Record of Slaves in Montgomery County at the Time of the Adoption of the Constitution in 1864
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Authors
Commissioner of Slave Statistics
Issue Date
1867
Relation
Language
en_US
Policy Date Range From
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Abstract
This report of the Commissioner of Slave Statistics was taken in 1867-1868 in Montgomery County, Maryland, based on the state of enslavement as of emancipation in 1864. The commissioner who compiled the information for Montgomery County was George Patterson. The list of enslavers documented in the original ledgerbook are not in any discernable order, and were probably documented in the order they were received. Information given about the formerly enslaved includes full names and ages -- the majority of surnames ARE included, though some applicant enslavers did not provide them. Other details such as military service or mental competency are occasionally included.
This report has been transcribed in various forms; a new transcription in sortable form with corrections, additions, cross-references to other sources is in process and will be available here soon. The original scans from microfilm are provided here for reference.
Description
The original ledger is held by the Maryland State Archives, Series #C1140. The description from their site is as follows:
The Slave Statistics consist of lists of slaves owned as of 1 November 1864, the date when the Constitution of 1864, which abolished slavery in Maryland, took effect. In the hope that the federal government would compensate former slaveholders, the General Assembly in 1867 authorized the compilation of records to establish slave ownership and the value of slave property. The governor appointed a commissioner of slave statistics for each county with a term in office of two years. Former slave owners furnished the commissioner with descriptive information on each slave for whom they claimed ownership. The commissioner then recorded the lists and filed the records with the clerk of the circuit court of his county. (Ch. 189, Acts of 1867; Ch. 385, Acts of 1868). Entries give date of registration, name of the owner, and, if applicable, name of person acting for the owner. For each enslaved person, the records show his or her name, sex, age, physical condition, term of servitude, date of emancipation, and, if applicable, information on and compensation for military service.