Black Slave Owners

After talking briefly about free people of color in our last blog, I wanted to also touch on the topic of black slave owners. In my own research, I have found census records between 1820 and 1860 reflecting a black head of household with enslaved people enumerated. Given what we know about slavery, it seems impossible that blacks would have participated as owners.

Why would there be black slave owners? 2 ideas are most prevalent in the research community. One is that freed blacks would purchase enslaved family members. The other theory is that some free blacks enjoyed the profits of slavery similar towhite enslavers. Research shows that both scenarios were true. Some free blacks were able to purchase their family members. If these enslaved relatives are not emancipated, they and any children born to them will be counted as enslaved on census records. As mentioned in last week’s blog re freedman and free people of color, a child born to a free woman was considered free and a child born to an enslaved woman was born enslaved. A freedman may purchase his enslaved wife and end up with children enslaved to him if his wife has not been emancipated. In other cases, there is no familial connection between the enslaved and the owner.

Carter G Woodson, in his research, found that in 1830 there were almost 4000 black slave owners. These almost 4000 owned over 12,000 enslaved people. Almost 1600 of these owners held only 1 enslaved person. However, prior to this in 1820, a former enslaved man in North Carolina owned 3 plantations and 163 enslaved people. Surely his ambitions were profit centered, as with any other plantation owner. The tales of treatment with a black owner vs a white owner vary. In either case, the enslaved person was viewed as property, and would be treated as such.

Another shocking component to these circumstances are the fact that many of these black slave owners were women. One may expect that women, out of maternal nature would be more sympathetic and not participate in human ownership. Unfortunately this was not the case.

I imagine for any African American doing genealogy research, it would be difficult to find that ones ancestors owned other African Americans. Especially those that were formerly enslaved themselves. How could they engage in the practice that held them captive? I’m sure many factors played a role: classism, colorism, greed, and factors unknown. What I do know is that the reality that some free blacks owned enslaved blacks is a unique historical fact. Though being the descendant of a white slave owner can result in feelings of shame, being the African American descendant of a black slave owner may induce even more shame.

As with all family history, this reality does not define the current generation. These discoveries are a part of how you came to be, but not the totality of who you are. Don’t stop searching. Continue to seek truth.

Always Searching,

The Tangled Roots Team