SLAVES OF JAMES G. SLATER & FAMILY 1856
Choctaw County, Alabama
Abstracted from loose papers: Eli S. Thornton vs. James G. Slater
by Ann H. Gay January 3, 2002
James G. Slater married Jane Turner, sister of Beloved Love Turner. B.L. Turner in
1841 in Washington County, AL gave a deed of trust for certain slaves to Trustee
Eli S. Thornton for the benefit of Turner’s sister Jane and her children. Jane T.
Slater died 1 January 1856, and her widower James G. Slater sold some of the slaves.
Thornton as Trustee sued J.G. Slater for the benefit of the children in 1856.
James G. Slater married Jane Turner their children:
Eliza married Jesse Scruggs; age in 1856 23?
Nancy Jane married James S. Evans age 21
Sarah M. Slater age 15
Susan Huberta Slater age 11
J. E. Slater age 11
James A. Slater age 9
Mary Allah Slater age 7
George G. Slater age 5
(Names and ages of the children given by Boswell Turner.)
SLAVES named in the lawsuit, their ages and valuation as given by the Commissioners
appointed to divide them among the children:
Fanny, age 20, and her child Marshall, 18 months $1100
Mary, age 28 and child Abram, 16 months 1100
Margaret, age 18, and child Vina/Viny, 18 months 1200
Barbary, age 20 and child Edmond/Edward, 8 mo. 1100
Anarchy, age 23, and child Henry, one year old 1100
Martha, no age given 1000
Dicey, age 40 and her 7 children: 600
Martha, age 20
Harriet, age 18 ($900)
Lydia, age 15
Len/Lem?, age 12 ($700)
Fed, age 10
Jesse, age 8 ($600)
Eliza, age 2 ($200)
(Another witness named Frank & his wife Dicey & her children, Martha,
Harriet & Emily)
Sukey, age 30 and her children, ($800)
Lizzy age 3 and ($300) & Rufus, 16 months
Betsey, no age given, & her children
Bob, age 9, and ($500)
Caroline, age 6 ($400)
Aaron, age 40 ($600)
Amy, age 11 ($600)
President, age 5 ($300)
Sam ($800)
Samuel, age 17 (same as Sam above?)
Sydie?, no age given ($800)
William, no age ($200)
Willis, no age ($600)
A different source named KATY & her 6 children: SUKEY, BETSEY, FREDERICK,
ANARCHY, BARBARA, & SAMUEL
Eliza SCRUGGS already had a slave named PELINA, age 17, & her child BEN, age 1
REUBEN COX in Clarke County, AL bought these slaves:
FREDONIA, MARIAH, & LOUISA
Witness heard it said that Cox later sold Mariah to someone in Mobile
James G. Pace said these were sold to Reuben Cox:
Maria, about 40 years old
Dempsey, 23 or 24
Fredonia, 20
Louisa, 14
Nelly, 7
He described them as field hands
J.A. TURNER , Clarke County, AL bought DEMPSEY for $1200, and
NELLY, 8 years old, child of Mariah for $450
Gross Scruggs’s statement was that FANNY and MARGARET are good cooks, seam-
stresses, washers and ironers and that
DEMPSEY, aged 20 or 21, was in good health
FRANK, ALEXANDER and BETSEY are now DEAD (1856)
James G.S. Pace added these to the list of dead:
FREDERICK, KATY, EMILY
Dr. D. M. Dunlap’s statement was that several of the slaves were susceptible to
consumption, and the boy FRED had died of this disease while at the home of and under
the treatment of Dr. Dunlap.
J. W. Thornton said that CHARLOTTE, the mother of Maria, died of comsumption
Martha Kaene said that the mother of Maria (Charlotte?) died with consumption, as well
as Maria’s uncle Frederick, her aunt Katy, and her cousins Betsey, & Frederick
Commissioners appointed by the court, Oliver H. Powe, Constantine P. Mills, and J. C.
Philon, divided the slaves, who possibly might have adopted the last names of
Scruggs or Evans or the married names of the other daughters after 1865:
SCRUGGS, ELIZA SLATER (Mrs. Jesse Scruggs)
HARRIET, PRESIDENT, BEN, and PELINA & CHILD
EVANS, NANCY SLATER (Mrs. James S. Evans)
FANNY & child MARSHALL
SUKEY, LIZZIE; and WILLIS
SLATER, JAMES
MARY & child ABRAM; AARON, and AMY
SLATER, HUBERTA
MARGARET & child VINA; LEN, and CAROLINE
SLATER, ALLAH
BARBARY & child EDMOND; SAM, ELIZA and WILLIAM
SLATER, GEORGE
MARTHA, LYDIA, and BOB
SLATER, SARAH
ANARCHY & child HENRY; JESSE, and DICEY,
These papers are very confusing, as different people named different slaves, and put
valuations on them. Some of the slaves listed may be duplications.
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