"No Land . . . Only Slaves!"
"No Land . . . Only Slaves!"
A Different Look at Deeds
Using Deed Records in Doing Black Genealogy
No matter the race or ethnicity, genealogical research is basically the same for all
Americans at the earliest stage. We gather all the available material we can find from
family members, family bibles, vital records and census indexes. The genealogist then
searches through Deed Indexes for the names of their ancestors to establish their
places of residence and their migratory patterns. But once the black genealogist takes
his research beyond the 1870 US Federal Census he often hits a brick wall. It is at this
point that the laws governing the eras and the areas in which they lived make
researching those ancestors such a challenge. Valuable information is often missed
because of the difficulty they face, for Deed Records are indexed by the name of the
conveyor & conveyee only. There are a wealth of names within these records which are
only found by reading through each deed record, in each deed book, in each county, in
each state. (Talk about a daunting task.) It is our hope that the No Land . . . Only
Slaves! series will make this research easier.
I have heard it said that the best way to eat an elephant is bite-by-bite; we have made
the Ark-La-Tex slave deeds our elephant. With the completion of No Land . . .
Only Slaves! ; Volume 1 (Bossier Parish) we took that first bite. The completion
of No Land . . . Only Slaves! ; Volume 2 (Cliaborne Parish) was the
second bite; Volume 3 (Caddo Parish) was the third . . . etc. We are now
working on Volumes 17 & 18. We will not stop there. The No Land . . . Only
Slaves! series will continue until we have completed the entire Ark-La-Tex
region. (We have already had people asking "When are you going to do Mississippi";
and "Georgia?" Who knows; we may end up with an entire herd of elephants.)
Things to Remember About Reading Old Documents:
Spelling of all names in early records depended
on the scribe, in these records it is the court clerks. Check the names for all conceivable
variations in spelling as well as "nicknames". For instance, Mandy on one record could
be called Mandi on another, or even Amanda or Ami or Amy on still others. Abraham
could be Abram, or Abe or Ab. Be flexible and creative with spellings as you conduct
your research.
Ages can not be relied on for accuracy. Ages
were often judged by appearance, such as "about 20-25 years old." The age may have
been estimated or declared as 23 years old on one record and 5 years later they are
sold as being 25. Another possibility is that they were often unknown.
Human error is always a possibility when reading
old documents and during the editorial process. Though we did strive for accuracy in our
work each "generation" of a record allows for a greater margin of error. The original
document (generation 1) was copied by clerks into the record books (gen.2), then other
clerks often abridged or retyped the records into other books (gen.3). Then we read the
records and type it into a database (gen.4) and transfer it to a word processor (gen.5)
and we then edit our work (gen.6). When you copy the information to your records there
have been 7 possibilities for error. Historians and Genealogists should use indexes and
abstracts as a tool to locate information, but should then look up the origninal record to
verify it's accuracy.
The originals often contain brief physical
descriptions. Many records detailed relationships, often entire family groups, including
father, mother and children. Descriptions of skin color were usually included . . . copper,
yellow, black, light, dark, or "griff". Several records mentioned prior owners, height or
temperament. Some refused to warrant the slave as "free from prohibitory vices".
A world renowned genealogist and scholar, Mr. Loyd Bockstruck, curator of the Genealogical Library Department of the Dallas Public Library, often says: "If THEY found it, YOU can find it". Don't be content with finding a name in this work, go to the original. You can obtain a photocopy of these records by contacting the Parish Clerks office and giving them the registry and/or book and page number. You may find there a key that will unlock your genealogical treasure chest.
. . . "No Land . . . Only Slaves!"
a Hard-backed Library Binding
and
a Soft-bound Taped Binding.
Each Softcover volume is $60 + $7 S/H (UPS Ground)
Each Hardbound volume is $40 + $5 S/H (UPS Ground)
** Volume 3 & Vol 18 are $75 + $10 S./H - Library binding ONLY due to the large size of these books.
<
br> Mail order to :
Slaves & More Bookstore
13215 Twin Oaks Dr
Balch Springs, Texas 75180
Sample Pages.
Claiborne Parish History & Genealogy Links.
Caddo Parish History & Genealogy Links.
John Cross Family Bible
(Slave name entries on page 3.)
Return to Home Page.
No Land . . . Only Slaves! Book List.
slaves8m@yahoo.com.
---Edith Smith & Vivian Lehman, authors.
Edith Smith's Page
Vivian's Taphophile Page
Vivian Lehman History Page
Vivian Lehman's Personal Pages