Payne-ful Business

Land research provided for Margaret Seidler’s journey to uncover the story of her ancestor, William Payne. Payne was the broker in the domestic trade of enslaved people here in Charleston. The auction house he started on Broad Street handled the sale of more than 9200 people. At the time it was known as 28 Broad but today it is the eastern half of 34 Broad. It truly is a painful story but it needs to be told.

Click image to enlarge