Marriage and ritual co-parenthood among elite and enslaved: the family and slaves of Captain Antônio Ferreira Leitão (Porto Alegre – late 18th to mid-19th centuries)

Abstract

Based on nominative record linkage, this article studies the marriage and ritual co-parenthood (compadrio in Portuguese, compadrazgo in Spanish) in a community located in the former captaincy-province of Rio Grande de São Pedro. We analysed the family of Captain Antônio Ferreira Leitão, who occupied a prominent place in the social hierarchy of Porto Alegre and was an owner of many enslaved. His family was chosen as the focus of the analysis not only because it represents one of the richest in the area, but because the slaves belonging to the Ferreira Leitão family had different access to marriage and the Captain was the owner of the largest number of legitimate enslaved children baptized in the Porto Alegre. This finding was the motivation to follow the family trajectory of Captain Ferreira Leitão and his offspring, between the decades of 1780 and the mid-19th century. Reflecting on his family options in relation to marriage and ritual co-parenthood, as well as those that were identified for his enslaved is the aim of the article. The data relating to slavery by Antônio Ferreira Leitão confirm the hypothesis that there was a policy of allowing marriage, maintaining the stability and coexistence of captive families, stimulating the reproduction of the enslaved.