Philadelphia Gazette, and Daily Advertiser No. 3758: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Issue number 3758 of the Philadelphia Gazette, and Daily Advertiser for November 20, 1800. At bottom right corner of the last page of the paper is a notice posted for [MARCUS, / One of the House Servants at Mount Vernon, / Absconded...]. He is described as [a young lad, about 16 years of age, a bright mulatto, dark blue eyes, long black hair, about 5 feet 4 or 5 inches high, and of a slender make.]. The advertisement continues to describe the clothing Marcus may be wearing and notes [Originally his name was Billy, and possibly he may resume the same]. The advertisement is posted by James Andrew, the Mount Vernon plantation manager, and promises an award of $10 "to any person who shall apprehend the said negro and lodge him in some safe gaol, upon producing me a certificate to that effect; and will also pay all reasonable charges over and above this reward, for the delivery of him to me at this place." Readers are warned that "It is very probably he may attempt to pass for one of those negroes that did belong to the late Gen. Washington, and whom Mrs. Washington intends in the fall of this year to liberate - the public are therefore warned against any such imposition, as he is one of those negroes which belong to the estate of Washington P. Custis, Esq. and held by right of dower by Mrs. Wasington during her life." The notice further warns that "Ship Masters are hereby forewarned not to take on board Marcus, and those who are found to [illegible] or harbour him will be punished as the law directs."

The paper is published by Andrew Brown and Samuel Relf, and contains advertisements for outbound cargo and passenger ships, livestock, consumer goods, store openings, lands sales, and more.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: November 20, 1800
• Published by: Philadelphia Gazette, and Daily Advertiser, American, founded 1788
• Subject of: Unidentified Child or Children
• Subject of: Mount Vernon Estate, American, founded 1758
• Subject of: James Anderson, Scottish American
• Subject of: George Washington, American, 1732 - 1799
• Subject of: Martha Washington, American, 1731 - 1802
• Type: newspapers
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W: 21 1/4 × 13 9/16 in. (53.9 × 34.5 cm)
• Place printed: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Mount Vernon, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Fugitive enslaved
• Topic: Mass media
• Topic: Self-liberation
• Topic: Slavery
• Topic: U.S. History, 1783-1815
• Object number: 2019.28.9
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.