Slave Assignments & Trades

Slave Assignments and Trades. . , In 1830, slaves working at Federal Hill tended to the daily maintenance and cleaning of the mansion, in addition to assisting, serving, sewing, and cooking for the Rowan family and the enslaved population. Slaves could expect to preform duties related to both the operation of the mansion, and the agricultural production of the plantation. Slaves maintained a vegetable garden located south of the mansion, assisted in the processing and curing of meats, and kept an adequate supply of water and firewood on hand. A mansion house such as Federal Hill typically required at least three or more enslaved persons to maintain the household. Slaves were also expected to run errands and remove purchases locally and abroad for the Rowan family. , In 1812 when construction of the three-story portion of Federal Hill began, slaves assisted in the construction of the mansion and its outbuildings. Their labor was used in the construction of the plantation's slave dwellings, and they built and maintained its fencing and roads, cared for the farm's livestock, slaughtered animals for meat, maintained a fruit orchard, cut timber and firewood, buried the deceased, and planted and harvested crops that were grown annually. Slaves also maintained a sugar camp near the woods pasture at Federal Hill where sugar was made by processing tree sap. Accommodations and clothing for slaves during the time period was typically utilitarian. The cellar of Federal Hill is believed to have been the sleeping quarters for some of the enslaved. Slaves at Federal Hill were under the supervision of an overseer. John Rowan Sr., William Rowan, and John Rowan Jr., served as overseers at various times, however, an overseer was typically hired to manage the Rowan's slaves for agricultural pursuits., The Valet, The head enslaved man working in the house, also known as the "valet," was entrusted with ensuring that the household operated properly. Scheduling attention to detail, proper serving etiquette, polite social customs, and controlling entry of the house were among the many responsibilities of a valet. The position of valet was more common in the households of wealthy men in Kentucky. The most common domestic slaves were women who performed tedious tasks while also managing many of the same responsibilities as valets. Enslaved women arose early in the morning to milk cows, collect eggs, and prepare breakfast. They washed clothes with boiling water and lye soap, ironed cleaned, tended fires, prepared beds, preserved foods, tended to the sick, prepared noon and evening meals, and made and repaired clothing. , Slave Assignments, Jobs and ranks of the jobs of enslaved people as described by Rosa Starke, a former slave from a large plantation in South Carolina interviewed in 1937., 1st - butler/Valet, maids, nurses, chambermaids, cooks , 2nd - carriage drivers, gardeners, carpenters, barber, stable men , 3rd - wheelweights, wagoners, blacksmiths, (unreadable) , 4th - cattle managers, kennel managers , 5th - wheat cradlers, threshers, corn millers, wheat millers, cotton pickers, gin (unreadable)