Wills Can Prove That Enslaved People Were Inherited

Graves of Burwell Chick (1776-1847) and his wife, Massey Henderson Chick in Springwood Cemetery in Greenville, SC

How would you determine if your ancestor inherited enslaved people or actually was enslaved? Wills are a resource that is color blind when it comes to documenting the former slave owner and the enslaved. Sometimes you can track the descendants of former slave owners and learn the names of the enslaved people that they inherited.

Proving Pettus W. Chick owned slaves

It was not possible to tell from the will of Pettus W. Chick (1806-1887) whether or not he had once been a slave owner. His died almost two decades after the end of slavery, so his will did not list enslaved people as property. If you recall, he did provide for people of color in his will: Eliza, Anderson, Pettus, Myra Dawkins, etc. See Uncovering records that link the slaveholder and enslaved.

Whether you are a descendant of a person of color who was formerly enslaved or a descendant of the Chick family who owned slaves, the next best step would be to look among the indexed wills for people with the Chick surname who lived in Union County, South Carolina. This may help determine the parents of Pettus or find the names of enslaved people.

A search among indexed wills turned up Burwell Chick (1776-1847). This was an unfamiliar name, but after locating the actual will, it became obvious that he was the father of Pettus W. Chick:

“Second, I give to my son, Pettus W. Chick, the following negroes to wit, Tom, Hardy, Green, old Sitter patt, Elisa, Jim, Thorton, Tinsley.”

The names of the enslaved people that Burwell divided between his other sons and daughters are named in this will. See Will of Burwell Chick of Greenville.

Having been named in Burwell’s will and with the names of enslaved people he inherited, it is safe to assume Pettus was a slave owner at least as of February 1847. On the 1869 State Census for South Carolina three persons of color with the same names as those inherited by Pettus are living near him: Eliza, Green, and Tinsley.

Is this the same Eliza?

So the question remains: Is the Eliza mentioned in Burwell’s will the same Eliza that Pettus left an inheritance to in his will decades later? There is much information to be found on Burwell Chick and his family, but what might astound African American researchers is that there is also more to discover about Eliza as well.

In the book, Our Father’s Fields: A Southern Story, written by James Everett Kibler, an account of Pettus and Sara Elizabeth Henderson Chick and Sara’s maid, Liza, is given. Liza was supposed to have helped Sara run the Buck Hotel located in Maybinton, Newberry County, South Carolina before the Civil War as well as Chick Springs in Greenville. Alice Dawkins Sims, a slave born before 1850 remembered Sara taking Liza to Chick Springs to help.

Much extensive research is being accomplished in order to determine whether or not this Liza is the same Eliza that lived near the Chick family in 1870 and 1880 who Pettus mentioned in his will.

Next steps

These steps might uncover more:

1. Descendants of Burwell Chick are beginning to share their history online. It may be helpful to find out if they know more about Eliza.
2. An historical society was formed for Chick Springs, and they may have resources on Burwell or Eliza: Chick Springs Historical Society.
3. Check other records generated by Burwell Chick that may reveal more about Eliza (day books, account books, ledgers, bill of sale, etc.).

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Documenting the Former Owner and Enslaved Among Manuscripts

Manuscript collections probably stand first in line among records least utilized in genealogical research. Two reasons for this could be:

1. Researchers do not know how to access manuscript collections.
2. Researchers do not understand the types of records found in manuscript collections.

The most common places to find manuscript collections are university libraries, historical societies and museums. After researching historical records in local archives and courthouses, you should determine where the personal papers people from the area are archived and if they your person of interest is listed in an index or card catalog. Much information about these collections can be gleaned from an online catalog. For example, the summary of this collection gives the details about documents that provide information about slaves: Guide to the Gail and Stephen Rudin Slavery Collection, 1728-1893.

The resources found among manuscript collections can fill in the missing details about the life of the former owner and the people who were enslaved. Below is a list of the most common records that mention the enslaved and former owner found among manuscript collections.

