CARROLL COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
LARGEST SLAVEHOLDERS FROM 1860
SLAVE CENSUS SCHEDULES
and
SURNAME MATCHES FOR AFRICAN
AMERICANS ON 1870 CENSUS
Transcribed by Tom Blake, October
2001. This information is posted by permission from
Tom Blake and is part of a larger project documenting the
Slave Census Schedules for the Southern States. For
additional information on this Project, please (click
here) for an offsite link to the Project Pages. Tom also
has a "links"
page related to African American research. Thanks,
Tom, for allowing us to post this information on the Carroll
County Site. E-Mail comments to Tom Blake
.
PURPOSE. Published
information giving names of slaveholders and numbers of
slaves held in Carroll County, Mississippi, in 1860, is
either non-existent or not readily available. It is possible
to locate a free person on the Carroll County, Mississippi
census for 1860 and not know whether that person was also
listed as a slaveholder on the slave census, because
published indexes almost always do not include the slave
census.
Those who have found a free ancestor on the
1860 Carroll County, Mississippi census can check this list
to learn if their ancestor was one of the larger
slaveholders in the County. If the ancestor is not on this
list, the 1860 slave census microfilm can be viewed to find
out whether the ancestor was a holder of a fewer number of
slaves or not a slaveholder at all. Whether or not the
ancestor is found to have been a slaveholder, a viewing of
the slave census will provide an informed sense of the
extent of slavery in the ancestral County, particularly for
those who have never viewed a slave census. An ancestor not
shown to hold slaves on the 1860 slave census could have
held slaves on an earlier census, so those films can be
checked also. In 1850, the slave census was also separate
from the free census, but in earlier years it was a part of
the free census.
African American descendants of persons who
were enslaved in Carroll County, Mississippi in 1860, if
they have an idea of the surname of the slaveholder, can
check this list for the surname. If the surname is found,
they can then view the microfilm for the details listed
regarding the sex, age and color of the slaves. If the
surname is not on this list, the microfilm can be viewed to
see if there were smaller slaveholders with that surname. To
check a master surname list for other States and Counties,
return to Home
and Links Page.
The information on surname matches of 1870
African Americans and 1860 slaveholders is intended merely
to provide data for consideration by those seeking to make
connections between slaveholders and former slaves.
Particularly in the case of these larger slaveholders, the
data seems to show in general not many freed slaves in 1870
were using the surname of their 1860 slaveholder. However,
the data should be checked for the particular surname to see
the extent of the matching.
The last U.S. census slave schedules were
enumerated by County in 1860 and included 393,975 named
persons holding 3,950,546 unnamed slaves, or an average of
about ten slaves per holder. The actual number of
slaveholders may be slightly lower because some large
holders held slaves in more than one County and they would
have been counted as a separate slaveholder in each County.
Excluding slaves, the 1860 U.S. population was 27,167,529,
with about 1 in 70 being a slaveholder. It is estimated by
this transcriber that in 1860, slaveholders of 200 or more
slaves, while constituting less than 1 % of the total number
of U.S. slaveholders, or 1 out of 7,000 free persons, held
20-30% of the total number of slaves in the U.S. The process
of publication of slaveholder names beginning with larger
slaveholders will enable naming of the holders of the most
slaves with the least amount of transcription work.
SOURCES. The 1860 U.S.
Census Slave Schedules for Carroll County, Mississippi (NARA
microfilm series M653, Roll 596) reportedly includes a total
of 13,808 slaves. This transcription includes 75
slaveholders who held 40 or more slaves in Carroll County,
accounting for 5,073 slaves, or 36% of the County total. The
rest of the slaves in the County were held by a total of 888
slaveholders, and those slaveholders have not been included
here. Due to variable film quality, handwriting
interpretation questions and inconsistent counting and page
numbering methods used by the census enumerators, interested
researchers should view the source film personally to verify
or modify the information in this transcription for their
own purposes. Census data for 1860 was obtained from the
Historical United States Census Data Browser, which is a
very detailed, searchable and highly recommended database
that can found at http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/
. Census data on African Americans in the 1870 census was
obtained using Heritage Quest's CD "African-Americans
in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census", available through
Heritage Quest at http://www.heritagequest.com/
.
FORMAT. This transcription
lists the names of those largest slaveholders in the County,
the number of slaves they held in the Police District where
counted, the number of the Police District and the first
census page on which they were listed. The page numbers used
are the rubber stamped numbers in the upper right corner of
every set of two pages, with the previous stamped number and
a "B" being used to designate the pages without a
stamped number. Following the holder list is a separate list
of the surnames of the holders with information on numbers
of African Americans on the 1870 census who were enumerated
with the same surname. The term "County" is used
to describe the main subdivisions of the State by which the
census was enumerated.
