On the following page is a typed copy of a "Bill of Sale" for a negro woman, obviously a slave. The sale was from Jeremiah Jones to his son, Thomas Jones, both of whom lived about four miles from Salley, SC in what is now the Sawyerdale community.

The document has lain unnoticed in the Salley Archives building in Orangeburg for many years. Now that it has been discovered, it creates a question. Should the actual evidence of slave-holding in a specific family be made public, or should it continue to be "lost" in the files of an archive?

I am a descendant of Jeremiah Jones, and of his son, Thomas. After consideration, I believe that ignoring the existence of this document and what it stood for would accomplish no good, either for the descendants of Jeremiah, or for the descendants of the woman, Cambo. On the contrary, recognition of its existence may provide some positive results.

First, and very important, is my hope that it may become a link in some black family's search for their ancestry. Second, nothing is to be gained by pretending that slavery did not exist, or by pretending that a particular family did not particpate in it. Among our many ancestors, there were those who owned slaves and there were those who did not. Among the "did nots", there were probably some who opposed the practice. There were also those who gave their lives in the Civil War because of their belief that the practice should be continued. There were, we know for a fact, several who gave their lives in that struggle even though they nor their families had slaves. Perhaps one day, one of us will discover documents or other indications of their reasons for going to war as a Southern soldier.

As to this specific story, we should note that Jeremiah Jones was 77 years of age when this transaction took place, and he obviously recognized the possibility of death or the decision to "breake up housekeeping". This woman was obviously his housekeeper, and a valued servant. Jeremiah's wife, Elizabeth, had died in 1828, at age fifty-nine.

A slave in this position must have been treated well, else the needs of an aging master would not likely be met. We can wonder, but may never know, her age or whether she had a husband and/or children. Some researcher might someday find records showing how and when Cambo came to this family, possibly even some proof of her descendents, if any.

Ironically, this sale was probably never consumated, since Thomas died five years later, on February 24, 1842 at the age of 47. Jeremiah, on the other hand, lived until May 3, 1848, at which time he was 89 years, 7 months and 24 days of age. After Thomas' death, his estate of 17,000 acres was divided among his seven children. Most of the land adjoined Jeremiah's homestead, where we can probably assume he still resided. Several of his grandchildren lived within a few miles of his home, which was apparently near the present Jones cemetery.

The following document is on file at the Salley Archives in Orangeburg, SC. It was identified by Martha Bonnette, a volunteer worker, who made a copy from which this was typed.