Glynn Co., Georgia Enslavement Records

The following enslavement records were extracted from various sources located in the Glynn County Court House and from records in surrounding areas; some from estate records, deeds, indentures, newspaper articles, and so forth. I have not searched through every available source, these are extracted from records I have in my possession or as I do lookups for people, I extract any and all enslavement information.

The majority of the information found here was extracted from courthouse records that I was able to personally view, scan, and transcribe. When I started this research, no one was allowed to handle these records, thus making it hard for people to view the originals because the courthouse staff were already overworked, they didn't have time to research a person's family history through estate files and minutes books and make copies.

The LDS website has since put these loose papers and ledger books online from every available courthouse whose records they scanned and microfilmed so many years ago. Therefore, you can now search through them without leaving home. Unfortunately, they do not have a search engine for this database:

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1999178

Or click on BROWSE IMAGES... and then pick a county! Just remember, many courthouses had fires and the time frame you are seeking may not be available. Glynn County was lucky in that they never had a courthouse fire, however, they did have a house fire that destroyed many property and civil cases from the Civil War era, but, their probate records are as complete as they can be (things do go missing over time).

Records taken from estate papers are by no means a complete accounting of the enslaved persons owned by a particular family. As you know, enslavers sold and purchased humans throughout their lifetime and the estate may have done the same in order to settle debts; therefore, always, always, always, check the entire estate file and any property records filed for the person at the time of their death. This is also where knowing the family history of the enslaving family comes into play. Contrary to popular opinion, you DO need to know the genealogy of the enslaver's family. Knowing their history will help you locate more records that may track your ancestor(s) back a few more generations. Families passed the enslaved from one family member to the next as gifts or as part of a dowry, therefore, if you don't know who the daughter married and when, you might miss out on a pertinent record involving your ancestor.

Some estates only listed a few enslaved persons, in order to save web space, I have listed these estates under the Various Records section in alphabetical order; therefore, if you don't see an enslaving family name on the left that was associated with your research, check the various records section listed to the top right side of this screen.

Many of the folks listed to the left have wills transcribed elsewhere on this website mentioning enslaved persons and most times that person was exempted from the estate inventory because of a personal bequest, don't take the inventory of estate as a complete listing of the enslaved; check every record associated with the estate.

Be sure to look at the newspaper sections on this site; many early papers had "runaway slave" ads, sales, legal notices, and more articles of interest.

This page is a constant work in progress that may never be finished. Any additions are greatly appreciated. I would like to include any family stories passed down, or personal accounts of your family's heritage that you would like to share or links to helpful websites or research repositories.

Websites of Interest

The St. Simons African-American Heritage Coalition The mission of SSAAHC is "to educate, preserve, and revitalize African-American heritage and culture." Our goals are three-fold: land-loss prevention, historic preservation, and economic development.	Freedman's Bureau The bureau records were created or maintained by bureau headquarters, the assistant commissioners and the state superintendents of education and included personnel records and a variety of standard reports concerning bureau programs and conditions in the states.
AfriGeneas is a site devoted to African American genealogy, to researching African Ancestry in the Americas in particular and to genealogical research and resources in general. It is also an African Ancestry research community featuring the AfriGeneas mail list, the AfriGeneas message boards and daily and weekly genealogy chats.	Society of the First African Families of English America A lineage organization that seeks to inform our members and the public of the historical significance of the first Africans who arrived in Virginia in 1619.
Voyages; The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database Has information on almost 35,000 slaving voyages that forcibly embarked over 10 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. It offers researchers, students and the general public a chance to rediscover the reality of one of the largest forced movements of peoples in world history.

Various Records
From Glynn County Estate Records

Sapelo Island – Various Records

War of 1812 Stolen Property
Enslaved & other property taken by the British

1833 Act Concerning Free Persons of Colour
Chatham County

Savannah Slave Manifests
(coming soon)
Original images at Ancestry.com

Family Files & Personal Histories
From pension files and family submissions

Complete Listing of Troup Enslaved People

Schrödinger's Pilot; Who was James A. Clubb, Pilot & Lighthouse Keeper?
by Amy Lyn Hedrick

They Had Names
(enslaved of Liberty County, GA) offsite

Original Source Documents

Glynn County Wills

Newspaper Articles

Slave Law Timeline
by Tara Fields

Inside View of Slavery, C.G. Parsons, 1855
PDF EPUB

Family Search Images

Camden County
Affidavits for Slaves 1818-1847
Registration of Free Persons of Color 1819-1843

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  Material on this site is one of kind, having been published here for the first time ever. This data was compiled by Amy Hedrick
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