TERMINOLOGY. Though the
census schedules speak in terms of "slave owners",
the transcriber has chosen to use the term
"slaveholder" rather than "slave owner",
so that questions of justice and legality of claims of
ownership need not be addressed in this transcription.
Racially related terms such as African American, black,
mulatto and colored are used as in the source or at the time
of the source, with African American being used otherwise.
The term "County" is used to describe the main
subdivisions of the State by which the census was
enumerated.
PLANTATION NAMES.
Plantation names were not shown on the census. Using
plantation names to locate ancestors can be difficult
because the name of a plantation may have been changed
through the years and because the sizeable number of large
farms must have resulted in lots of duplication of
plantation names. In Mississippi in 1860 there were 481
farms of 1,000 acres or more, the largest size category
enumerated in the census, and another 1,868 farms of 500-999
acres. Linking names of plantations in this County with the
names of the large holders on this list should not be a
difficult research task, but it is beyond the scope of this
transcription.
FORMER SLAVES. The 1860
U.S. Census was the last U.S. census showing slaves and
slaveholders. Slaves were enumerated in 1860 without giving
their names, only their sex and age and indication of any
handicaps, such as deaf or blind Slaves 100 years of age or
older were supposed to be named on the 1860 slave schedule,
but there were only 1,570 slaves of such age enumerated, out
of a total of 3,950,546 slaves, and the transcriber did not
find any such information on the enumeration of the
transcribed slaveholders. Freed slaves, if listed in the
next census, in 1870, would have been reported with their
full name, including surname. Some of these former slaves
may have been using the surname of their 1860 slaveholder at
the time of the 1870 census and they may have still been
living in the same State or County. Before presuming an
African American was a slave on the 1860 census, the free
census for 1860 should be checked, as almost 11% of African
Americans were enumerated as free in 1860, with about half
of those living in the southern States. Estimates of the
number of former slaves who used the surname of a former
owner in 1870, vary widely and from region to region. If an
African American ancestor with one of these surnames is
found on the 1870 census, then making the link to finding
that ancestor as a slave requires advanced research
techniques involving all obtainable records of the holder.
MIGRATION OF FORMER SLAVES:
According to U.S. Census data, the 1860 Carroll County
population included 8,214 whites, 13 "free
colored" and 13,808 slaves. By the 1870 census, the
white population had increased about 15% to 9,497, while the
"colored" population had dropped about 16% to
11,550. (As a side note, by 1960, 100 years later, the
County was listed as having 4,677 whites, about 43% less
than in 1860, and the 1960 total of 6,495 "Negroes"was
about 53% less than what the colored population had been 100
years before.) It should be noted however, that in comparing
census data for 1870 and 1960, the transcriber did not take
into consideration any relevant changes in county
boundaries.
Where did the Carroll County freed slaves go
if they did not stay in the County? Orleans County in
Louisiana saw an increase in colored population of almost
double between 1860 and 1870, growing to over 50,000, so
likely that is where some went. Lowndes and Warren Counties
in Mississippi saw increases of 6,000 and 8,000, but no
other Mississippi County showed such a significant increase.
Between 1860 and 1870, the Mississippi colored population
only increased by 1%, about 6,000. States that saw more
significant increases in colored population during that
time, and were therefore more likely possible places of
relocation for colored persons from Carroll County, included
the following: Georgia, up 80,000 (17%); Texas, up 70,000
(38%); Alabama, up 37,000 (8%); North Carolina, up 31,000
(8%); Florida, up 27,000 (41%); Ohio, up 26,000 (70%);
Indiana, up 25,000 (127%); and Kansas up from 265 to 17,000
(6,400%).
