Featured Document: 491 Slaves Freed From Heyward Family Plantations

One of the remarkable documents in this collection is a list of 491 enslaved people who were freed from Charles Heyward’s Amsterdam, Lewisburg, Pleasant Hill, Rose Hill, Myrtle Grove and Ashley Farm plantations. The list, dated July 1865, was filed with the estate appraisal of Charles Heyward on March 3, 1866. Freed people are listed by name, age, occupation and plantation. The original manuscript is among the Heyward family papers at the South Caroliniana Library, and they have shared it here. You may click on the MORE links in the tables below to view the complete list for each of the plantations.

heyward family papers scl sample

Above: Detail from “List of 491 Slaves Freed from Heyward Family Plantations,”
Heyward Family Papers, 1703-1975, South Caroliniana Library at USC
.

 

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Enslaved People Freed from Amsterdam Plantation

 

Name
Age
Occupation
Residence
Ishmael
78 years
none
Amsterdam
Sharper
44 “
Carpenter
ditto
Stepney
40 “
Carpenter
ditto
Ishmael
42 “
Driver
ditto
Lucius
78 “
none
ditto
Tom
78 “
none
ditto
June
78 “
none
ditto
Nanny
63 “
Child’s Nurse
ditto
Di
76 “
none
ditto
Molly
73 “
Poultry Woman
ditto
Affey “Died Oct 1887 aged 100 years”
78 “
Mid Wife
ditto
Bristol
53 “
Field Hand
ditto
Cressia
58 “
1/2 ” “
ditto
Tony
63 “
Cooper, 1/2 Field Hand
ditto
Mary
55 “
1/2 Field Hand
ditto

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Enslaved People Freed from Ashley Farm Plantation

 

Name Age Occupation Residence
Jimmy 48 years Field Hand Ashley Farm
Harnit (Harriet?) 53 “ Field Hand ditto
Venus 51 “ Field Hand ditto
Pompey 43 “ Driver ditto
Pelir 41 “ Waggoner ditto
Sukey 33 “ Farm Hand ditto
Elsey 33 “ Farm Hand ditto
Jack 26 “ Farm Hand ditto
Tira 24 years Farm Hand ditto
Ned 23 “ House Boy ditto
January 21 “ Farm Hand ditto
Betsey 19 “ Farm Hand ditto
Binah 13 “ House Girl ditto
William 12 “ none ditto
David 12 “ none ditto
Scintalla 11 “ none ditto
Prince 9 “ none ditto
Elizabeth 6 “ none ditto
Harry 5 “ none ditto
Molsey 5 “ none ditto
Clarissa 5 “ none ditto
Joseph 1 “ none ditto
Edward 1 “ none
ditto
——-
END

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Enslaved People Freed from Lewisburg Plantation

 

Name Age Occupation Residence
Cornelius 48 years Driver Lewisburg
Titus 42 “ Carpenter ditto
Israel 29 “ Carpenter ditto
July 73 “ none ditto
Abbey 68 “ Child Nurse ditto
Diana 78 “ none ditto
Agnes 74 “ none ditto
Patty 74 “ none ditto
Rose 63 “ none ditto
Billy 78 “ none ditto
Ansil 68 “ none ditto
Cyrus 63 “ Watchman ditto
Ben 73 “ none ditto
Johnny 79 “ none
ditto

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Enslaved People Freed from Myrtle Grove Plantation

 

Name Age Occupation Residence
Sharper 51 years Driver Myrtle Grove
Charles 24 “ Carpenter ditto
Celia 46 “ Cook ditto
Susannah 40 “ Field Hand ditto
Davy 42 “ Field Hand ditto
Matilda 46 “ ditto ditto
Eve [crossed out] 44 “ Field Hand ditto
Jimmy 43 “ Field Hand ditto
Nanny 44 “ Field Hand ditto
Dolly 46 “ Field Hand ditto
Frank none ditto
Binkey 44 “ Field Hand ditto
Juno 35 “ Field Hand ditto
Aaron 52 Field Hand
ditto

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Enslaved People Freed from Pleasant Hill Plantation

 

Name Age Occupation Residence
John 60 years Driver Pleasant Hill
Charles 60 “ Cooper ditto
January 60 “ Watchman ditto
John 31 “ Family Servant ditto
Cuffee 70 “ none ditto
Louis 75 “ Gardener ditto
Lewis 51 “ Sailor ditto
Flora 47 “ Field Hand ditto
Daphne 70 “ Poultry Woman ditto
Lizette 65 “ Child Nurse ditto
Celia 70 “ none ditto
Peggy 65 “ Cook ditto
Lucy 70 “ none ditto
Stepney 64 “ Stock Minder
ditto

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Enslaved People Freed from Rose Hill Plantation

 

Name
Age
Occupation
Residence
Jack
48 years
Family Servant
Rose Hill
March
48 “
Driver
ditto
Caesar
60 “
Black Smith
ditto
Tommy
28 “
Carpenter
ditto
Caesar
43 “
Carpenter
ditto
Boston
39 “
Carpenter
ditto
Frederick
33 “
Bricklayer
ditto
Caesar [in pencil: Mack]
25 “
Carpenter
ditto
Moses
28 “
Field Hand
ditto
Tony
65 “
Gardener
ditto
Thomas
22 “
Carpenter
ditto
Norris
80 “
none
ditto
Buck
75 “
Gardener
ditto
Phillis
80 “
none
ditto

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Source Citation:

List of 491 Slaves Freed from Amsterdam, Ashley Farm, Lewisburg, Myrtle Grove, Pleasant Hill and Rose Hill Plantations. Charles Heyward Account Book, Heyward Family Papers, 1703 – 1975. South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina.

Terms of Use:

This document appears here with kind permission of the South Caroliniana Library at USC and may not be presented elsewhere without their permission.

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