Some Slave Records of 
John Gilleylen and Robert Whitehill
 of Pennsylvania 

Kate’s Notes:
There appears to be a curious discrepancy in the records below; though the first record noted that John had sold his Pennsylvania plantation and slaves by 1765, it is clear that there is a receipt for another slave sale dated 1770. Did John Gilleylen truly sell off his plantation and slaves as stated in the above record?

Cathy Gilleylen Schultz answered that question for me when she wrote, “John did not sell his Chester Co., PA property when he moved to Maryland.  He advertised it, but it did not get sold until after his death when his PA estate was finally settled in 1790--6 years after he died. In a letter to me, dated March 1999 a fellow genealogist stated that he ‘rented the farm and house in some roundabout way which took him off the tax rolls, applied for and secured a tavern license which he used in the next township only briefly before moving to Frederick County (MD)...just across the provincial border but, legally, out of reach. There he seems to have had a good house and it certainly was richly furnished as per the inventory.  He also kept one of his slaves to the very end as well as a white servant.’ "

Slaveholder Name: Gillylen, John
City or Township: East Caln Township
County: Chester County
Occupation:
Notes: Gillylen sold his farm and slaves in 1765: 

To be SOLD by the Subscriber, A Plantation, and tract of land, situate on the great road, in East Caln, Chester county, containing 468 acres, with the allowance, 113 acres cultivated; the whole plantation is plentifully stored with springs and streams of water, one of the forks of Brandywine runs near a mile through the land; an orchard of 9 acres with near 500 of the best fruit trees. Any person inclining to purchase, may view the premises, and know the terms of sale, by applying to the subscriber, living on the place. The land is all new, the crop that is now in the ground is but the third, The purchaser may enter on the place in two weeks. He has likewise to sell, a negroe boy, aged 13, and a negroe girl, aged 15, both have had the small pox, and sold for no fault. I design to pay all my debts, and forewarn any person or persons from cutting hoop poles, or any timber or carrying or hauling on or off my land. JOHN GILLYLEN.
In 1769, John Gilleylen advertised to sell a 16-year old boy, very possibly the same boy advertised in 1765. For some reason, the ad specifies only one person for sale, yet the description is in the plural tense:
East Caln township, Chester county, October 23, 1769
TO BE SOLD, A NEGROE BOY, 16 years of age, I have had them ever since[,] been brought up to every kind of house work, and country business; they are healthy, sound valuable NEGROES, and sold for no fault; but, as I am in debt, to enable me to pay the same; they are not in the least addicted to any spirituous liquors. JOHN GILLEYLEN.

Slave Name: No name recorded
Slave Sex: Male
Slave Age: 13
Slave Date of Birth: 1752 (calculated)
Slave Status: "A slave for life."
Slave Description: "Negroe boy"
Slave Notes: Offered for sale in 1765 (see ad, above)
Date of Record: April 25, 1765
Source: The Pennsylvania Gazette, April 25, 1765, in Accessible Archives, www.accessible.com/. The second ad ran in the Pennsylvania Gazette, November 2, 1769.

www.afrolumens.org/slavery/cumbsy.html#Whitehill,%20Robert
Slaveholder Name Whitehill, Robert
City or Township East Pennsboro Township
Occupation Farmer, politician
Notes Robert Whitehill moved from Lancaster County to what is now Camp Hill, where he settled in 1773. (Source: Steinmetz, Heritage of the West Shore page 58)
1 Slave Name Paco
Slave Age 30a
Slave Sex: Male
Slave Date of Birth 1750 (calculated)
Slave Description Man
Slave Status Slave for life
Slave Notes Paio, or Paco, was bought from Jacob Gilleylen, of Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, on November 05, 1770. The receipt, which still exists, reads:
Saulsbury November 5 1770[,] Received of Robert Whitehill the Sum of Seventy pounds in full for one Negro Boy Named Pacoh[.] I say recd. by me on my
fathers acct. Jacob Gilleylen." (Receipt for the slave Paco).
Date of Record Registration: 1780; Sales receipt: November 05, 1770.
Source: Slave Returns Listings