DALLAS COUNTY, ALABAMA
LARGEST SLAVEHOLDERS FROM 1860 SLAVE CENSUS SCHEDULES
and
SURNAME MATCHES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS ON 1870 CENSUS
Transcribed by Tom Blake, May 2001
PURPOSE. Published information giving names of slaveholders and numbers of slaves held in Dallas County, Alabama, in 1860, is either non-existent or not readily available. It is possible to locate a free person on the Dallas County, Alabama 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 Dallas County, Alabama 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 Dallas County, Alabama 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 Dallas County, Alabama (NARA microfilm series M653, Roll 29) reportedly includes a total of 25,760 slaves, which ranks as the highest total in the State and the 4th highest in the U.S. in 1860. This transcription includes 81 slaveholders who held 70 or more slaves in Dallas County, accounting for 9,006 slaves, or 35% of the County total. The rest of the slaves in the County were held by a total of 1,199 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 district where the slaves were enumerated and the first census page of that district 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.
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 Alabama in 1860 there were 482 farms of 1,000 acres or more, the largest size category enumerated in the census, and another 1,359 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 nationwide. The transcriber noticed the following such slaves named in this county: male Hampton, age 102 held by Bentley at page 27B; female Juno, age 100, the only slave of E. J. Bower at page 37B; female Molly, age 100 held by agent Boothe at page 51; female Dafney, age 100 held by J. E. Kennedy at page 87B; female Lucy and male Jack, both age 100 and held by agent Evans on page 65B; male African Paul, listed as a manumitted slave in two places on page 151 in connection with holder John Phillips; female Sarah, age 100 held by W. W. Lang, Sr. at page 114B; female Sallie, age 101 held by Westley Plattenburgh at page 149; female Jimmy, age 100 held by R. H. Boykin at page 118B; female Patty, age 100 also held by Boykin at page 117B; female Silva, age 100 held by Robt. Boykin at page 113; and male Sam, age 100 held by Hunter at page 168B. 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 Dallas County population included 7,785 whites, 80 "free colored" and 25,760 slaves. By the 1870 census, the white population of Dallas County had increased almost 10% to 8,552, while the "colored" population increased almost 24% to 32,152. (As a side note, by 1960, 100 years later, the County was listed as having 23, 952 whites, almost a three fold increase, but the 1960 total of 32,687 "Negroes"was only about 26% more than what the colored population had been 100 years before.) Where did the freed slaves go who did not stay in this county? Dallas, Montgomery and Mobile counties in Alabama all saw increases in the colored population between 1860 and 1870, so that could be where some of these Alabama freed slaves went. Between 1860 and 1870, the Alabama colored population increased by 37,000, to 475,000, a 17% increase. Where did freed Alabama slaves go if they did not stay in Alabama? States that saw significant increases in colored population during that time, and were therefore more likely possible places of relocation for colored persons from Dallas County, included the following: Georgia, up 80,000 to 545,000 (17%); Texas, up 70,000 (38%); 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:
