obed.

 

Derby, Richard, [Capt. Richard Derby to Sam Fisk], June 23, 1763, Derby Family Papers, MSS 37, Box 14, Folder 9.

Courtesy of Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Rowley, MA.

Work for You at Your Distillery

Salem colonist, Samuel Fisk, enslaved a man from Africa or of African descent, as recorded here. Richard Derby owned a rum distillery in Salem. He likely "rented" the labor of the enslaved man from 1762-1763, as documented in this invoice. Sometimes enslaved people were permitted to find additional work outside their regular enslaved labor. In this scenario, enslaved people usually kept a portion of their wages, the rest going to their enslaver.

Most of Salem's economy was based on trade with the West Indies and the global slavery economy. The most significant industries included farming, fishing, shipbuilding, other maritime professions, and rum distilling. Enslaved people worked alongside free people in all these fields. Despite having the same qualifications, skills, and experience, enslaved people were usually not paid and often performed the most dangerous work.

 

Courtesy of the online database, "Early Vital Records of Massachusetts."

Jane & Isaac

Jane was a Salem woman enslaved by Captain Richard Derby. She married Isaac, a man enslaved by Samuel Gardner, in 1754. Their marriage is recorded in the free, online database, "Early Vital Records of Massachusetts." (See the last record listed here.)

This page documents the marriages of free and enslaved Black people (in Salem) whose name started with the letter "J." Jane and Isaac are both identified as "servants." This term was used as a euphemism to describe enslaved African people or people of African descent.

Enslaved people hated being enslaved and fought for their humanity. Despite bondage and isolation, enslaved people married, had children, and formed communities outside their enslavers' homes. People resisted, defied their enslavers, and took back control of their lives.

 

Richard Derby Papers, MH 78
Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)

Peggy, Cate, & Caesar

Richard Derby's last will and testament documents three African people or people of African descent enslaved by the Derby family in 1783.

"I give and bequeath unto my well beloved Wife Sarah Derby... my Negro child Peggy."

"I give and bequeath to my daughter Mary Crowninshield... my Negro Girl named Cate with her apparel."

"My daughter Martha Prince... I give to her my Negro Man Caesar with his apparel."

 

Derby Family Papers, MSS 37, Box 8, Folder 3.

Courtesy of Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Rowley, MA.

Wine, Rum, and a "Negro Boy"

Merchants were responsible for paying impost duties (or taxes) on imported trade goods. This is a record of taxes owed by Richard Derby to the Province of Massachusetts Bay, British colony of Massachusetts) in 1755. It documents trade goods imported on two different ships. In addition to rum, sugar, tierces, and wine, the list includes an enslaved child, "a Negro boy."

A significant number of enslavers in New England were members of the working class. Some colonists invested in enslaved children (who were less expensive) and trained them with specific skills of their open profession (similar to an apprentice). These children grew up to be part of a valuable, unpaid labor force, working for free in jobs that may otherwise have required expensive labor.

 

MH 261, Box 3, Folder 3.

Courtesy of the Philips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Rowley, MA.

A Boy from Barbados

This is a 1755 record of the Salem Custom House (of the British government). This primary source record provides further documentation of the enslaved child mentioned in the previous record (shown directly above).

The document indicates the child, originally from Africa or of African descent) was forcibly transported on Richard Derby's boat, the schooner Eagle, from Barbados to Salem.

Derby paid 33 pounds & 16 shillings in impost duties (taxes) to the British Customs Service on May 17, 1755. The schooner Eagle was captained by D Emory and its cargo included:

• 49 hogsheads (barrels) of rum at 13 pounds, 4 shillings each
• 40 barrels of sugar
• "1 Negro boy"