John Armfield
John Armfield | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1797 North Carolina, United States |
| Died | September 20, 1871 (aged 73–74) Beersheba Springs, Tennessee, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Slave trader, businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder of Franklin & Armfield, development of Beersheba Springs, supporter of Sewanee: The University of the South |
| Notable work | Franklin & Armfield slave trading enterprise |
John Armfield (1797–1871) was a prominent American slave trader and co-founder of Franklin & Armfield, recognized as the largest slave trading enterprise in the United States. He also played a significant role in the development of Beersheba Springs, Tennessee and was a founding supporter of Sewanee: The University of the South.
Early life
Armfield was born in 1797 in North Carolina to parents of Quaker faith and traced his ancestry to England.
Career
Following the prohibition of the Atlantic slave trade, Armfield embarked on slave trading during the 1820s. In 1828, he joined forces with his uncle by marriage, Isaac Franklin, establishing Franklin & Armfield. Their operation involved purchasing enslaved individuals from the Upper South regions—Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.—where there was an excess supply among planters, and selling them into the growing Deep South territories.
The expansion of the Southeast, driven by federal Indian Removal policies and the lucrative cultivation of short-staple cotton facilitated by the cotton gin, caused a sharp increase in demand for enslaved labor. Franklin & Armfield exploited this market surge to amass substantial wealth, becoming some of the richest men in the nation. Their methods were infamously harsh, with recorded instances of mistreatment toward enslaved women.
After accumulating considerable fortune, the partnership ended in 1835 when they sold their firm to agent George Kephart. Armfield retired to Middle Tennessee while Franklin invested in plantations such as Fairvue Plantation near Gallatin, Tennessee, as well as properties in Louisiana and Texas.
Armfield took up residence in Gruetli, a Swiss settlement located in Grundy County, Tennessee. In 1855, he transformed Beersheba Springs into a resort destination favored by wealthy visitors; it continues to operate today. Additionally, he was the principal benefactor in establishing Sewanee: The University of the South.
Personal life and death
In 1831, Armfield married Martha Franklin, niece of Isaac Franklin. He converted to the Episcopal Church, and his wife transitioned from Presbyterianism to Episcopalianism. The couple regularly attended Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville alongside Bishop Leonidas Polk, who was a close associate. Another notable connection was with Nashville’s mayor John M. Bass.
Armfield passed away from natural causes on September 20, 1871, at Beersheba Springs.
The couple did not have children together; however, Armfield fathered at least one child with an enslaved Black woman whom he subsequently sold along with her child. Rodney G. Williams, an African American descendant, has verified his ancestry linked to Armfield through DNA testing.