MACON COUNTY, ALABAMA
LARGEST SLAVEHOLDERS FROM 1860 SLAVE CENSUS SCHEDULES
and
SURNAME MATCHES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS ON 1870 CENSUS
Transcribed by Tom Blake, October 2001
PURPOSE. Published information giving names of slaveholders and numbers of slaves held in Macon County, Alabama, in 1860, is either non-existent or not readily available. It is possible to locate a free person on the Macon 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 Macon 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 Macon 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.
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 Macon County, Alabama (NARA microfilm series M653, Roll 32) reportedly includes a total of 18,176 slaves which ranks as the 7th highest total in the State and the 15th highest in the U.S. in 1860. The slaves on this census are not enumerated in the normal one slave per line; instead, they are grouped on individual lines, such as one line indicating 10 female slaves, age 30. This transcription includes 116 slaveholders who held 40 or more slaves in Macon County, accounting for 7,728 slaves, or 42% of the County total. The rest of the slaves in the County were held by a total of 904 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 County and the first census page on which they were listed. Pages numbers under 450 were shown as in the Northern Division, and those 450 and above in the Southern Division, though pages below 430 did not have a division written on them. 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 did not notice any such slaves named in this county. 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 Macon County population included 8,624 whites, 1 "free colored" and 18,176 slaves. By the 1870 census, the white population of Macon County had decreased almost 41% to 5,103, while the "colored" population decreased 30% to 12,620. (As a side note, by 1960, 100 years later, the County was listed as having 4,405 whites, about one half as many as 100 years earlier, but the 1960 total of 22,287 "Negroes"was almost 23% 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. 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 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 Macon 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:
ALEXANDER, James M., 96 slaves, page 451
ALLISON, Alfred, 43 slaves, page 478B
ALLISON, Reuben, 73 slaves, page 478
ALLURNS?, John, 49 slaves, page 449B
BACKHANAN, A., 54 slaves, page 485B
BARTON, A. A., 40 slaves, page 451B
BATTLE, Dr.? Cullen, 45 slaves, page 451B
[BEAZLEY surname discerned from adjacent name], T. S. B.[initials only], agt. For R. R. Co., 63 slaves, page 431B
BERRY, Wm.? R. & John, 93 slaves, page 474
BLACKMON, Homer, 77 slaves, page 450B
BLAKEY, B. A., 49 slaves, page 445
BORUM, Ben, 60 slaves, page 481
BOSWELL, John J., 64 slaves, page 450
BOYD, C. L. R., 75 slaves, page 444B
BOYD, Charles, 58 slaves, page 444B
BOYD, James C., 132 slaves, page 457B
BROWN, J. U.?, 117 slaves, page 438
BURCH, Eliza, 45 slaves, page 445B
CLANTON, J. N. & T., 46 slaves, page 476B
CLANTON, Sarah C., 50 slaves, page 443B
COLLINS, Nathan & John, 868 slaves, page 449
COLLINS, Nathan & John, 89V29
CRAWFORD, Joel T., 50 slaves, page 479B
CUNNINGHAM, John H., 52 slaves, page 490B
DAVIS, W. T., 42 slaves, page 480B
DOWDEL (see Myrick & Dowdel)
DRISKELL, Peter, 57 slaves, page 443
ECHOLLS, James W., 241 slaves, page 490
