| Summary: | A collection of records documenting the slaves of Thomas and Nancy Barnett of Lauderdale County, Alabama.
Thomas Barnett (1789-1858) was a farmer whose plantation was located a few miles from Florence near the Oakland/Gravelly Springs "Bend of the River" area of western Lauderdale County. Barnett's 1850 census enumeration recorded his birthplace as South Carolina.
On December 15, 1823 in Lauderdale County Barnett married Nancy Williams (c. 1805-aft. 1860) and the couple had a total of seven known children.
The 1850 population census valued Barnett's property at $4,000.
Thomas died November 12, 1858; Nancy's 1860 population census did not record a value for the real estate but valued the personal estate (which included the slaves) at $53,800. However her 1860 agricultural census enumeration recorded her as owning a farm consisting of 400 improved acres, although no cash value for the land was recorded.
Thomas Barnett's 1830 population census enumeration recorded 7 enslaved persons, 2 males one, "under 10" and one "10 to 24," and 5 females ranging in age between "under 10" and "24 to 35." Only the head of the household was named; everyone else, including slaves denoted by numbers under age ranges.
Barnett's 1840 population census enumeration recorded 17 salves, 7 males ranging age bet. "under 10" to "24 thru 35." Only the head of the household was named; everyone else, including slaves denoted by numbers under age ranges.
Thomas Barnett's 1850 slave enumeration recorded 26 slaves, 17 males ranging in age from 6 months to 41 years; and 12 females ranging in age from 3 months to 24. The names of the slaves were not recorded.
Nancy Barnett's 1860 slave census enumeration recorded 29 enslaved persons--13 males ranging in age from 6 months to 50--and 16 females ranging in age from 1 to 44. The names of the slaves were not recorded.
Thomas' estate inventory named all of the enslaved persons on his plantation at his death on Nov. 12, 1858:
Harry
Washington
Ben
Bill
Jim
Lewis
Mar or Man
Jerry
Henry
Wash
Wesley
Anthony
Ike
Harriet
Tennessee
Susan
Terese?
Ester
Betty
Darcas/Dorcas
Sally
Caroline
Lizzie
John
Charles
Lewis
Spencer
Woodson
Jefferson
Ned
Sam
Minnie
Francis
Jane
Charaty (Charity?)
George
Dora
Mary
In his 1858 will Barnett bequeathed his slaves Harry, Harriet and their three children children Francis, Spencer and Edward, an 18 year-old named Darky (Darca?), a boy Henry, a boy Jerry, and a girl Sally.
Barnett's daughter Phoebe Harraway was given an unnamed female slave by him prior to writing his will.
In his will, Barnett made provision for his wife Nancy to sell and replace any "unruly" or runaway slaves bequeathed to her.
One of these slaves, Spencer Barnett (ca. 1856-1945) moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, with members of the white Barnett family in 1880. In 1937 Mr. Barnett was living in Holly Grove, Clarendon County, Arkansas and was interviewed by Miss Irene Robertson of the Federal Writers' Project of the WPA. He had worked various jobs over the years but in 1937, though blind from cataracts, made a living selling mats and bottoming chairs, with a $10 a month welfare check rounding out his income.
In his interview Spencer, who was then 81 years old and blind from cataracts, noted that his parents were Harry and Harriet Barnett and that they had 15 children. Harriet was the plantation's cook.
Spencer incorrectly stated that his former masters were Tom and Nancy Williams, which was actually Nancy Barnett's maiden name. Barnett admitted that he was "too little to count" when all of this took place; this, coupled with the fact that he was being asked to describe events from over 70 years ago makes it little wonder that he misremembered some of his information.
Spencer noted that wile a farmer Thomas Barnett also had a tannning yard and that during the Civil War "the Yankees burned the big house," forcing Mrs. Barnett to move into the overseer's house. The Union Army "made raids" and carried off 15 or 20 calves and "set the tater house afire," and took the corn, to which Spencer remarked that the Union Army "starved out more black faces than white at their stealing. After that war it was hard for the [former] slaves to have a shelter and enough eatin' that winter."
He also noted that after Union soldiers notified the Barnett slaves that they were free, "them [that] wanted to go back, went, them [that] didn't struck off [and] gone wild" but didn't name who left the plantation and who stayed. He did note that the Barnetts provided their former slaves who stayed "some corn and a little money."
Spencer stated that the Barnetts had "12 grown men and women" however we know from other records (see above) that they had a total of 29 enslaved persons at the time of Thomas' death in 1858.
According to Spencer, "slavery was bad," but that "Mars Tom Williams [sic] wasn't cruel. He never broke the skin" [when whipping slaves]. Spencer noted that enslaved people were required to "be in their place" when "the horn blowed" or they would be whipped with a twisted cowhide "whoop" which was wet and tied and "then it mortally would hurt." On one occasion however an enslaved man came to supper but hit a horse with a rock, and then ran away; the man returned before dark, informed Thomas Barnett of what he'd done, but according to Spencer "he didn't whoop [whip] him."
There were no idle days for the enslaved people on the Barnett plantation but the Barnett slaves were allowed a long lunch to "rest and water the teams" (of mules and horses). Some of the women slaves plowed, just like then men, while others made rails or spun and wove in the house if it was raining. The slaves worked on Saturdays although Sunday was "visiting day." During a work day one slave served the meals, which were quickly eaten.
The slaves had straw beds while the white slave-owner's family slept on goose feather beds. The slaves "had plenty common eating." They "had a big garden and plenty milk. They cooked eggs mostly. They would kill a beef [cow] and have a week of hog killing. . . . The families cooked at night and on Sunday at the log cabins."
Spencer noted that the slaves took turns going to church with their masters, after washing up in the creek first.
Spencer Barnett died May 26, 1945 in Holly Grove, Arkansas; in his 1937 interview he stated that he had never been married however his 1945 death certificate noted him as a widower.
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