I have been thinking lately about how many states and locations
have unique record sets that can really give a boost to those
doing slave research. For example, how slave births in Virginia
are recorded from the year 1853, and how Maryland’s slave
statistics name the last slaveowner as well as surnames for most
slaves. They may not survive for every county within a state,
but if they do, you’re in for a treat. For those who had
enslaved ancestors in Washington, D.C., a wonderful set of
records exist. The National Archives has the following: Records
of the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia Relating
to Slaves, 1851-1863 (M433) -these rolls include emancipation,
manumission papers, freedom affidavits, and fugitive slave case
papers Habeas Corpus Case Records of the U.S. Circuit Court for
the District of Columbia, 1820-1863 (M434) Both of these first
two have very good information for those of us descended from
slaves. Christine’s Genealogy website has indexed parts of
several of these records on he