South Carolina, Charleston District, Bill of sales of Negro slaves - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

South Carolina

Charleston County

Access the Records
South Carolina, Charleston District, Bill of sales of Negro slaves, 1774-1872 CID3463015 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Flag of South Carolina
Location of South Carolina
Record Description
Record Type	Bills of Sale
Collection years	1732-1872
FamilySearch Resources
African American Resources for South Carolina
Quick Guide to African American Records
Researching African American Genealogy
African American Land and Property
African American For Further Reading
African American Slavery and Bondage
South Carolina Guided Research
South Carolina Record Finder
Research Tips and Strategies
Step-by-Step Research
South Carolina Genealogy
South Carolina Probate Records
South Carolina Archives and Libraries
Related Websites
Genealogy Resources at the South Carolina Archives
African American Historic Places in South Carolina
Genealogy Resources at the South Carolina State Library
African American Heritage South Carolina Archives
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
African American Genealogy 101
Archive
South Carolina Department of Archives and History

What is in This Collection?

In some of the records, slaves did not have surnames and may need to be located using the name of the slave owner. Other records may include the slave's American and African names. This collection contains bills of sales of Negro slaves from 1774-1872. Because slaves were considered property, a bill of sale was filled out when they were sold, making this collection an excellent resource for finding slave ancestors. who were considered property at that time. Additionally, there are records of free African Americans, which provides a glimpse into their lifestyles and possessions. This collection is part of a joint project with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, FamilySearch, and the Lowcountry Africana group.

Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

• Court name and place
• Defendents name
• Sex
• Event day
• Plaintiff's name

Collection Content

Sample Images

• 

  1825 South Carolina, Bill of sales of Negro slaves

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

• Name of enslaved person
• Name of slave owner

Search the Index

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.

1. Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
2. Click Search to show possible matches

How Do I Analyze the Results?

Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

• Use the date of sale along with the name of the owner to find additional plantation records.
• Use the the slave owner's residence and slave name(s) of the parents to locate probate,land and court records.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

• Look for variant spellings of the slave name(s). You should also look for additional names the slave might have had and the slave owner(s) names.
• Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
• Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Research Helps

The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of South Carolina.

• Researching African Americans
• South Carolina Guided Research
• Research Tips and Strategies
• Step-by-Step Research

Related Family History Library Holdings

• South Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872.

Citing This Collection

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Citing this Collection.

Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.