Jourdan Saunders

Jourdan Michaux Saunders (1796 – March 19, 1875) was an American domestic slave trader and farmer, noted for his partnership with Franklin & Armfield. Born to a slave-owning family in Caswell County, North Carolina, his father died soon after a move to Smith County, Tennessee, leaving Saunders with a significant inherited estate. As a young man during the War of 1812, he volunteered in the Tennessee militia, seeing service at the Battle of New Orleans. He entered the slave trade in October 1827 as part of a business partnership with David Burford, founding the firm J. M. Saunders and Company and choosing Fauquier County, Virginia as a base of operations.

After significant early losses, he was able to impress Isaac Franklin after a successful New Orleans sale, and entered into a business affiliation with Franklin & Armfield. Saunders was tasked with acquiring slaves to be shipped to Louisiana. Following a wave of legislation restricting interstate trading in the aftermath of Nat Turner's 1831 rebellion, Franklin & Armfield and their associates managed to circumvent Louisiana trade restrictions, resulting in considerable profits. Saunders ultimately shipped hundreds of enslaved people to Franklin & Armfield, although he fell into financial difficulties as the firm entered large amounts of debt and became temporarily unable to reimburse Saunders. He withdrew from the industry over the mid-to-late 1840s, retiring to his Fauquier County estate alongside his mixed-race mistress, Mary Wilkins, and their four children. He never legally recognized his children as his own, although all except James (who had served in the Colored Troops during the Civil War) received his inheritance. In March 1875, Saunders died of heart disease at his estate.