They Had Names

African Americans in Early Records of Liberty County, Georgia

Bryan County Bill of Sale (Mell/Hines)

Enslaved People Named: Phoebe

On March 30, 1853, John P. Mell, Newton County, sold to John P. Hines, Bryan County, for $100 “a negro woman named Pheobea [alt: Phoebe, Phebe] fifty years of age of dark complexion which negro woman Phoebe I warrant to be a slave for life.” Witnessed by Ransom Harwell. Recorded in Bryan County Superior Court on April 25, 1854.

Bryan County, Georgia, Deeds & Mortgages, v. E-G 1830-1853, Book G (1846-53), page 59; digitized microfilm accessed through catalog, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLZ-1974-9 : 27 Jan 2025), image 35 of 682; microfilm #0