Toney Axson was born as a free man of color in Liberty County because his mother had been freed by her enslaver, Joseph Hargreaves, when she had a child with him. Axson became a well regarded carpenter with his own shop in Riceboro.
In 1818, a white planter married a woman of color in Liberty County, Georgia, in a legal marriage recorded in court. They lived in Liberty County for 10 years and had four children. After his death, she relocated to Massachusetts and sued his estate.
In the 1850 U.S. Federal Census for Liberty County, Georgia, 15th District, there was an unusual cluster of women of color listed with last names, both with and without children, living on or near the plantation of white planter Thomas Mallard. While it is not clear if they were officially “free,” several are included in a previously transcribed list of free people of color, 1852-1864 (see here for that list).
Free people of color were required to register themselves and have a white sponsor in Georgia after 1818. This list of free people of color from 1852-1864 was recorded in Liberty County court. It lists their ages, residence, and their sponsor.
