Small Manuscript Collections, Cowgill Collection

The Trustees of the Colored School in Little Creek were a group of men that acted as guardians of the Colored School in Little Creek, taking charge of the school’s finances and governance. It was comprised of Edward W. Wilson, Daniel Cowgill, and Ezekiel Cowgill, who served on the board on and off during the mid-1800s. The trustees ultimately answered to the Preparative Meeting of Friends in Little Creek, who funded the school from their Colored School Fund. The Colored School series is a collection of financial documents regarding the Colored School in Little Creek. The financial documents include accounts of the students’ tuition, requests for payment of the teachers’ salary, a bill for the repair of the schoolhouse, an accounting of the payments made by the Preparative Meeting over ten years, and more.

The Cowgill family was a prominent quaker family in Delaware and Maryland, immigrating from England in the late 1600s. They were known abolitionists, with several family members working as trustees for the Colored School in Little Creek and helping to draft legislation to abolish slavery in Delaware. The family was influential in the Quaker community and held government positions in Delaware at various times during the 19th century. The Cowgill Accounts collection contains deeds and accounting generated by various members of the Cowgill family, including Daniel Cowgill, Ezekiel Cowgill, and Daniel Cowgill Jr.