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

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South Carolina, Charleston District, Bill of sales of Negro slaves, 1774-1872
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This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Charleston, South Carolina,
United States
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Flag of South Carolina
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Location of South Carolina
Record Description
Record Type Bills of Sale
Collection years 1732-1872
FamilySearch Resources
Related Websites
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. In some cases, slaves did not have surnames and may need to be located using the name of the slave owner. In other cases, records may include the slave's American and African names. 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.

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

    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 birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.

  • Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
  • The father’s occupation can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
  • The parents' birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.
  • It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the birth records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby.

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

  • Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated 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.

Related Collections

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.

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