They Had Names

African Americans in Early Records of Liberty County, Georgia

Liberty County Estate Inventory – Matthew Bennet

Location: Liberty County, Georgia
Deceased: Bennet, Matthew
Date Sworn: 1829-05-25
Appraisers: Richd [Richard] S. Baker, Joseph Way, C. Hines
Estate Administrator: Wm [William] N. Way
Court Officer: Wm [William] J. Way, J.I.C.
Date Recorded: 1829-06-15
Recording Official: E. Baker, Clk
Total Value of Property Appraised: $8197.00
Value of enslaved persons: $7265.00
Comments:

Enslaved Person NamedValueDescription
Tom450
Hackey425
Jim450
Stephen450
July450
Jacob450
Bob450
Washington450
David325
Robert400
Phebe350[Alt Phoebe]
Chloe325
Betsy350
Charlotte350
Hannah100“Old”
Minda325
Hannah275“Little”
March275[or Martha]
Charles275
Sandy125
Rachel115
Sue75
Moses75
Simon75

Find the digitized original at: “Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93L-GC6Y?cc=1999178&wc=9SYT-PT5%3A267679901%2C268032901 : 20 May 2014), Liberty > Wills, appraisements and bonds 1790-1850 vol B > image 469 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).