The Negro in Tennessee, 1790-1865

by C. Perry Patterson

[38] The Code of 1817 is as follows:

“If a local elder, deacon, or preacher, in our Church, shall purchase a slave or slaves, he shall lay his case before the Quarterly-Meeting Conference of his circuit as soon as practicable, which Quarterly-Meeting Conference shall say how long such slave or slaves serve as a remuneration to the purchaser; and on the decision of the Quarterly-Meeting Conference, touching the time the slave or slaves shall serve, the purchaser shall, without delay, enter into a written obligation to the Quarterly-Meeting Conference to emancipate such slave or slaves at the expiration of the term of servitude, if the law of the State will admit; and such obligation shall be entered on the Journals of the Quarterly-Meeting Conference. But should the laws of the State continue rigidly to oppose the emancipation of slaves, so that their freedom, as above contemplated, should prove impracticable, during the term and at the end of the slave’s or slaves’ servitude, as determined by the Quarterly-Meeting Conference, he, the said elder, deacon, or preacher, shall, at the end of the time of servitude, again lay his case before the Quarterly-Meeting Conference, which Quarterly-Meeting Conference shall determine it according to the then existing slave rule of the Annual Conference to which he belongs; and should the said elder, deacon, or preacher, be dissatisfied with the decision of the Quarterly-Meeting Conference, he shall be allowed an appeal to the ensuing Annual Conference, provided he then signifies his intention of so appealing.

“2. If a private member in our society buy a slave or slaves, the preacher who has charge of the circuit shall summon a committee, of which he shall be president, or at least three disinterested male members from the class of which he or she is a member; and if a committee cannot be elected from the class to which the slave purchaser belongs, in such case the preacher may make up the committee from a neighboring class or classes, which committee shall determine the length of time such slave or slaves shall serve as a compensation to the purchaser, and immediately on the determination of the committee, touching the slave’s or slaves’ time of servitude, he or she, the purchaser, shall bind himself or herself in a written obligation to the church to have the emancipation of such slave or slaves, at the expiration of the given time, recorded as soon as practicable, if the laws of the States in which he or she live will admit of emancipation; and such obligation shall be filed among the papers of the Quarterly-Meeting Conference of the circuit in which he or she lives. But should the laws of the State in which the purchaser lives render it impracticable to emancipate said slave or slaves, during the time of servitude fixed by the committee for said slave or slaves, the preacher having charge of the circuit or station shall call a second committee at the end of the time of servitude who shall determine the case according to the then existing slave rule of the Annual Conference to which he or she belongs; and if he or she feel him or herself aggrieved, he or she shall be allowed an appeal to the ensuing Quarterly-Meeting Conference of his or her circuit. In all cases relative either to preachers or private members, the colored or bond-children born of slaves purchased, after their purchase and during the time of their bondage, male and female, shall be free at the age of twenty-five, if the law admit of emancipation; and if not, the case of those born of purchased slaves in bondage to said elder, deacon, or preacher, shall be cognizable by the Quarterly-Meeting Conference, and in the case of those born of purchased slaves in bondage to private members, shall be cognizable by a committee of the above-mentioned kind, which Quarterly-Meeting Conference and committee shall decide in such case as the then existing slave rule shall or may direct; provided, nevertheless, the above rules be not so construed as to oblige an elder, deacon, preacher, or private member, to give security for the good behaviour and maintenance of the slave or slaves emancipated, should the court require it. If an elder, deacon, preacher, or private member, among us, shall sell a slave or slaves into perpetual bondage, they shall thereby forfeit their membership in our church. Therefore, in case an elder, deacon, or preacher sell a slave or slaves, he shall first submit the case to the Quarterly-Meeting Conference of which he is a member, and said Quarterly-Meeting Conference shall say for what term of years he shall sell his slave, or slaves, which term being fixed, the seller shall immediately record his, her, or their emancipation in the county court; and a private member selling a slave or slaves shall first acquaint the preacher having the charge of the circuit with his design, who shall summon a committee of the above-mentioned kind, of which he, the said preacher, shall be President. Said Committee shall say, for what term of years, he, she, or they shall sell his, her or their slave or slaves, and the seller shall be required immediately to record the emancipation of such slave or slaves in the county court. An elder, deacon, preacher, or private member among us, refusing to comply with the above rules, shall be dealt with as in other cases of immorality, and expelled.” McFerrin, II, 462-466.

[39] McFerrin, II, p. 467.

[40] Goodspeed, p. 669.

[41] McFerrin, III, 19-20.

[42] Ibid., p. 161.

[43] Goodspeed, p. 670.

[44] Ibid., p. 669; Autobiography of Peter Cartwright, the Backwoods Preacher, p. 195.

[45] Autobiography of Peter Cartwright, p. 195.