SLAVEHOLDER LIST:
ARNOLD, Stephen B., 47 slaves, Dist. 2, page
260
AVANT, Jno. A., 52 slaves, Dist. 3, page
281B
BENNETT, C. W., 40 slaves, Dist. 3, page
268B
BENTFORD, John A., 113, 49B (ends on 251)
BOOTHE, Wm., 92 slaves, Dist. 4, page 298
BOWLES, R. S., 56 slaves, Dist. 1, page 246
CAMPBELL, Benjamin, 59 slaves, Dist. 1, page
254
COLLINS, William, 53 slaves, Dist. 5, page
309
CROWDER, R. D., 59 slaves, Dist. 1, page 247
DAVIS, John H., 40 slaves, Dist. 5, page
313B
DAVIS, Samuel, 88 slaves, Dist. 3, page 278
DRAKE, Joseph, 44 slaves, Dist. 4, page 303
ESKRIDGE, Richard, 48 slaves, Dist. 1, page
253B
FISHER, Elias, 60 slaves, Dist. 3, page 279
FULTY, Edward E., 59 slaves, Dist. 1, page
253B
GARY, Allen, 63 slaves, Dist. 5, page 328
GARY, West, 40 slaves, Dist. 5, page 328B
GREEN, Sarah A. 68 slaves, Dist. 5, page 308
HAGLER, , Henry, 42 slaves, Dist. 5, page
324
HAMILTON, John M., 45 slaves, Dist. 5, page
316
HARDIMAN, Thomas, 83 slaves, Dist. 1, page
246B
HARRIS, James C., 94 slaves, Dist. 3, page
283
HEGGIE, J. L., 51 slaves, Dist. 3, page 268B
HEMINGWAY, Wm., 69 slaves, Dist. 4, page 291
HEMRIG?, Lewis W., 42 slaves, Dist. 5, page
325
HILL, M. Estate, 40 slaves, Dist. 3, page
271B
HUDSON, Clement, 80 slaves, Dist. 5, page
322B
JOHNSON, Stephen, 72 slaves, Dist. 3, page
266
KEYES, A. G., 50 slaves, Dist. 3, page 270
KIRKWOOD, Rachel, 58 slaves, Dist. 5, page
326B
LASLEY, Sam, 40 slaves, Dist. 3, page 282B
LEFLORE, Greenwood, 131 slaves, Dist. 4,
page 301B
LEFLORE, Greenwood, 136 slaves, Dist. 3,
page 284B
LEFLORE, John D., 105 slaves, Dist. 2, page
260
LIDDELL, Moses, 55 slaves, Dist. 4, page
292B
LIPSCOMB, B. Est. of, 60 slaves, Dist. 3,
page 269
LITTLE, Alex, 50 slaves, Dist. 5, page 314
LOPP, D. C., 76 slaves, Dist. 1, page 252
LOTT, Wm., 51 slaves, Dist. 4, page 295B
MALLORY, Jno. W., 50 slaves, Dist. 3, page
284
MATTOX, William, 51 slaves, Dist. 5, page
314B
MAYFIELD, T. W., 45 slaves, Dist. 3, page
280B
MCCAIN, W. A., 52 slaves, Dist. 2, page 263B
MCCASKILL, Allen, 70 slaves, Dist. 4, page
302B
MCINTIRE, J. C., 64 slaves, Dist. 4, page
299B
MCINTYRE, John C., 59 slaves, Dist. 2, page
263
MCLEAN & WALTON, by Collins overseer, 61
slaves, Dist. 2, page 258
MCLEMORE, Jno. D., 79 slaves, Dist. 3, page
280
MCLEMORE, John D., by W. D. Warren overseer,
68 slaves, Dist. 2, page 259
MCLEMORE, John D., 200 slaves, Dist. 4, page
289B
MCLEMORE, John D., 89 slaves, Dist. 4, page
289
MONEZ, P., by Thomas L. Tate overseer, 46
slaves, Dist. 2, page 258B
NEIL, G. F., 40 slaves, Dist. 4, page 303B
PALMER, John, 75 slaves, Dist. 5, page 312
PATE, C. A. & J. H., 138 slaves, Dist.
