Bella

Born: ca. 1789-1798, St. Luke’s Parish, Beaufort, SC (present day Hilton Head Island)
Died: ca. between 1843 and 1850 (est. 52-62 years old)
Family Members: Polly (daughter), Jack (son), Jacob and Isaac (twin sons)

In 1817, just a year after the birth of Polly, Bella and her four children were sold to Isaiah Davenport by David Baldwin. David was the son of Isaac Baldwin who began the family plantation on Hilton Head Island. David’s sale of Bella and her children to Isaiah Davenport may have been a relief for the young mother. David Baldwin was a “habitual drunkard” who fathered at least two children with his female bond women - two sons named Richard and John.

Bella’s ownership by David Baldwin implies she may have been subjected to some of the worst behaviors common among male owners of the enslaved. Although there is no evidence to indicate Bella was victimized by David Baldwin, many enslaved females in Savannah faced similar experiences. There is no indication that Bella’s children were of mixed race parentage, but it is curious that Bella was a single mother when sold to the Davenports. Her daughter Polly was only about a year old. Because Bella’s daughter, Polly, was an infant at the time of their purchase, Bella may have been the wet-nurse for some of the Davenport children.  These could have included Benjamin Rush, born in June 1817, Isaiah Jr., born in 1815, and Archibald Clark, born in 1819.       

When Isaiah Davenport died of Yellow Fever in 1827, he was heavily in debt, resulting in the public auction of many of his possessions, including the enslaved members of his household. Bella and her children were faced with an uncertain future as they were part of the courthouse sale in 1828. It must have been a terrifying and emotionally distraught experience, as Bella and her family were faced with the prospect of separation. The widowed Sarah Davenport repurchased Bella and all four of her children at the sale. This included twenty-year old, Jack, sixteen-year-old twins, Isaac and Jacob; and, twelve-year-old, Polly. Despite the possibility of separation and sale in 1828, Bella and her children remained together for much of their lives. Deed records indicate that Sarah put up Bella and her twin sons, Jacob and Isaac, as collateral for loans on several occasions, placing their futures in a constant state of uncertainty. This placed their futures in a constant state of uncertainty.     

Bella’s lived experiences illustrate the uncertainties faced by enslaved individuals in their daily lives as a result of the ever-looming prospect of sale to another owner. The death or financial hardship of an owner could mean the abrupt uprooting of an enslaved individual’s life, and the painful separation from family. Her ownership by David Baldwin also illustrates the exceptional hardships faced by enslaved females at the hands of male owners.