Slave Records in South Carolina

collected by P. A. Miller

These are the slave records from my research on South Carolina families.
I've generally cleaned these records out to only include names (whether they receive named slaves in will or not.
There are tax lists and other records indicating numbers of slaves only - they still represent people and can help determine ages of known slaves.
I've left in auxiliary references that might include slave names, even though I didn't take them down in my notes.
These family names, e.g. Daniel, are not all the same branch, I've noted where certain ones went to, etc.
The records are not in date order.
I haven't cleaned up source name abbreviations, etc., but I think they are obvious. Some sources start with the LDS film number.
My comments about the records are in [brackets]
Contact me if you have any questions at:

(Sorry, have to copy by hand, the harvester-spammers have gotten to be too much.)

Anderson
Charleston
Chester
Laurens
Spartanburgh

Choose another state

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Anderson

0022860 SC Anderson Will Book A
I read John Adair's (wf Jean) will, don't have book or page at hand.
John Alexander gets negro boy Peter...

Some SC Genealogical Records by Janie Revill
v.1 p20, Anderson County Wills. Will of Colbert Anderson, Probate Judge Office, Ninety Six Dist., Abbeville, S.C. wr 20 Nov 1782
to son James, to son John
refers to bro James Anderson and bro Stephen Anderson [i.e. Colbert's bros] in title chain.
to dau Jane Anderson
to Colbert Anderson [not named as son, but...]
to wife Mary...one negro named Jane...
exrs wf Mary and son James.
wit: william (x) Mathis, Molley (x) Mathis, Elisabeth McCrae

v.1 p21 [I have incomplete notes]
Pack 106 in Equity Pickens Co, SC. John Anderson d. Feb 1840. Letter of admin granted to William Nimmons. After his death Isaac Anderson a son took possession of the negroes: Andrew about 26, Juda about 35 and her children Henry and Hiram. The heirs of John Anderson are James Stephens and wf Drucilla, John Brock and wf Sally, Rachel...[I don't have the rest of the heirs.]

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Charleston

0023479 SC Charleston Co Wills Bk A, also Bk 22...
22-91 Ruth Stone wr. -- -- 1786, pr 13 Nov 1786. of James Island, widow.
to bro John Rivers on 1 Jan 1790 my Negro Boy named J~onny, if John is dead then same to dau Susannah Rivers and my grdau Sarah Rivers with all else for them to share equal. If grdau dies before marriage or 21 yrs then her part to dau Susannah.
extx dau Susannah Rivers.
wt. John hearne, Benjamin Stone, William Rivers.

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Chester

Sketch of the Covenanters of Rocky Creek SC about 1750-1840 by Mary and Matthew Elder
"First part taken for "Sketch on the Covenanters" by D. G. Stinson, Esq, an uncle of Miss Mary Elder"
[There are several different volumes and versions of this same article, first based on Stinson, then Elder, then copied by Crowder. There only seem to be tiny bits added, omitted here and there. I give up trying to keep them all straight: here's more, supposedly straight from Stinson:]
[re William Martin...] He came here from County Antrim, Ireland. In the same party with him came my father.... Mr. Martin owned two negroes, I recollect, Savannah and Bob. My father owned three, so did some others of the congregation....
[This is about William Martin, the Covenanter preacher of Chester SC]

South Carolina Genealogical Register. 1963-1968. Published by Elizabeth Thomas Wood, ed. [also avail on film 23322 Chester Deed Book C-F 1793-1799]
C138 deed of gift from Levy Smith of Chestr, 20 Jun 1793
to Elizabeth Smith for love and affection...one negro girl Nelley about 9 years old. wit Joseph Bennett.
C147 bill of sale from Jacob Roberts to James Head, wr 12 Dec 1792
for £30:
one negro man named Hall, thru disguise called Joseph, about 36 years old.
wit James Hughey, William Woodward, Richard Head.
C316 mortgage Alexander Wilson to Hazel Hardwick, both of Chester, for £19.2, one negro girl named Patt or Patsy, to be void if Hasel Hardwick pays £20 by 5 Oct 1794.
C349 bill of sale, Richard Smith to Jonathan McKay, 11 Dec 1793, for £65, one negro girl named Bett, 14 years old.
C362 bill of sale fr John Edwards to Arthur Field, 16 Nov 1792, for £80 one negro boy named Jacob, 17 years old.
[oops, I'm not certain these next aren't from deed book B?]
Bk? p. 60, bill of sale 3 Mar 1792, pr 29 Apr 1792, Robert Fulwood, Clarendon County, to Thomas Gather, Kershaw County, both of Camden district, one negro named Peter, formerly the property of Moses Brown.
Bk? p. 61, bill of sale 24 Dec 1792, pr in Chester County, from Charles Dinklea of Prince Fredricks parish, Liberty county, to James Head, for £40, one negro girl named Jeremiah.

361712 Chester County Probate Files nos. 23-27; Package nos. 338-444
will of Dr. Daniel Harper, apt. 26, pkt. 376, wr 11 Jul 1791, pr 2 Jan 1792
refers to partnership with John Knox, M.D.
to wr Sarah
to bro James Harper...two hundred pounds to be raised...by the sale of two negro men named Prince and Cyrus...
to nephew Thomas Blair, and to son [?] Daniel Blair, to cousin William Foster, to stepdau Darcos Cantzon, to stepdau Polly Cantson, to the son of John Cantzon, to my two Brothers (on of said bros only in-law) and sister that is living in these parts, to bros Benjamin Harper and William Harper.

