Census Data

Free people of color were enumerated by name on all census years in South Carolina in the same manner as free whites, but slaves were listed as a total number within a household. From 1790 through 1840, only heads of household are listed by name, regardless of status. All other household members are listed as total numbers per category.

The 1840 federal census provides the most detailed breakdown of households, with numbers of individuals noted by age and sex, for both free persons and slaves, but, again, only the head of household is named.

Separate slave schedules for the federal census are available for 1850 and 1860. The first census year to enumerate ALL individuals by name was 1870.

See the Marion County Census page for online transcriptions.

---

African-American Cemeteries in Marion County

• Fork Chapel Cemetery
• SMITH Cemetery, Smithboro
• Spring Branch Baptist Church Cemetery

Marion County Cemeteries Main page
Dillon County (old Upper Marion) Cemeteries Main page

---

Slave Data

Slaves Named in Marion County Wills - c. 1798-1855  
Slave names may be found in these old Wills. On rare occasion, slave family groups are specified.

Deeds
A transfer of slaves, either through sale or gift, was recorded in Deed books.

Slave records in FLADGER Documents - 1730-1820 
Slave records in FLADGER Documents - 1821 to 1860
Slave records in FLADGER Documents - 1861 to

Links of Interest

• Africans in America - PBS Series Main page
  For topics pertaining specifically to South Carolina, see:
  • Arthur Middleton
  • Harvesting the Rice
  • Ready for Harvest painting by South Carolina artist Alice Huger Smith
  • Fort Mose Carolina slaves brought to Florida
  • The Stone Rebellion - 1739
  • Slaves Plantation of James Joyner Smith, Beaufort, South Carolina, 1862
  • Memorial to South Carolina Senate - 1791 for an interesting bit of history on "free blacks" in South Carolina
• African American Research
  a Genealogy.com web site, provides an overview.
• How to Research African American Obituaries
  Helpful tutorial for beginners.
• The African-American Mosaic A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture
  Wonderful online exhibit and resource
• Free African Americans of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware
  Researcher Paul Heinegg provides family histories of numerous freed slaves throughout the colonial southeast. Excellent site, organized primarily by surnames, but some source material is presented by location. Please take the time to read the Introduction.

• African American Cemeteries Online
• African American Genealogy Ring
  This Web Ring is dedicated to genealogists who are researching African-American Family Histories.
• Afrigeneas
  Looks a bit more commercial than it did when it started a few years ago, but still a tremendous resource.
• Black Genealogy Exchange - An MSN Community site
• Christine's African American Genealogy Site
  A bit confusing to navigate but the site has been around for a long time.
• African American Family History Research
  Deals with Missouri but an interesting site with some data pertaining to all states.
• African Native Genealogy Page
  Oklahoma's Black Indians
• Genealogy Forum: African American Resource Center
• First Person Narratives of the American South
  documents the American South from the viewpoint of Southerners. It focuses on the diaries, autobiographies, memoirs, travel accounts, and ex-slave narratives of relatively inaccessible populations: women, African Americans, enlisted men, laborers, and Native Americans. The texts for this project come from the Academic Affairs Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Editorial Board for Documenting the American South guides its development.
• Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia
  Lists numerous free slaves throughout various counties in North Carolina and Virginia. Provides in-depth explanation of information.
• Freedman's Bureau Records - South Carolina
  (A Christine's Genealogy web site, NOT a government site)

Back to Marion County Homepage

Copyright © 1996-2006 Victoria Proctor. All rights reserved.