ECHOLLS, Wm. H., 53 slaves, page 490
ECHOLS, John H., 51 slaves, page 434B
EDWARDS, A. D., 56 slaves, page 461B
ELLINGTON, John M., 52 slaves, page 463
FELTON, N., 67 slaves, page 431
FORT, Col. J. J., 54 slaves, page 476B
FOSTER, Col. B. F., 48 slaves, page 453
FOSTER, Dr. S. J., 46 slaves, page 466
FOSTER, William, 107 slaves, page 457
FRAZER, Addison, 42 slaves, page 427
GACHETT, James E., 79 slaves, page 466B
GIBSON, Churchill, 45 slaves, page 443
GLENN, E. T., 66 slaves, page 428
GOODWIN, Col. W. S., 91 slaves, page 460
GREENE, Rev. John A., 50 slaves, page 490B
GREENWOOD, Mrs. M. E., 40 slaves, page 462
GRIMES, Est. Eliza, 53 slaves, page 448
GUERNY, Peter V., 55 slaves, page 484
GUNN, G. W., 49 slaves, page 445B
HAND, Rev. J. R., 46 slaves, page 465B
HARRIS, Dr. Moses, 71 slaves, page 483B
Moses Harris Estate Slave Appraisment
HAYNES, Henry S., 41 slaves, page 468B
HICKS, Henry H., 52 slaves, page 487
HOWARD, Ben F., 53 slaves, page 463B
HOWARD, Dr. R. H., 48 slaves, page 463
HOWARD, P. S., 41 slaves, page 463
HOWARD, Wm. J., 87 slaves, page 489
HUFFMAN, James, 61 slaves, page 464
HUGHES, Barnee?, 84 slaves, page 478B
JOHNSTON, Lancelot, 88 slaves, page 456B
JONES, Moses, 61 slaves, page 436
JORDAN, Jno. T., 40 slaves, page 478
JUDKINS, John C., 101 slaves, page 458
KENNEDY, J. M., 40 slaves, page 431
KENNON, R. W. H., 40 slaves, page 466B
KINSBREW, A. M., 48 slaves, page 427B
KITT, Jacob, 45 slaves, page 442B
LANE, A., 52 slaves, page 481
LIGHTFOOT, Philip, 41 slaves, page 474
LYON, Capt. A.? F., 60 slaves, page 450
MAGRUDER, William R., 67 slaves, page 489B
MCDONALD?, Lovick?, 55 slaves, page 450B
MENA?, Dr. Jas. S., 47 slaves, page 485B
MITCHELL, Robert, 84 slaves, page 457B
MOTLEY, John G., 44 slaves, page 462
MOULTRIE, B. H., 73 slaves, page 468
MOULTRIE, J. L., 66 slaves, page 469
MYRICK & DOWDEL, R. M. Neeley Agt. For, 117 slaves, page 434B
NAPIER, Leroy?, 170 slaves, page 477
OGLETREE, H.? B. 64 slaves, page 428
OSWALT, George, 73 slaves, page 458B
OWEN, N. G., 46 slaves, page 468B
PACE, Stephen, 74 slaves, page 481B
PERIEL?, Aug C., 42 slaves, page 490
PERSONS, Jas. T., 105 slaves, page 482B
PETERSON, Mrs. Sarah C., 46 slaves, page 489B Reported, unverified, to be widow of Batte Peterson
PINKSTON, John H., 41 slaves, page 458B
POWELL, Dr. N. B., 213 slaves, page 486B
PRUITT, Mrs. Nancy, 131 slaves, page 475B
RAY, James C., 41 slaves, page 460B
REDD, Charles, 40 slaves, page 471
ROBERTS, Mrs. Adeline, 51 slaves, page 488
ROGERS, Wm. F., 54 slaves, page 475
SAMFORD, W. F., 65 slaves, page 438
SCOTT, N.? J., 63 slaves, page 438
SHACKLEFORD, John, 49 slaves, page 458
SWANSON, Dr. W. G., 48 slaves, page 453
SWANSON, John, 70 slaves, page 450
TARVER, E. W., 55 slaves, page 480
TARVER, J. M., 56 slaves, page 480
TARVER, Wm., 47 slaves, page 425
TATE, Thomas S., 93 slaves, page 475
THOMAS, S. & R., 54 slaves, page 486
THOMPSON, Ben, 66 slaves, page 468
THOMPSON, Jessee, 107 slaves, page 442
THOMPSON, Job?, 73 slaves, page 467
THOMPSON, Moses, 79 slaves, page 460B
THOMPSON, W. C., 94 slaves, page 489
THOMPSON, William, 51 slaves, page 489B
TORBERT, James, 115 slaves, page 436
WALKER, Mary E., 42 slaves, page 446
WHEAT, M. K., 60 slaves, page 442
WHITE, James. F., 61 slaves, page 427B
WHITE, Maj. Jno. H., 58 slaves, page 477B
WILLIAMS, Wm., 64 slaves, page 477
WIMBERLY, John J., 46 slaves, page 450
WOLFORD, Joseph, 42 slaves, page 471B
WOOD, Wm., 65 slaves, page 464B
WRAY, Albert G., 131 slaves, page 477
