Life of a Slave on the Gaines farm 1857-1865

There are plenty of available sources, first hand and otherwise, that describe the daily life of a slave. However, these are few when compared to the thousands of enslaved people we have no record of. Fortunately, we can catch a glimpse of the lives of the enslaved people at the Gaines plantation via guardianship settlement records filed by James E. Gaines. James was made guardian of Abraham's son, William, in 1857. As William was minor and legal heir to Abraham's estate, James had record all financial transactions for the estate. This included everyday purchases, account settlements, rental income, and most importantly - some details about the enslaved people there.

Slave Story. LC-F8- 9243 [P&P], National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

Income

July 1, 1859 - July 1, 1860

               - T. Ramsey note for hire of John                     1858           45.65
               - Yancey's note for hire of John                                         144.00
               - T. Polk for hire of John                                   1859          202.50
               - R.R. Guill for hire of Henry                            1859          150.00
               - L. Dillard for hire of Dennis                            1859          200.00

  8/1861  - Allsbrooks note for hire of Wallace                1859            50.00
               - For hire of boy Dennis one month                                     14.00
12/1861  - W. Allsbrooks for hire of John                                            80.00
               - Hire of Wiley one month                                                     20.00
  2/1862  - A. Couts for hire of Dennis                             1860          205.80
  6/1862  - bal. on Allsbrooks note for hire of Wallace                       100.00
10/1864  - W. Bourne for hire of John in                          1860          175.00
                                                                                         1861          140.00
                                                                                         1863          110.00

  1/1865  - Mrs. Norfleet for hire of Wallace                      1864         150.00
               - Mat. Adams for hire of George                        1862         125.00
               - interest on same                                                                 15.00
  7/1865  - Weatherford for hire of Dick                             1862        200.00
               - W. Gossett for hire of boy John                        1863          41.66
               - W.B. Allsbrooks & J.R. Elliott for hire of John                                                        
                                                                                           1860        120.00
                                                                                           1861        150.00
              - D. Williams & B.A. Crenshaw for hire of Joe     1862        125.00


Expenses

July 1, 1859 - July 1, 1860
               - J.T. Hutchison for negro girl bought                                 1833.76
               - Ch_____'s midwife fee in 2 cases                                         4.00
               - Midwife fee for Betsey                                                           2.00
               - paid Negro for basket                                                            1.00

July 1, 1860 - July 1, 1861
               - midwife for Mariah                                                                 2.00
               - Jail fees at Elkton for boy George                                          6.90
               - Tompkins for taking of George                                             75.00
               - expenses to Elkton                                                                2.50

10/1861  - Thomas for Negro hats                                                        11.25
11/1861  - Flannel for Martha's child                                                       1.50
               - Ede midwife for Betsey                                                          2.00
  1/1862  - 10 prs. Negro shoes                                                             28.00
  6/1862  - 1 pair shoes for Phill.                                                              2.50
  7/1862  - dresses for negro children                                                      1.50
               - midwife fee for Maria                                                              2.00
  8/1862  - 2 pair shoes for Hetty and Clarissa                                        3.10
10/1862  - Midwife fee for Eliza                                                               2.00
               - 10 yds. striped goods for negros                                            3.50
11/1862  - 22.5 yards Negro jeans                                                         11.25
  4/1863  - 87 yds. print goods for negros                                              44.50
               - 18 gal. cider for negros                                                           2.25
  5/1863  - canoe for boy Dick                                                                  3.00
  7/1863  - Mrs. Holt for weaving negro cloth                                           5.00
  8/1863  - 7 yards calico for negros                                                        1.65
               - pair of shoes for Clarissa                                                        2.50
  9/1863  - 12 negro blankets                                                                 24.00
               - 2 yards of flannel for Martha's child                                        1.60
               - 6 pr. Dutch brogans for women                                             10.52
               - 3 pr. Dutch brogans for boys at $0.20                                     6.00
               - 2 pr. Dutch brogans for boys at $0.15                                     3.00
               - 4 yrds. Flannel for Lissa's child                                               1.80
               - Sukey as midwife for Sallie                                                     2.00
               - Sukey as midwife for Maria                                                     2.00
  3/1864  - Hat for boy                                                                               1.50
  7/1864  - Flannel for Martha's child                                                        2.00
               - Sukey midwife for Martha                                                        2.00
               - 4.5 yards Cottonade for negros                                               4.05
               - 5 yards Calico for negro children                                             1.75
  9/1864  - 6 hats for negros                                                                      7.50
               - paid negros for corn                                                               85.00
  1/1865  - paid Girl Caroline for work                                                       2.75
               - paid John for making shoes for negros                                    3.75
               - 1 pair shoes for Negro girl                                                        2.25
               - 5 yards Bleached domestic for Henry's shroud                        4.50
     1867  - paid Wiley for building Chimney                                               5.00                                          


        So, specifically what this shows us is the type of provision made for these enslaved people. What becomes immediately apparent is that James operated according to his brothers will and started hiring out the slaves fairly often. It's also interesting that on October 26th, 1865, James held a sale of all the farming equipment and closed any farming operations. I would presume this is due to emancipation.

Other items of note:
- I am curious if the men who were hired out possessed a particular skill or was it just labor?

- George ran away! This ledger (shown above, 1860/61) indicates that George ran away but was captured and jailed in Elkton, KY. George is very fascinating and I cant wait to show more of what I've found out about him.

- Are the items shown purchased for slaves typical or atypical? What kinds fo interpretations can be made from these items?

- Who is Sallie? I've not found any other mention of her. Perhaps she is the Negro girl James purchases in 1859/1860 from Hutchison?

- There were a lot of children born in this time span! 10, actually. I should be able to find their names by finding their parents in later census records.

- Henry died in January of 1865. Apparently he was covered in a shroud of bleached domestic. I wonder where he is buried? I'll eventually have a post about burial sites!

- In Sept. 1864, James paid "negros" $85.00 for corn and in 1867 paid Wiley $5.00 for building a chimney. What can be interpreted from this?