1. Account books: "Starting in the late 1840's, Thomas Affleck’s account books instructed planters to record depreciation or appreciation of slaves on their annual balance sheet. In 1861, for example, another Mississippi planter priced his 48-year-old foreman, Hercules, at $500; recorded the worth of Middleton, a 26-year-old top-producing field hand, at $1,500; and gave 9-month-old George Washington a value of $150." See The Messy Link Between Slave Owners And Modern Management (Forbes).
2. Bible records have been known to provide information about the birth of slaves.
3. Bills of sale can help you document the possible time of arrival or departure of an enslaved ancestor.
4. Church records may include both the names of owners as well as the enslaved.
5. Diaries & journals help you to understand what life was like from the perspective of the owner and they also contain information about family relationships and events in the lives of owners and enslaved.
6. Insurance records reveal policies that were written to insure enslaved people.
7. Letters and other correspondence among personal papers help you to understand the perceptions about slavery or Civil War. They provide information about people and events.
8. Day books can provide information about document births, deaths and dates of sales. Medical day books can give information about treatment for sickness or diseases.
9. Slave inventories among personal papers can reveal slave names, ages, occupation, and value.
10. Wills can help you understand how inheritances were divided or if enslaved people were sold to satisfy the debts of an estate.

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Discovering historical records up close and personal

Greenwood County Courthouse, Robin Foster 26 February 2014

I spent the first eight years of my move to South Carolina in Columbia researching in the archives, libraries, and getting to know cousins there.  I have worked my way back to the 1800's in my research. Our family decided to move to Greenwood, South Carolina at the end of the summer last year where I could be closer to research in the area where my ancestors lived before Columbia.

Walking in their footsteps

I live just down the street from the place where my 2nd great grandparents spent their lives as slaves and experienced emancipation (1847-1919).  I have been working on mapping important sites to gain further insights for my research.  Yesterday was the first day I actually walked into the courthouse in Greenwood to look for records.  I wanted to see if I would be able to find marriage records, probate records, and land deeds.  

Courthouse scavenger hunt

After walking through the security scan at the Greenwood County Courthouse, I went upstairs and dialed the number four on a phone just outside a glass door which led to the probate records.  I explained that I wanted to look at marriage records and probate records.  I looked through the marriage books first where I found a few marriage records (more on those later).

I just wanted to share my greatest find.  My great uncle, Lewis Johnson (Andrew and Jane Johnson) married my great aunt, Arie Anna Vance (Beverly and Matilda Vance).  Both Lewis and Arie Anna are related to me. Their parents are my 2nd great grandparents.  I have researched this line backwards and forwards never finding the death date for Lewis who died leaving Arie Anna to raise a large family.

I searched the probate index and discovered an entry for Lewis Johnson, packet 64 -6:

 Index to Estates in Probate Court, Volume Number 1, 1895 to July 1st 1946, Greenwood County, South Carolina 

I really did not know if this was the correct Lewis Johnson until I removed the packet from drawer 64 and saw Arie Anna's name on the front:

 Lewis Johnson will (1909), Greenwood County Estate Packet 64 -6, Probate Records Office, Greenwood, South Carolina

I found him long ago on the 1880  and 1900 Censuses, but he was not on the 1910 Census. He never appeared again on any census with his family, so I presumed he had died sometime before 1910.  Deaths were not recorded in South Carolina at that time.  

Leave no stone unturned

I assist a lot of people who frown when I suggest they check probate records.  I often hear, "My family never owned anything.  I do not think he had a will."  They even chuckle a little.  Well for my family, I do not presume anything.  I look under every nook and cranny to discover everything that might be there.  I inspect every record known to exist, and it is that kind of persistence that has brought me the success that I have had so far. 

I am so glad the room was empty yesterday while I had this experience.  I took my time and basked in the joy and excitement over this find.  I could not believe my eyes when I unfolded the contents of this packet and saw Lewis' will which he had put together just before he passed away:

 Lewis Johnson will (1909), Greenwood County Estate Packet 64 -6, Probate Records Office, Greenwood, South Carolina

Records up close

I have a lot to go through here with all the contents of the packet.  One thing that I took away this day was the fact that casting your eyes upon the original historical documentation on your own family feels much different than looking at an image on microfilm or a computer screen.

Granted, not everyone can travel to the places where the records exist, but this is my way of connecting  with the people that I never knew in this life --the people whom I have come to love and feel close to.  My reward is feeling their presence and help.  

I know I am getting closer to discovering even more significant things.  This move has been good for me.  I do admit that I am getting a little nervous.  I do not know if I will be able to bear the discoveries that await me.  Maybe that is why they are unfolding a little bit at a time.

My scavenger hunt at the courthouse was not over.  This record led me to another record which I will discuss next time.  Be sure to subscribe above so you that you do not miss the next post. 

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