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Slide Notes: Slaves in Kentucky were property, and therefore, they are mentioned in property deeds, tax records, wills, and other documents. Most often, that will be a first name only, and that name could have changed from one owner to the next. Some slaves will not be named in the records, but rather, they will be referred to as male or female, or boy or girl, with their approximate ages. The terms "boy" and "girl" are used in reference to both children and adults. There is no such thing as a comprehensive list of every slave that was in every county. There is not a slave index to the various documents. Nor is there a comprehensive list of slaves for the entire state of Kentucky. See the NKAA entry “Locating the Names of Slaves and Slave Owners in Kentucky.”
Beginning in 1850, there was an attempt to name every person in the household within the census records. For the most part, this did not include the slaves who were listed in the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules. The slaves were numbered under their owners' names and noted as male or female, along with their approximate age. However, there are those rare instances in the census records where the slave or slaves are named with the owner's family members.
Searching the holdings found in libraries, historical societies, and Special Collections also requires a good deal of patience and persistence. Knowing the names of potential slave owners can help move the search process along. Records found in libraries and historical societies will many times be those of prominent families in Kentucky.
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2020
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