The Revolutionary Soldiers of Catholic Presbyterian Church, Chester County, South Carolina by Mary Wylie Strange
p.119 article on Thomas Steel, son of Thomas Steel Sr., and Catherine Fisher...lived on lower Fishing Cree, Catawba River (then called Wateree)...
Thomas Steel made deed of gift to his children 17 Mar 1808, pr 4 Sep 1807 and recd in Deed Bk O, p. 325:
for love and afftection to dau Katherine Fisher Steel and two sons Malcom Steel and James Steel...give and grant all my Seven Negroes, Viz: Man Adam, woman Chain boy Isaac girls Eliza & Rachel and two younger children of Solomon...[he reserved right of use and disposal during his lifetime and to alter/change the gift.]

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Laurens

Heritage of Tippah Co MS v.1 p. 650 David James Vernor b. 1855, black slave SC. his mother md. Joe Braddock [the Braddocks of Tippah MS were from Laurens County SC. The Tippah County Heritage v.2, comp. and ed. by Tommy Covington, has wonderful articles on the descendants of the slave Joseph Braddock]

Abstracts of Early Records of Laurens co SC 1785-1820 by Sara M. Nash
[abstr from 1st ten deed bks A-K, will and admin bks A1, C1, D1, with full index]
E62 18 Apr 1793, 2 Nov 1793 Ann Craddock to Wadsworth & Turpin mchts, £49 stlg, bond on two negroes Reuben abt 19 and David abt 17. Wit Abiram Lawrence, James Young. John Hunter JP
K38 11 Aug 1813, 27 Dec 1813 Thos Simmons of Williamson co TN to Moses Leak for $200, a 6 yr old negro boy Lea. Wit Wm Anthony, Wm Leak. Wm Buttler JP

102967 SC Laurens Co 1799-1800 and Laurens Distr 1800-1804 Pleadings and Judgments
item #2 = Pleadings and Judgments v. 32 1804-1809
p. 95 Jeremiah Leek v. John Boyd, Roll 12 No. 339, writ of trover, 4th Mon Oct 1805, over Negro man Charles, judgment 12 Apr 1807

1029351 SC Laurens [Estates]
Box 43 Pkg 5, estate of George Leak
[will wr 23 Oct 1819, citation to prove on first Monday in Jan 1820, finally proved and recorded 7 Feb 1820.]
25 Feb 1820 appraisement bill returned by Abner Young includes:
Negros
viz 1 girl Buk [probably Beck] $375
Eliza $275
negro Man Lew $700
Anna & Childring Rose & Matilda $700
boy Frank $600
S--kis [not quite Sukey's, but in later documents it is] Childring mary & daniel $1000
6 January 1823 settlement filed. George's widow had married Edwin Hooker. Margaret Leak Hooker's one third was listed as [much is hard to read]:
1 girl B--k [probably Beck]
1 girl Anny
[Beck and Anny went to
Tippah MS with Margaret and are discussed in her estate there.
An inventory and sale bill. The sale was held on the 9-10 Jan 1823. The slaves named are Sukey, Daniel, Nancy, Becky, Eliza, Jenny and young child, Norah and Tilda, Lew, and Frank.
[The indentations in the list make it look possible that Daniel and Nancy are the children of Sukey and that Norah and Tilda are the children of Jenny, but that is just possible guesswork on my part.]
Armsted Leek bought "one negro woman Jen and Child"
Saml Leek bought "one negro boy frank"
Saml Young bought "one negro woman Suck and one negro Boy Daniel"
Wm. Brown bought "one negro girl Rose and one negro girl Matilda"
John Davis bought "one negro girl Eliza"

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Spartanburgh

Rutherford County NC Abstracts of Wills 1779-1822 by C. H. Davis
B-178 Benjamin Hawkins to Sarah Thompson, bill of sale 4 Nov 1803, recd Jan 1804. for 350, 210, and 140 paid before Christmas by Sarah Thompson, [of] Spartanburg SC...1 Negro woman called Jane abt. 22 yrs. old of yellowish complexion...wit William Millican

Spartanburgh County SC Will Abstracts 1787-1840 by Brent H. Holcomb
C37 will of Samuel S. Ross wr 25 Apr 1831, pr 27 mar 1832
to Jane buckhannon...negro man Colly, negro woman Hannah and her daughter Milly and other negroes [named but not in this abstract]
to Lawson Ross Buchannon...negroes [named, but not in this abstract]
to Milford Ross...negro Franklin
mentions John Ellison to live on farm he now lives on
to Lawson Ross Buckhannon, Milford Ross Buckhannon and Orvide(?) R. Allison
to Nancy R. Hawkins...negro Charlott
to Ellinor Allison...negro woman Mary
to two orphan children females the daus of a half sister named Hannah decd in the State of New Jersey
mentions Jonas Rollins, William Doss, Robert S. Porter
"negroes that Arthur Clark run off from me
exr Lawson Ross Buchannon
wit George Plaxico, R. S. Porter, James Doss, J. S. Bohannon

C44 will of Samuel Hunt wr 4 Oct 1824, pr 5 Jul 1832
to wf Susannah,
James Young to act for my son John Wood Hunt, till he comes of age...
to dau Betsy...negro woman Jane and her son Peter
to dau Lucy...negro Mary
to dau Rabba...one negro woman Scinda
to son James...negro man Ake
to son Samuel Crofton...negro woman Nare and her dau Phebe
to my wife all my real estate for her to divide between her children named John Wood, William, Polly Wood, Joseph James, Rebecca Berry, Rose Pomfrett, Lewis Rector and Benjamin Franklin...nine negroes [named, but not in this abstr]
exrs wf and John Wood Hunt [when of age]

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7 Feb 05