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)
ALEXANDER, 3460, 322, 32, 281, 186, 16
ALLISON, 476, 64, 2, 45, 40, 2
ALLURNS?, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
BACKHANAN, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
BARTON, 533, 53, 7, 62, 35, 6
BATTLE, 900, 196, 6, 129, 112, 3
BEAZLEY, 48, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0
BERRY, 1958, 156, 8, 136, 92, 4
BLACKMON, 87, 58, 5, 38, 38, 4
BLAKEY, 143, 41, 10, 36, 32, 7
BORUM, 32, 2, 1, 3, 1, 1
BOSWELL, 273, 51, 0, 28, 26, 0
BOYD, 1905, 218, 54, 171, 133, 32
BROWN, 27013, 1585, 44, 1371, 878, 24
BURCH, 195, 32, 3, 31, 29, 3
CLANTON, 152, 34, 15, 22, 18, 8
COLLINS, 3004, 257, 18, 246, 160, 16
CRAWFORD, 1876, 236, 9, 191, 146, 5
CUNNINGHAM, 1016, 242, 9, 155, 133, 5
DAVIS, 13725, 1122, 7, 1004, 698, 4
DOWDEL, 4, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
DRISKELL, 20, 8, 5, 3, 3, 2
ECHOLLS, 9, 7, 0, 1, 1, 0
ECHOLS, 247, 65, 42, 45, 27, 20
EDWARDS, 3741, 355, 9, 296, 203, 8
ELLINGTON, 135, 27, 17, 15, 15, 10
FELTON, 199, 29, 13, 16, 13, 5
FORT, 421, 77, 20, 60, 47, 10
FOSTER, 2611, 408, 30, 291, 242, 15
GACHETT, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0
GIBSON, 2529, 202, 21, 165, 124, 12
GLENN, 614, 62, 0, 42, 29, 0
GOODWIN, 778, 131, 2, 124, 88, 1
GREENE, 553, 77, 0, 49, 42, 0
GREENWOOD, 227, 42, 14, 43, 26, 9
GRIMES, 618, 37, 3, 30, 16, 2
GUERNY, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0
GUNN, 367, 61, 7, 45, 34, 4
HAND, 125, 21, 6, 20, 15, 4
HARRIS, 11315, 1052, 52, 910, 648, 30
HAYNES, 683, 65, 0, 48, 27, 0
HICKS, 1800, 134. 7, 118, 75, 6
HOWARD, 3850, 416, 72, 309, 221, 42
HUFFMAN, 122, 25, 0, 23, 18, 0
HUGHES, 1641, 101, 2, 113, 59, 1
JOHNSTON, 2186, 172, 17, 158, 113, 11
JONES, 27193, 2497, 56, 2125, 1451, 36
JORDAN, 2359, 248, 12, 225, 149, 5
JUDKINS, 121, 99, 16, 76, 75, 10
KENNEDY, 781, 148, 3, 129, 100, 2
KENNON, 69, 27, 0, 13, 12, 0
KINSBREW, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
KITT, 27, 11, 1, 8, 8, 0
LANE, 1402, 108, 4, 105, 62, 0
LIGHTFOOT, 257, 48, 12, 38, 31, 10
LYON, 307, 38, 0, 32, 25, 0
MAGRUDER, 175, 20, 12, 9, 9, 5
MCDONALD?, 899, 137, 14, 108, 78, 8
MENA?, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
MITCHELL, 4089, 512, 17, 400, 320, 13
MOTLEY, 246, 72, 22, 50, 48, 14
MOULTRIE, 158, 14, 2, 7, 7, 1
MYRICK, 202, 20, 0, 21, 13, 0
NAPIER, 191, 52, 3, 37, 31, 2
OGLETREE, 74, 31, 2, 20, 19, 0
OSWALT, 29, 27, 27, 20, 20, 20
OWEN, 851, 110, 1, 87, 63, 1
PACE, 280, 48, 21, 37, 25, 11
PERIEL?, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
PERSONS, 211, 28, 1, 14, 10, 1
PETERSON, 1101, 111, 17, 74, 59, 10
PINKSTON, 112, 27, 6, 23, 18, 5
POWELL, 2420, 298, 15, 232, 183, 11
PRUITT, 85, 22, 1, 25, 15, 1
RAY, 1295, 104, 4, 84, 59, 1
REDD, 273, 12, 2, 5, 5, 1
ROBERTS, 3309, 221, 13, 214, 133, 9
ROGERS, 2129, 198, 4, 184, 123, 3
SAMFORD, 16, 9, 0, 5, 5, 0
SCOTT, 8407, 565, 4, 473, 322, 3
SHACKLEFORD, 138, 46, 3, 26, 21, 2
SWANSON, 183, 39, 21, 18, 14, 7
TARVER, 171, 62, 3, 45, 42, 3
TATE, 1015, 171, 13, 154, 110, 4
THOMAS, 11418, 1092, 7, 888, 631, 3
THOMPSON, 8826, 783, 27, 757, 494, 19
TORBERT, 29, 27, 18, 10, 10, 9
WALKER, 8492, 827, 29, 727, 474, 17
WHEAT, 130, 35, 10, 31, 27, 8
WHITE, 9567, 693, 26, 622, 406, 21
WILLIAMS, 28865, 2335, 48, 2095, 1417, 37
WIMBERLY, 237, 33, 10, 28, 23, 7
WOLFORD, 50, 0, 0,0, 0, 0
WOOD, 2672, 333, 33, 272, 222, 23
WRAY, 47, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1
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