Description
Information supplied by slave owners in compliance with the March 1780 State law to register slaves. Information typically includes the slave owner's name, residence (primarily township), and occupation; name of slave (primarily Christian name, but surname in a few cases); whether the slave is male or female, girl or boy (sometimes with name of mother), and approximate age; number of years of service; signature of owner; and date of the Return. Frequently the name of the Clerk of Sessions/Peace, a Justice of the Peace, and/or witness may be present. In a few cases, a history of slave ownership is provided, as well as declaration of emancipation (including two entered in 1841).
For Returns regarding births (required after 1 November 1780), the child's name (usually Christian name only, but sometimes with mother's name), date of birth, and current age are provided. The filing side of a Return usually shows at least the Register number assigned from the Slave Registers, name of the slave owner, and date of the Return.
Note 1: A few entries were made into the Registers of an additional slave that was not entered on a Return of the corresponding register number.
Note 2: Information for missing Returns are taken from the Registers.
Note 3: Slave names in the inventory are sometimes misspelled due to illegible written entries. There are no last names.
Arrangement: Chronological by entry date in the Slave and Slave Owner Registers. Each registration of a slave owner's Return was assigned a number in sequential order of Register entry. The physical filing order of the Returns also reflects this numbering system. The Returns in Volume 1, compiled to meet the March 1780 State law for the registration of slaves by 1 November 1780, are numbered 1-314 in the Register for each slave owner's registration (not to be confused with the separate sequential numbering given to to individual slaves as entered).
The Returns in Volume 2, "Record of Negros & Mullatos Born after 1 NOV 1780", are in two sections. The first section is for births registered from 1788-1789 with registration numbers 1-70. The second section, reflecting a new administration, is for births from 1790 to 1841 with registration numbers 1-300. Storage folders are numbered with the year of entry and then the assigned Registration number.
Note 1: Some Returns are misnumbered. Returns are physically filed by the year and number in the Registers.
Note 2: Two or three Returns are sometimes combined on one Return.
Note 3: Selected Returns on microfilm at CCHS and PSA.
Index: None. Click "Inventory" for list of holdings.