ADAMS, John, 98 slaves, Athens, page 19
BENTLEY, John, 155 slaves, Burnsville?, page 27B
BIBB, G. B., 103 slaves, Carlowville, page 58B
BIBB, Geo. B., 81 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 103
BISSELL, H. C., 82 slaves, Portland, page 114
BLAND, E., 89 slaves, Orrville, page 85B
BOOTHE, T. D. Agt., 90 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 51
BOYKIN, B. Est., 141 slaves, Portland, page 118B
BOYKIN, James, 242 slaves, Portland, page 116
BOYKIN, R. H., 161 slaves, Portland, page 117B
BOYKIN, Robt. D., 104 slaves, Portland, page 112B
CADE, Est. E. E., 85 slaves, Union, page 169B
CALHOUN, James M., 168 slaves, Carlowville, page 57
CARSON, T. B. Est., 150 slaves, Pence, page 92B
CLEVELAND, C. H., 89 slaves, River, page 131B
COLEMAN, A. M., 106 slaves, Richmond, page 126
CRAIG, J. W., 80 slaves, Orrville, page 87
CRAIG, J. D., 89 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 37
CRAIG, R. G., 96 slaves, Harrels, page 69B
ECHOLS, Est. J., 72 slaves, Union, page 166
EDWARDS, N. W., 92 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 47
ELLERBE, A. W., 132 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 52
GALE, Geo. W., 97 slaves, Union, page 162B
GAYLE, R. D., 96 slaves, Harrels, page 70B
GILL, T. M., 111 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 40
GRIFFIN, Lonzo, 79 slaves, Selma, page 145
HARRELL, W. F., 99 slaves, Harrels, page 63
HATCHER, Robt. S., 77 slaves, River, page
HILL, S.? M., 180 slaves, River, page 134
HUNTER, John S., 138 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 104B
HUNTER?, J. S. & L., 147 slaves, Union, page 168B
JOBY?, T. E., 95 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 56
JOHNSON, Mrs., 114 slaves, Burnsville?, page 32
JOHNSTON, A. J., 95 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 37B
JONES, Est., 87 slaves, Union, page 167B
JONES, J. H., 95 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 55B
JONES, W. A. Est., 75 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 55
KING, Wm. T., 157 slaves, Old Town, page 81
LANG, W. W. Sr., 133 slaves, Portland, page 114B
LEE, Martin, 116 slaves, Carlowville, page 59B
LONG, D.? M., 74 slaves, Pence, page 90
MARSHALL, Dr. Hugh, 76 slaves, Selma, page 153
MARTIN, A. J., 79 slaves, Orrville, page 85
MATHEWS, Tho. M., 143 slaves, River, page 129
MATTHEWS, J. E., 284 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 34B
MATTHEWS, Verginia, 76 slaves, Athens, page 18
MINTER, Wm T., 81 slaves, Old Town, page 82B
MOLETT, J. U.?, 76 slaves, Harrels, page 71B
MOLETT, W. P., 351 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 48
MOORE, Louis J., 130 slaves, Summerfield, page 157B
MOORE, R. C., 71 slaves, Harrels, page 61B
NIXON?, John [and some others?], 97 slaves, Woodlawn, page 173
PEGUES, Eliza H. and 2 others, 94 slaves, Athens, page 23
PERINE, E. M., 88 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 105B
PERINE, E. M., 85 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 38B
PHILLIPS, Geo. C., 102 slaves, Selma, page 146B
PHILLIPS, John B., 93 slaves, Selma, page 151
PITTS, Joseph Agt., 77 slaves, Pence, page 97
PLATTENBURGH, Wesley, 107 slaves, Selma, page 149
RIVES, J. T. Agt., 131 slaves, Portland, page 111B
