Bird’s eye view of the city of Charleston, South Carolina 1872, Drie, C. N., Wikimedia Commons
We are excited to announce a new database: South Carolina: Slave Mortgage Records, 1734-1864. This database adds 137,170 names and 137,195 records to the 10 Million Names Project.
A slave mortgage was a financial tool that allowed lenders to extend credit based on the value of enslaved people. It adapted conventional finance to meet the needs of the slave economy. Two forms of slave mortgages were identified by Robyn N. Smith: one where a slaveholder made a down payment for a slave and paid the balance over time, and one in which a slaveholder used existing enslaved people as collateral for loans. The grantor of the mortgage could be a commercial bank, individual, or trust; the grantee was usually the slaveholder.
The collection includes volume-by-volume indexes to the mortgage documents by the grantor’s and grantee’s first and last names. These are typically the first set of records in each volume and are all of record type “Record.” The actual mortgage records are all of record type “Mortgage.” The location of all records is “South Carolina, United States.” No town or city information is available. These records are documented and held by South Carolina’s Secretary of State.
The location of all records is “South Carolina, United States.” No town or city information is available.
Additional information on the subject is available here:
Wikipedia: Slave Mortgage.
Robyn N. Smith, Reclaimingkin.com: Slave Mortgages.
GW Today – How Banks Played a Role in Upholding Slavery During the 19th Century.
This database is presented in partnership with FamilySearch as part of the 10 Million Names Project and is also searchable at FamilySearch.org: South Carolina Secretary of State, Slave Mortgage Records, 1734-1859.
This database was made possible with the help of our long-time volunteer, Sam Sturgis. We greatly appreciate all of his hard work on this project! If you are interested in volunteering for the 10 Million Names Project, please contact our 10 Million Names Volunteer Manager, Danielle Rose, at Danielle.Rose@americanancestors.org.
Please note: This database is available to all American Ancestors members, including Guest Members, at no cost. Consider membership.