They Had Names

African Americans in Early Records of Liberty County, Georgia

Liberty County Estate Inventory – Mrs. Elizabeth Nelms

Location: Liberty County, Georgia
Deceased: Nelms, Elizabeth
Date Sworn: 1852-07-03
Appraisers: Newman Bradley, Enoch Daniel, James R. Bird
Estate Administrator: John E. Girardeau
Court Officer: John A. Hendry, J.I.C.L.C.
Date Recorded: 1852-07-15
Recording Official: J. S. Bradwell, Ordinary
Total Value of Property Appraised: $3741.00
Value of enslaved persons: $3675.00
Comments: Appraisal amount includes 50 acres of land with improvements valued at $250 (not described).

Enslaved Person NamedValueDescription
Cloe500[Alt: Chloe]
Smart675“Boy”
Rebecca600“Girl”
Madeline400
Ben400“Boy”
Abram350
Alphery300[last three letters in name may be wrong, could be Alphus]
Robert200

Find the digitized original at:”Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93T-XBJ9?cc=1999178&wc=9SB7-6T5%3A267679901%2C268014801 : 20 May 2014), Liberty > Miscellaneous probate records 1850-1863 vol C and L > image 62 of 703

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).