I’m still working on the project to record post-Civil War land sales and mortgages involving African Americans in Liberty County and have finished Deed Book P (1860-1870). What did I find?
Unlike deed books T-V (1882-1886), there were few deeds involving African Americans, whether as parties to the deeds or even just as neighbors to property. This isn’t surprising, of course, given that they had only recently become free and that their participation in the court system was still being worked out. Additionally, it appears that some sales were not recorded in the deed books until much later, usually because the land was being sold again.
In 1869, F.R. Lyons sold to Cato Holmes for $100 “one acre of land in the County and State aforesaid bounded on the North by Walthourville Road, South East and West by lands of F.R. Lyons.”
In 1869, Piner Martin sold to Cyrus Smylie, Samuel Fraser, Solomon Smith, Samuel Martin and Piner Martin, trustees, for $100 “a certain lot or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the said State and County, on the waters of Little Canouchee, bounded as follows viz: and North by public road leading to Savannah, East and South by lands of John G. Martin, and West by lands of John H. Ivey, containing (15) fifteen acres more or less known as Miss Shumatt’s former residence…unto the said Cyrus Smylie, Samuel Fraser, Solomon Smith, Samuel Martin and Piner Martin and their successors in office forever in trust for the use of the members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America, according to the rules and discipline of said Church, which from time to time may be adopted and agreed upon by the ministers and preachers of the said Church at their General Conference in the United States of America…”
This Church became the Pleasant Grove AME Church in the Taylor’s Creek area of Liberty County and Piner Martin was the founding pastor. (It so happens that my 3d great-grandmother, Ann V. Ashmore, was living with Ann E. Shumatt in that house shortly before the sale.) Remember that this was just four years after freedom!
In 1870 William W. Winn, a White man, sold to John Bacon, Harry Stevens, Andrew Baker, Stephen Bacon, Jacob Quarterman, Simon Cassels, Sam Wright, Ned Stevens, George Gould, and Toney Elliott, “free persons of color,” for $1000 “a certain tract or parcel of land containing 400 acres more or less; and bounded as follows: to wit: on North by lands of Estate Thomas Mallard; on East by lands of Est. Thomas Mallard and Est. E.L. Winn; on South by lands of Rev. T.S. Winn and West by public road and lands of Mrs. Emma Fulton.”
Some exciting records found in Deed Book P were homestead exemption petitions. A Georgia legislature act allowed citizens to petition to have their homestead and personal property exempted from seizure. The beautiful thing is that they had to describe their property in the petitions!
Peter Smith, a “person of color,” owned the following property in 1870:
One grey horse $125.00
Two head hogs $8.00
Eight pigs $4.00
One hog in pen $5.00
Five head hogs in woods $20.00
Eight fowls $3.20
Three Hund. Weight fodder $2.80
Eight Bush. Corn $10.00
Three Hund. Sugar canes $3.00
One Bush. Seed potatoes $1.00
One very old cart harness & traces $5.00
One saddle & bridle $3.00
One cross cut saw $5.00
One foot adze $1.00
Two chopping axes $3.50
One plough $1.00
One hatchet $0.50
Five pots $5.00
Six plates $1.25
Six knives & forks $1.50
One frying pan $0.50
One bowl $0.25
Two beds $2.00
One bedstead $1.75
Three chairs & one bench $3.00
One table $1.00
One trunk $2.00
One dirk $3.00
One cupboard $3.00
One water basket $0.50
One wash tub $0.50
Two smoothing irons $1.00
Three pairs pants $7.00
Two coats $2.50
One vest $2.00
Two shirts $2.00
Three Hoes $2.00
In 1869, Lafayette Delegal, “colored,” owned one cow and calf valued at $30.00, four head of hogs valued at $15.00, provisions for self and family one year valued at $100.00, and household & kitchen furniture one year valued at $50.00. Delegal, described as a “hard-working industrious man,” would later submit a successful petition under the U.S. Southern Claims Commission to be reimbursed for property taken from him by Sherman’s Army in 1864, so this was the property he had been able to accumulate since then. He had been the driver on Dr. Henry Harley Delegal’s plantation during slavery. (For more information on him and his SCC claim, see https://theyhadnames.net/2020/06/28/lafayette-delegal-southern-claims-commission/.)
In 1869, Julia A. James, “colored,” wife of W. James, “who has left the County,” owned One bureau, one looking glass, two lamps, three quilts, one mattress, one trunk, personal apparel, and crockery Ware and Cooking Utensils, all valued at $50.00 fifty dollars.”
And in 1869, Lewis Bird, “a colored citizen of said County,” owned some of the most interesting property of all. Wouldn’t you love to see the “family portraits”? The record also gives the names of his children under age 16.
1st. Fifty acres of land and five additional acres for each of his children under the age of sixteen years, to wit, three children Peggy, George & Sam.
2nd. One farm horse or mule
3rd. One cow and calf
4th. Ten head of hogs and fifty dollars worth of provisions, and five dollars worth additional for each child.
5th. Beds, bedding and common bedsteads sufficient for the family.
6th. One loom, one spinning wheel and two pairs of cards, and one hundred pounds of lint cotton.
7th. Common tools of trade of himself, and his wife, being farmers, to wit: axes, hoes, steel mill and Jersey wagon.
8th. Equipment and arms of a militia soldier, and trooper’s horse.
9th. Ordinary cooking utensils and table crockery
10th. Wearing apparel of himself and family.
11th. Family Bible, religious works and school books
12th. Family portraits etc.
I’m working now on finishing up the 1830 census for the project to create an overall list of all Liberty County enslavers, and then will start working on Deed Book Q (1870-1874).