61 Books Containing Bucks Co. Slave Records To Be Preserved

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — As Bucks County officials and residents observe Black History Month, one government office is working to preserve aging documents that help chronicle a local chapter of that history.

On Tuesday, Robin Robinson, the Bucks County Recorder of Deeds, sent away 61 books from the county archives for preservation. Those books, she said, contain records of slavery in Bucks County from before the Civil War.

Specifically, Robinson said, they contain "manumissions" — which were formal records of slaves being released from servitude.

At least some of the records appear to have been recorded by Quakers in Bucks County, the records office said. In some cases, the emancipation of a slave is recorded immediately after the recording of a bill of sale for that same slave.

When she and her staff realized what they'd found, Robinson reached out to Linda Salley, president of the African American Museum of Bucks County.

"I’m grateful to be a part of this — to share this history with all of Bucks County and the world," Salley said.

The 61 books were sent to Kofile, a company in Essex, Vermont, that does preservation and restoration of government documents. The preservation of the books is part of a $125,000 grant the office received from the National Park Service, in conjunction with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The grant, called Save America's Treasures, funds preservation of nationally significant historic collections.

Newly elected Bucks County Commissioner Robert Harvie was on hand Tuesday to see the books off.

"As a history teacher for over two decades, I fully appreciate and support efforts to preserve our shared history," Harvie said. "I want to thank the Recorder of Deeds, Robin Robinson, and the National Park Service for securing grant funding for this important project."

The preservation of the books is expected to take several weeks. They are expected back in the care of the Recorder of Deeds office some time in April.