owner himself could personally give, the most faithful and capable of his laborers was probably quite frequently appointed overseer. If he had under engagement to himself a servant who was perfectly competent to perform the duties of the position, there could have been little inducement for him to select a man who was in full enjoyment of his freedom. The legal tie which gave him control over the actions of the servant made the servant a more desirable subordinate.[1] On the other hand, the fact that the overseer was still bound by the terms of an indenture was calculated to diminish his influence with the laborers over whom he was placed. In the county records of Virginia previous to 1700, the references to overseers become more frequent as the close of the century is approached. These undoubtedly were freemen. At no time in the history of the Colony were such men absent from the class of overseers. Indeed, this class was principally recruited from among those whose indentures had expired.[2] The duties incident to the position required for their performance a firm and energetic spirit as well as intelligence and fairness. However amenable to authority the great mass of English servants may have been, there must have been a large number who needed the utmost strictness and sternness for their governance. To control such persons, the master was compelled to rely upon his overseer, who, however well adapted to his office, often found this an impossible task. In seeking to perform it, he was not infrequently assaulted by fractious servants.[3]
- ↑ One of the overseers of Major Robert Beverley, Sr., was a servant. Records of Middlesex County, original vol. 1679-1694, p. 4.
- ↑ Jones’ Present State of Virginia, p. 54. The overseer was sometimes a negro. “General Court Orders, April 23, 1669, Hannah Warwick’s case extenuated because she was overseen by a negro overseer.” Robinson Transcripts, p. 256.
- ↑ Records of the General Court, pp. 44, 99; Records of Middlesex County, original vol. 1680-1694, p. 36.
