They Had Names

African Americans in Early Records of Liberty County, Georgia

Liberty County Estate Inventory – John McGowen

Location: Liberty County, Georgia
Deceased: McGowen, John
Date Sworn: 1825-12-31
Appraisers: Wm [William] N. Way, Thos [Thomas] Quarterman, Geo [George] W. Walthour
Estate Administrator: not listed
Court Officer: Joshua Sanford, J.P.
Date Recorded: 1826-03-26
Recording Official: E. Baker, Clk
Total Value of Property Appraised: $4882.75
Value of enslaved persons: $4305.00
Comments:

Enslaved Person NamedValueDescription
Quamino500
Moses500
Mag350
Nanny400
Derry400
Murriah175
Jack150
Cretia325
July275
Peter250
Charles175
William125
Joe150
Ben130
Harriet100
Bob100
Murriah200“Little”

Find the digitized original at: “Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93L-GCN4?cc=1999178&wc=9SYT-PT5%3A267679901%2C268032901 : 20 May 2014), Liberty > Wills, appraisements and bonds 1790-1850 vol B > image 448 of 689.

These antebellum estate inventories and appraisals generally included all the deceased person’s “property,” including enslaved persons. Only those names are documented here for historical and genealogical purposes. Anyone interested in the actual property owned by the deceased may find it at the link at the bottom of the page. Names are listed in the original order, as this often gives very valuable information about family groupings or the age of children (who may be listed in age order).