RIVES, Thomas, 71 slaves, Portland, page 113
SALTMARSH, A., 300 slaves, Cahaba Town, page 42B
SMITH, Jas. & Bat.?, 88 slaves, Selma, page 151B
SMITH, R. W., 74 slaves, Portland, page 111
SMITH, Wm. S., 83 slaves, River, page 130B
SMYLY, D. C. & S., 78 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 101B
STEWART, Geo. C., 96 slaves, Old Town, page 78B
STOUTENBROUGH, A., 144 slaves, Richmond, page 123
STROTHER, J. P., 75 slaves, Athens, page 20B
TIPTON, Mrs. E. H., 115 slaves, Old Town, page 80
TODD, Lewis J.?, 118 slaves, Athens, page 19B
ULMER, H. P., 84 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 109
UNDERWOOD, Est. Green four slave holders, 97 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 108
VASSER, L. B., 179 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 107
VAUGHAN, F. 120 slaves, Lexington, page 72
WALKER, G. J. S., 73 slaves, River, page 127B
WALKER, L. M. H., 100 slaves, Pleasant Hill, page 106
WALKER, Thomas, 102 slaves, Pence, page 95B
WATTS, E. T., 107 slaves, River, page 127
WOOLEY, T. T. Agt., 98 slaves, Pence, page 95
YOUNG, H., 77 slaves, Athens, page 14
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)
ADAMS, 4295, 384, 28, 334, 232, 18
BENTLEY, 207, 14, 1, 11, 7, 0
BIBB, 353, 142, 9, 107, 99, 5
BISSELL, 8, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
BLAND, 594, 13, 5, 7, 6, 3
BOOTHE, 127, 10, 2, 7, 6, 2
BOYKIN, 399, 146, 36, 92, 78, 19
CADE, 191, 61, 22, 41, 39, 17
CALHOUN, 560, 119, 5, 78, 61, 4
CARSON, 617, 80, 14, 70, 52, 9
CLEVELAND, 242, 62, 32, 58, 47, 23
COLEMAN, 4329, 483, 74, 414, 291, 51
CRAIG, 877, 164, 89, 119, 103, 60
ECHOLS, 247, 65, 6, 45, 27, 1
EDWARDS, 3741, 355, 48, 296, 203, 24
ELLERBE, 55, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0
GALE, 268, 9, 0, 8, 5, 0
GAYLE, 75, 25, 11, 17, 16, 7
GILL, 591, 79, 34, 75, 49, 21
GRIFFIN, 2464, 255, 25, 207, 152, 15
HARRELL, 350, 51, 21, 43, 33, 12
HATCHER, 397, 112, 87, 85, 83, 71
HILL, 6675, 646, 82, 41, 373, 78
HUNTER, 52838, 378, 135, 306, 230, 95
JOBY?, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
JOHNSON, 33402, 2048, 175, 1783, 1130, 105
JOHNSTON, 2186, 172, 5, 158, 113, 3
JONES, 27193, 1497, 218, 2125, 1451, 127
KING, 4979, 681, 131, 545, 406, 90
LANG, 282, 55, 19, 49, 30, 6
LEE, 6357, 644, 48, 490, 371, 20
LONG, 1828, 190, 9, 143, 104, 6
MARSHALL, 1756, 135, 29, 113, 85, 18
MARTIN, 5318, 457, 53, 377, 270, 32
MATTHEWS, 801, 88, 18, 68, 46, 8
MINTER, 205, 57, 47, 44, 41, 33
MOLETT, 19, 14, 13, 11, 9, 9
MOORE, 8698, 1016, 109, 917, 635, 66
NIXON?, 524, 50, 0, 44, 25, 0
PEGUES, 137, 9, 1, 20, 6, 0
PERINE, 25, 19, 19, 15, 15, 15
PHILLIPS, 1974, 300, 63, 252, 182, 43
PITTS, 649, 110, 2, 77, 57, 1
PLATTENBURGH, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
RIVES, 166, 15, 2, 13, 11, 1
SALTMARSH, 36, 32, 31, 17, 17, 16
SMITH, 29087, 2290, 219, 1820, 1286, 129
SMYLY, 18, 16, 16, 11, 11, 11
STEWART, 3648, 285, 17, 222, 154, 10
STOUTENBROUGH, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
STROTHER, 392, 47, 28, 20, 19, 10
TIPTON, 126, 29, 22, 26, 24, 17
TODD, 703, 95, 16, 57, 41, 6
ULMER, 51, 30, 18, 19, 19, 10
UNDERWOOD, 444, 122, 23, 87, 77, 14
VASSER, 74, 39, 37, 20, 20, 20
VAUGHAN, 480, 69, 6, 50, 46, 5
WALKER, 8492, 827, 148, 727, 474, 104
WATTS, 1134. 173, 65, 136, 120, 38
WOOLEY, 63, 11, 3, 11, 7, 1
YOUNG, 6185, 407, 40, 356, 246, 23
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