Franklin & Armfield

Franklin & Armfield was formed in Alexandria, Virginia in 1828 with the purchase of 1315 Duke Street, a three-story brick residence converted into an office. The building still stands and houses the Freedom House Museum. Isaac Franklin began trading slaves from Baltimore to Natchez before drawing in his friend and nephew-by-marriage John Armfield. At its height, Franklin & Armfield could credibly claim to be the largest slavetrading house in the United States. Both men retired early. Armfield went on to develop the Beersheba Spring, which is still operating, and to found Sewanee: The University of the South. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill acquired the papers of one of Franklin & Armfield's larger trading agents, Rice Ballard. His voluminous correspondence has been uploaded to FromthePage.com, a crowdsourced transcription platform.