Special Collections and Archives has recently acquired a new collection, the Patrick McGill Family Papers. This collection contains 479 documents, mostly related to financial transactions, from the family of Patrick McGill, Sr. (1765-1848) and Patrick McGill, Jr. (1790-1862).
The Patrick McGill Family Papers include several documents with high research value, mostly related to the lives of slaves on small farms in antebellum Maryland. There are bills for medical and dental procedures performed on slaves; as well as bills for hiring slaves out, a chart estimating the value of slaves by age, a letter regarding the possible sale of slaves, and a record of slaves being transferred to family members as part of the provisions of a will. The legal system is also featured—the collection contains 36 court documents, including several arrest warrants on charges of debt and records of the cases that followed the arrests. Finally, glimpses of women’s lives are visible, whether through making small purchases of butter and tea or through serving as co-executor of a family member’s estate.
You can find an overview, brief inventory, and brief biography of three key family members on the department’s website. If you have any questions about the collection, please don’t hesitate to ask. Special Collections and Archives, located on the top floor of the library, is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
I am researching the Patrick McGill family here in Frederick County, MD
in particular, Patrick McGill, Jr.
I grew up in the homeplace of McGill-Hook family, and have been doing local history research for our community of Lander, MD
If I could see a listing of the items in the Patrick McGill collection, I would be most appreciative.
Thank you for your question. It has been forwarded to our Special Collections & Archives. You should receive a response via e-mail soon. Thank you!