Finding Aid to the Slavery era insurance documents [circa 1847-1860], 2001-2002 SFH 670
Collection processed by Natasha Forner. Finding aid composed by Freya Channing with assistance from Natasha Forner.
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
2023
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
Title: Slavery era insurance documents,
source:
California. Department of Insurance.
Identifier/Call Number: SFH 670
Physical Description:
1 legal manuscript box, 2 oversized flat boxes.
(2 Cubic Feet)
Date (inclusive): [circa 1847-1860]
Date (inclusive): 2001-2002
Abstract: Photocopies of documents collected by the State of California Insurance Department in pursuance of California Code Regulations,
Title 10, Sections 2293-2398, which required insurance companies to provide documentation about insurance polices from the
slavery era which coverage for slaveholders for damage to or death of the enslaved.
Physical Location: The collection is stored on site.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English.
The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk
hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.
The collection is available for use during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours
in advance.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
[Identification of item], Slavery era insurance documents (SFH 670), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public
Library.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donation from California Department of Insurance, May 2002.
The Department of Insurance sent copies of the reports submitted in response to this statute, together with all documents
attached (such as copies of policies, ledgers and documents that discuss slave insurance received from the insurers), to libraries
at the University of California at Los Angeles, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Davis. In addition, the
documents have been sent to the county public libraries for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Diego
counties and to the California State Library in Sacramento.
During processing, the collection was re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes.
In 2000, the California State Legislature passed SB 2199, authored by former Senator Tom Hayden and signed into law by former
Governor Gray Davis. The statute is entitled "Slavery Era Insurance Policies." The Legislature found and declared that "Insurance
policies from the slavery era have been discovered in the archives of several insurance companies, documenting insurance coverage
for slaveholders for damage to or death of their slaves, issued by a predecessor insurance firm. These documents provide the
first evidence of ill-gotten profits from slavery, which profits in part capitalized insurers whose successors remain in existence
today." SB2199 Sec. 1(a).
The statute adds sections 13810 through 13813 to the California Insurance Code (CIC), which entitles the Insurance Commissioner
and the Department of Insurance to seek information from the files of insurers licensed and doing business in the state of
California, including licensed California subsidiaries of international insurance companies, regarding insurance policies
issued to slaveholders by predecessor corporations. Furthermore, the commissioner shall obtain the names of any slaveholders
or slaves described in those insurance records and shall make the information available to the public and the Legislature.
The Regulation required carriers to submit the requested data by October 13, 2001, the effective date of the regulation. The
Department of Insurance received reports from over 1,000 insurers, the vast majority of them did not come into existence until
after the slavery era (prior to 1865), and they had nothing to report. To date, the compliance response rate is approximately
92%. The Department of Insurance is continuously in contact with insurers who have not responded completely. Copied for the
collection are the reports and documents of those insurers that were in business prior to 1865. The vast majority of responses
indicated that the insurer had nothing to report, was unable to find responsive information or documents, routinely destroyed
documents beyond a certain age, or the responsive documents had been lost or destroyed.
Major portions of text from:
California Department of Insurance, Slavery Era Insurance Registry
and
Slavery Era Insurance Registry Report, Report to the California Legislature (May 2002).
The collection includes photocopies of the Slavery Era Registry, official report, and responsive documents reported by insurance
carriers subject to the regulation of SB 2199.
The Slavery Era Registry, created by the California Department of Insurance, lists slave and slaveholder names and identifying
information as reported by insurers. The Slavery Era Insurance Registry Report to the California Legislature (May 2002) includes
the legislation, implementation, reporting requirements, and summarizes substantive responses from carriers. Reporting insurers
have been designated to submit a consolidated report on behalf of subsidiaries, affiliates, and predecessors doing business
in the state of California during the slavery era. In accordance with California Code of Regulations (Section 2396), the reports
include contact information, a description of research methodology, and information on the possession or knowledge relating
to insurance policies issued to slaveholders that provided coverage for damage to or death of their slaves.
Examples of responsive documents that have been submitted include insurance ledger books, policy registers, slaveholder life
insurance policies issued, and death claims. Whether in the interest of full disclosure or historic value, some insurers provided
documents that are not responsive to the statute such as a magazine article containing a replica of an issued policy and meeting
notes from company's history. In some cases, documents were found and submitted after initial filings.
ACE USA reported that it found in its possession a copy of a slave policy. Aetna's search uncovered seven policies found in
the company's archive and from outside sources; after its initial report, Aetna discovered and submitted a ledger book containing
the names of slaves and slaveholders. AIG provided a list of the names of slaves and slaveholders culled from U.S. Life bound
registries. New York Life reported that its predecessor, Nautilus Insurance Company, sold slaveholder life insurance policies
and provided records of names and three separate ledgers, an Index of Applicants, and Death Claim Book.
This collection lacks documentation from the General Reinsurance Corporation and National Life of Vermont.
Photocopies of the Slavery Insurance Registry and responses from insurers are arranged in six folders. The collection of insurance
companies is arranged alphabetically. The copies of insurance ledgers submitted by New York Life from its predecessor Nautilus
Insurance Company are in 2 oversized flat boxes.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Slavery -- United States.
Slaveholders -- United States -- Registers.
Slaves -- United States -- Registers.
Insurance -- United States.
Enslaved persons -- United States -- Registers
African Americans -- Reparations
California. Department of Insurance.
box 1, folder 1
Slavery era insurance registry 1
Includes copies of statutes and codes which define the terms, respondents, and reporting requirements of SB 2199. Includes
the Slavery Era Insurance Registry, created by the California Department of Insurance, from data reported by insurance companies
in compliance with SB 2199. Includes Slavery Insurance Registry Report to the California Legislature (May 2002) which reports
on the implementation and amending of SB 2199, and summarizes insurer responses.
box 1, folder 2-5
Insurance companies: Ace USA - Nautilus Insurance Company
Insurance companies include ACE USA, AETNA, AIG, American General Assurance, Atlantic Mutual Companies, CNA, Crum & Foster,
CSA Fraternal Life, Equitable, Factory Mutual Insurance Company (FM Global), Fireman's Fund, Guardian Life Insurance, Hartford
Fire Insurance Company, Manhattan Life Insurance Company, Mass Mutual Financial Group, MetLife INC., MONY Life Insurance Company,
New York Life, and Nautilus Insurance Company.
box 1, folder 6
box 2