q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
What's New!
THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
BHP HOME BEFORE AMERICA 1800–1936 1937–1957 1958–1980 1981–2000 2001–PRESENT

Explore Black History

Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.

✊🏾

Civil Rights

Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.

⚙️

Black Inventors

Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.

🏆

Sports

Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.

♟️

People

Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.

📍

Places

Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.

📜

Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

Enter a person, place, event, or topic.
MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

MORE →
BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
NMAAHC

Deed of sale for an enslaved man named Pierre

Date
December 8, 1860
Written by
John French Coffey, born 1826
Subject of
Christian Mehle
Magdalena Doll Mehle
Hortaire Inbau, 1829 - 1877
Mary Jane Williams Inbau
James Roberts
Description
This deed of sale records the sale of an enslaved man named Pierre (born 1835) by Christian Mehle of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and Hortaire Inbau to James Roberts, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 8, 1860. The deed is both pre-printed and handwritten ink on paper. The deed is notarized and witnessed by John French Coffey. Pierre was twenty-five years old and was sold for $1,300.00. The deed covers four (4) pages. The wives of the sellers, Magdalena Doll Mehle and Mary Jane Williams Inbau, were also required to release ownership claims over Pierre. The end of the document lists the names of those persons who signed the original deed of sale as this is a copy kept by the notary. Yellow-tinted paper is attached to the deed with string along the left side. Text handwritten in ink on a portion of one page identifies the sellers, buyer, name of the enslaved person sold, and the notary.
Transcription Center Status
Transcribed by digital volunteers
Place made
New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Business
Domestic slave trade
Law
Men
Slavery
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Liljenquist Family Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2015.222.1
Type
bills of sale
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 14 × 8 1/2 in. (35.6 × 21.6 cm)
Title
Object Name • Deed of sale for an enslaved man named Pierre
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.222.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
DEED OF SALE FOR AN ENSLAVED MAN NAMED PIERRE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1860s
Name
Mehle, Magdalena Doll • Inbau, Hortaire • Mehle, Christian • Coffey, John French • Inbau, Mary Jane Williams • Roberts, James
Place
Orleans Parish • United States • North and Central America • Louisiana • New Orleans
Topic
Slavery • Law • Men • Domestic slave trade • Business
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New Orleans • County • Orleans Parish • State • Louisiana • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Sales records
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

NMAAHC

Broadside for the estate sale of Robert Skeen including ten enslaved people

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Letter written to Robert Bell from the Freedmen's Bureau

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Deed of sale for an enslaved man named Pierre

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Keep Us Flying!

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

MORE →
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.