The Slave Ship Othello Historical

The Slave Ship Othello Historical (HM1U31)

Location: Fredericksburg, VA 22401
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 17.811', W 77° 27.236'

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Inscription
Virginia Fredericksburg
Augt 25th 1773
Messrs. Samuel &William Vernon

Gentlemen
You will by this opportunity be advised by Capt. Jno. Duncan of his Arrival here, & valuing himself on Col. John Thornton for his Services in disposal of the Brig. Othello's Cargo of Slaves...

—(letter from Charles Yates)

The trans-Atlantic slave trade can be illustrated through the brigantine Othello. Ship owners Samuel and William Vernon, of Newport, Rhode Island, would send the Othello to Africa carrying rum. On the African coast, the ship's captain traded the rum for human cargo to be carried back across the Atlantic. In the West Indies, the slaves would be replaced by a cargo of molasses, which would be returned to Newport and distilled into rum.

Within this trade network, the Othello also sailed to the English colonies, selling slaves at river plantations and in port towns. In July 1771, the Othello arrived at Fredericksburg with 85 slaves—25 men, 31 women, 18 boys and 11 girls. Local merchants John Thornton and Charles Yates, of Falmouth, aided in their sale, which took months. When the Othello returned to Newport, it carried molasses from Barbados as well as hemp, flour, and tobacco from Virginia.

(captions)
A brigantine had two masks and was rigged
for maneuverability, making it popular with Colonial mariners who had to work their way up winding rivers like the Rappahannock.

Enslaved persons who endured the Middle Passage and their descendents comprised a substantial portion of Fredericksburg's population. By the 1840 Census, there were 1,226 enslaved African Americans in town, fully 31 percent of the population. The percentage was higher on plantations outside of town.
Details
HM NumberHM1U31
Tags
Placed ByFredericksburg Timeless-Spotsylvania, Stafford, Fredericksburg
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 2nd, 2016 at 9:02am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 285407 N 4241600
Decimal Degrees38.29685000, -77.45393333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 17.811', W 77° 27.236'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 17' 48.66" N, 77° 27' 14.16" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 205-299 Sophia St, Fredericksburg VA 22401, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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