[Inventory Listing 161 Named Slaves from the Boa Esperança Coffee Plantation in Brazil] - 1882

Avelar, Paty do Alferes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1882. Very good.. [8]pp. in Portuguese. Folio. Bound with a single brad in left margin. Old folds, very minor toning. Rare Brazilian slavery document listing workers at one of the major coffee plantations in the area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Located in Avelar, Municipality of Paty do Alferes, Fazenda Boa Esperança was originally part of the sesmaria of Fazenda Pau Grande. As the owners continued to live in Pau Grande, in this area, a structure was established for the culture of coffee, consisting of yards, mills, slave quarters, kitchen, slave infirmary, where today the house is located, with some adaptations and additions. Around 1850, a headquarters was built and, around 1907, it was demolished and with the demolition material the first houses of Vila de Avelar were built. The document lists both men and women by first name only, with short descriptive text identifying some as married or as sons or daughters of others in the list. It also indicates when the said slave is a "crioulo" (Creole). The document emanates from Brazil just six years before slavery was abolished in the country through the "Golden Law" of May 13, 1888. An excellent primary source for researching Brazilian slavery and its impact on families among the laborers.