3, page 275B
PATE, J. D., 68 slaves, Dist. 3, page 269B
PAYNE, A. M., 123 slaves, Dist. 1, page 244
PRINCE, Mrs. W. B., 58 slaves, Dist. 3, page
274B
PRINCE, W. B., 79. A. & J. H., 138
slaves, Dist. 3, page 275B
PURNELL, M. Thos., 56 slaves, Dist. 5, page
315B
PURNELL, Martin & James, 69 slaves,
Dist. 5, page 323
REAVES, M. A., 44 slaves, Dist. 3, page 270B
ROBINSON, Douglas, 66 slaves, Dist. 3, page
279
ROBINSON, J. S., 107 slaves, Dist. 3, page
276B
RODES, V. H., 43 slaves, Dist. 3, page 278
SEALES, W. H., 49 slaves, Dist. 3, page 282
SHARKEY, A. H., 73 slaves, Dist. 3, page
277B
SMITH, E. W., 64 slaves, Dist. 3, page 276
STANDLEY, Jas. Sr., 50 slaves, Dist. 3, page
274
STRONG, W. A., 58 slaves, Dist. 3, page 282B
SYKES, G. A., 69 slaves, Dist. 1, page 245B
VARDEN, Cowles M., 110 slaves, Dist. 5, page
321B
WALTON (see also McLean & Walton)
WATKINS, Thos. A., 77 slaves, Dist. 4, page
300
WHITEHEAD, Edward G., 72 slaves, Dist. 4,
page 296B
WHITEHEAD, William, 40 slaves, Dist. 5, page
321
SURNAME MATCHES AMONG AFRICAN
AMERICANS ON 1870 CENSUS:
(exact surname spellings only are reported,
no spelling variations or soundex)
(SURNAME, # in US, in State, in County, born
in State, born and living in State, born in State and living
in County)
ARNOLD, 945, 78, 15, 61, 39, 7
AVANT, 65, 26, 0, 15, 13, 0
BENNETT, 1319, 109, 5, 75, 56, 5
BENTFORD, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
BOOTHE, 127, 25, 0, 17, 16, 0
BOWLES, 296, 37, 1, 26, 16, 1
CAMPBELL, 2897, 235, 17, 166, 116, 5
COLLINS, 3004, 406, 17, 339, 263, 11
CROWDER, 253, 21, 2, 15, 11, 1
DAVIS, 13725, 1397, 46, 1038, 743, 24
DRAKE, 647, 58, 10, 40, 29, 7
ESKRIDGE, 88, 44, 36, 10, 10, 8
FISHER, 1953, 157, 2, 103, 77, 2
FULTY, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
GARY, 263, 35, 21, 19, 18, 11
GREEN, 11070, 896, 31, 683, 491, 16
HAGLER, 38, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0
HAMILTON, 2446, 195, 3, 136, 105, 3
HARDIMAN, 43, 6, 1, 4, 1, 0
HARRIS, 11315, 1074, 45, 736, 547, 18
HEGGIE, 6, 2, 2, 0, 0, 0
HEMINGWAY, 29, 14, 13, 5, 5, 5
HEMRIG?, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
HILL, 6675, 484, 16, 313, 211, 5
HUDSON, 1291, 181, 3, 98, 81, 3
JOHNSON, 33402, 2900, 80, 2220, 1541, 32
KEYES, 58, 21, 13, 15, 14, 7
KIRKWOOD, 45, 24, 12, 13, 12, 7
LASLEY, 30, 5, 0, 2, 2, 0
LEFLORE, 38, 38, 13, 20, 20, 4
LIDDELL, 50, 34, 25, 7, 7, 6
LIPSCOMB, 385, 24, 0, 15, 12, 0
LITTLE, 984, 77, 3, 45, 30, 2
LOPP, 8, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
LOTT, 263, 112, 34, 75, 65, 13
MALLORY, 237, 22, 2, 9, 8, 0
MATTOX, 175, 15, 11, 9, 7, 5
MAYFIELD, 316, 56, 7, 39, 30, 1
MCCAIN, 161, 25, 15, 13, 9, 7
MCCASKILL, 82, 30, 24, 14, 14, 11
MCINTIRE, 76, 6, 0, 3, 3, 0
MCINTYRE, 139, 10, 1, 8, 4, 0
MCLEAN, 446, 41, 9, 26, 23, 2
MCLEMORE, 118, 16, 2, 9, 5, 0
MONEZ, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
NEIL, 205, 26, 0, 19, 18, 0
PALMER, 1211, 100, 16, 71, 51, 8
PATE, 216, 36, 9, 25, 23, 9
PAYNE, 1603, 91, 0, 65, 45, 0
PRINCE, 619, 60, 1, 33, 20, 1
PURNELL, 405, 75, 47, 37, 37, 21
REAVES, 203, 12, 0, 8, 5, 0
ROBINSON, 8046, 715, 8, 511, 356, 2
RODES, 126, 11, 0, 4, 3, 0
SEALES, 50, 6, 0, 3, 2, 0
SHARKEY, 22, 15, 0, 14, 12, 0
SMITH, 29087, 2581, 56, 1912, 1396, 16
STANDLEY, 87, 20, 20, 14, 14, 14
STRONG, 573, 135, 4, 70, 61, 1
SYKES, 412, 204, 35, 82, 68, 2
VARDEN, 4, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0
WALTON, 1110, 182, 1, 113, 86, 0
WATKINS, 2226, 149, 12, 95, 74, 2
WHITEHEAD, 614, 80, 20, 61, 46, 10