Searching for my 4th great grandfather, possibly in slave records

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! We regret the delayed response.

As the repository of the permanently valuable, noncurrent records of the Federal Government, the National Archives only holds records that were generated by the various agencies and institutions of the United States Government, or from activities that were under direct Federal jurisdiction. During the antebellum period, slaveholding and slave trading were officially considered matters of private property and private enterprise and were not under the direct jurisdiction or regulation of any agency of the Federal Government. Consequently, most records relating to slavery and slaveholders are held at local and state repositories—not at the National Archives.

The records at the National Archives that do relate to the formerly enslaved and former slaveholders are mainly from the years of the Civil War and Reconstruction. These were the years that the Federal Government had its most direct contact with the formerly enslaved and former slaveholders. These records consist primarily of military records documenting formerly-enslaved soldiers and sailors serving in the US Colored Troops or the Union Navy, the Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) that assisted the formerly enslaved during Reconstruction, the Records of the Freedman’s Saving & Trust Company (the Freedman’s Bank), and the Record of the Commissioners of Claims (the Southern Claims Commission). None of these records are directly related to the sale and holding of slaves during the antebellum period, although they can sometimes reveal information pertaining to those matters. For more information, see the National Archives' page on African American Heritage.

Keep in mind that legally slaves were considered part of their owners’ property, and any documentation of their lives will be scattered among the records of the business transactions of their owners. So you will need to determine where the various property records of their owners are held. These types of records are usually held on the county level. The relevant type documentation typically consisted of items such as probate records, vital records, tax records, and various types of documents found in the court order books and county deed books (bills of sale, deeds of gift, mortgages, records of importation and manumissions). Once you identify the location of the owners’ records, you will be able to find whatever documentation exists on the subjects you are researching.

That being said, the only records that would be on deposit with the county would be those that were required to be filed with the county.  At no time was it legally required to have the entirety of the personal and business records and correspondence of enslavers retained permanently by the government. If such records were preserved, they may have been donated to historical societies, universities, or similar institutions. It is also important to note that many counties have lost local records over the years to natural or manmade disasters such as fire, flood, and war.

We suggest that you review the FamilySearch Research wiki pages for African American Genealogy; Louisiana, United States Genealogy; and St. Landry Parish, Louisiana Genealogy may be useful. We also suggest contacting the Erbon and Marie Wise Genealogical Library, the State Library of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Genealogical & Historical Society for further assistance.

We hope this assists you with your research! 

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! We regret the delayed response.

As the repository of the permanently valuable, noncurrent records of the Federal Government, the National Archives only holds records that were generated by the various agencies and institutions of the United States Government, or from activities that were under direct Federal jurisdiction. During the antebellum period, slaveholding and slave trading were officially considered matters of private property and private enterprise and were not under the direct jurisdiction or regulation of any agency of the Federal Government. Consequently, most records relating to slavery and slaveholders are held at local and state repositories—not at the National Archives.

The records at the National Archives that do relate to the formerly enslaved and former slaveholders are mainly from the years of the Civil War and Reconstruction. These were the years that the Federal Government had its most direct contact with the formerly enslaved and former slaveholders. These records consist primarily of military records documenting formerly-enslaved soldiers and sailors serving in the US Colored Troops or the Union Navy, the Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) that assisted the formerly enslaved during Reconstruction, the Records of the Freedman’s Saving & Trust Company (the Freedman’s Bank), and the Record of the Commissioners of Claims (the Southern Claims Commission). None of these records are directly related to the sale and holding of slaves during the antebellum period, although they can sometimes reveal information pertaining to those matters. For more information, see the National Archives' page on African American Heritage.

Keep in mind that legally slaves were considered part of their owners’ property, and any documentation of their lives will be scattered among the records of the business transactions of their owners. So you will need to determine where the various property records of their owners are held. These types of records are usually held on the county level. The relevant type documentation typically consisted of items such as probate records, vital records, tax records, and various types of documents found in the court order books and county deed books (bills of sale, deeds of gift, mortgages, records of importation and manumissions). Once you identify the location of the owners’ records, you will be able to find whatever documentation exists on the subjects you are researching.

That being said, the only records that would be on deposit with the county would be those that were required to be filed with the county.  At no time was it legally required to have the entirety of the personal and business records and correspondence of enslavers retained permanently by the government. If such records were preserved, they may have been donated to historical societies, universities, or similar institutions. It is also important to note that many counties have lost local records over the years to natural or manmade disasters such as fire, flood, and war.

We suggest that you review the FamilySearch Research wiki pages for African American Genealogy; Louisiana, United States Genealogy; and St. Landry Parish, Louisiana Genealogy may be useful. We also suggest contacting the Erbon and Marie Wise Genealogical Library, the State Library of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Genealogical & Historical Society for further assistance.

We hope this assists you with your research!