Aetna Insurance Co. Slave Policy: A Life Insurance Policy Issued at Lexington, Ky. on January 15, 1853 for an Enslaved "House Servant" Named Lucinda

(Slavery) Aetna Insurance Co. Slave Policy: A Life Insurance Policy Issued at Lexington, Ky. on January 15, 1853 for an Enslaved "House Servant" Named Lucinda. Lexington, Ky.: Aetna Insurance Co., Hartford, Conn., Annuity Fund $150,000, 1853. FIRST EDITION. Folio - 13-1/2" x 8-1/4". [4] pp. accomplished by hand; p. [1]: the policy; p. [2]: "Register of the Slave or Slaves Insured in This Policy;" p. [3]: blank; p. [4]: docketing. Document with minor wear at the corners and along the folds; small scattered areas of professional paper restoration to the same. The condition of the insurance document is NEAR FINE. Provenance: The William H. Brand & Aetna Corporate Archive Records This extraordinary manuscript represents a devastatingly tangible record of the commodification of human lives in the pre-Civil War American South. Aetna was one of the earliest U.S. insurers to offer life insurance policies covering enslaved individuals. In response to California's Slavery Era Insurance Registry legislation (2002), Aetna executives reported uncovering only seven policies in total, naming sixteen enslaved individuals by first name. Most company records were lost because Aetna's legacy tracking system automatically deleted terminated policies, and records older than 1923 did not survive in digital or paper form. Aetna acknowledged the injustice in 2000 and issued a public statement of regret. Actuarial Valuation & The Founding of Aetna Life This slave life insurance policy, noted as policy "No. 9," authorized the payment of $600, which is approximately $26,000 in 2026 purchasing power, if "Lucinda" died within the 12-month period covered by the policy. The record indicates the policy was renewed for an additional 12-month period at the end of the original policy period, with the premium and death benefit being unchanged. It is important to note that Lucinda's total value is listed to be $1,000, which is equivalent in purchasing power to about $43,250 today. The policy was purchased by one William H. Brand with "loss, if any payable to himself," costing Mr. Brand $16 for the 12 months of coverage. In addition to William H. Brand, the policy was signed by three representatives of Aetna: the Agent, the Actuary, and the Vice-President, E. A. Bulkeley. On May 28, 1853, a mere four months after the signing of this insurance policy, the Annuity department separated from Aetna Insurance to be incorporated as the Aetna Life Insurance Company with the same Mr. Eliphalet A. Bulkeley as its first president. Institutional Census & Absolute Rarity This document is of the utmost historical scarcity. A census via WorldCat locates only two other slave insurance policies held in institutional collections worldwide: an Aetna policy preserved at the South Carolina Historical Society, and a Nautilus Insurance Company of New York policy preserved at the Library of Virginia. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF AFRICAN AMERICANA. TRULY A MUSEUM WORTHY ITEM. # 001280