The 1860 slave schedule is the only known surviving, contemporaneous list of the men and women who enslaved black people in Wilson County. It is not a list of the enslaved themselves, as none are named in that census. Rather, the schedule described people by “color” (black or mulatto), sex, and age.

Organized by township, this series will set forth these enslavers, the number of people they held in 1860, and the ages of the youngest and oldest people held. Where possible, I will also name people known to be enslaved by each person. They may or may not correspond to the enslaved people described in the 1860 slave schedule. The paucity of such identifications is heartbreaking, and I continue to search.

Wilson district, which included the Town of Wilson and its immediate surrounds, was the southwestern end of Edgecombe County prior to 1855. The 1860 slave schedule lists 118 enslavers — far more than in any other township of Wilson County — the largest of whom were William Barnes, who held 79 people, and his brother Joshua Barnes, who held 67 people and controlled another 29 as a trustee for minor heirs.

B.H. [Benjamin H.] Bardin — 13, aged 1 to 30 years

• Wiley, Dennis, Mourning, Isaac

B.H. Bardin, in trust — 8, aged 1 to 30 years

J.J. [Jesse J.] Bardin — 5, aged 7 to 60 years

• Ben, Vinson, Mike, Mariah, Jane

Willie Daniel — 18, aged 6 months to 37 years

• Harry, Alfred, Elias, Jensey, Gray, Brass, Amos, Love, George, Rhody,  Ann

Albert Farmer — 2, aged 13 and 15 years

Westley Swift — 12, aged 1 to 37 years

• Ben, Harriet

W.G. Jordan — 13, ages 1 to 40 years

R.D. [Robert D.] Johnston — 8, ages 2 to 39 years

W.W. [Willie W.] Winstead — 1, age 15 years

B.B. Barnes — 2, ages 23 and 52 years

William M. Gay — 10, ages 8 to 60 years

William M. Gay, in trust — 11, ages 8 to 70 years

W.D. [Willie Daniel] Rountree — 5, ages 2 to 50 years

Moses Rountree — 4, ages 2 to 50 years

• Jane

N.A.H. Godwin — 3, ages 10 to 30 years

Jesse D. Barnes — 6, ages 9 to 45 years

James D. Barnes — 35, ages 8 months to 56 years

• Rachel,

William Murray — 1, age 50 years

S.M. [Spencer May] Warren — 1, age 31 years

Alfred J. Brown — 4, ages 2 to 26 years

E.G. [Edwin G.] Clark — 2, ages 11 and 13 years

• Nancy

Margaret H. Battle — 32, ages 1 to 68 years

• Dinah, Turner, Hilliard, Hardy, Stephen, Matilda

Thomas C. Davis — 4, ages 4 months to 23 years

Edmund Moore — 23, age 6 months to 50 years

• Jerry

Lovet Peacock, in trust for one minor — 4, ages 3 to 28 years

Lovet Peacock — 2, ages 1 month and 30 years

John Hearn — 8, ages 7 to 38 years

• Wright, Rachael, and Harriet

William Hamlet — 1, age 30 years

• Willis, Critty and two children

Arthur D. Farmer — 5, ages 7 to 40 years

Sarah A. Stephens — 3, ages 12 to 66 years

Jane Hamlet — 2, ages 12 and 31 years (the younger described as “D[eaf] & D[umb]”)

Spencer Fountain — 1, age 11 years

A.C. Thomas — 1, age 14 years

Perry Barnes, in trust for one minor — 4, ages 18 to 60 years

Thomas D. Gay — 8, ages 1 to 28 years

Sallie Barnes — 2, ages 8 and 11 years

J.D. [Jonathan Dew] Rountree — 12, ages 4 months to 50 years

B[uckner D]. Stith — 1, age 38 years

• Tom, Butler, John

Mary E. Ricks — 1, age 20 years

L.D. [Larry Dew] Farmer — 33, ages 2 months to 37 years

• Esther, Huldah, Hilliard, Alex, Fortune, Clarkie, Amos, Hardy, Rose, Peg, Tom, Stephen, Cherry, Luke, Wade

Elizabeth Farmer — 14, ages 9 months to 54 years

Jesse H. Adams — 31, ages 2 to 70 years

George Howard — 8, ages 6 to 39 years

Jacob S. Barnes — 20, ages 2 to 65 years

• Debby, Bob, George, William, Silvey, Manda, Sarah, Belcher, Deller, Dolly, Dick, Jo, Willis, Henry, Easter, Mary, Jane, Nancy, Piety, Martha, John

Jesse S. Barnes — 7, ages 4 months to 36 years

John Farmer — 21, ages 3 to 34 years + “left out on page,” 6 additional, ages 37 to 56 years

John Farmer, in trust for 6 heirs — 19, ages 8 to 63 years

George Barefoot — 10, ages 1 to 75 years

John S. Barnes — 1, age 7 years

Dempsey G. Barnes — 1, age 26 years

A.J. [Andrew Jackson] Barefoot — 15, ages 5 months to 60 years

Mary Barnes’ Sarah — age 100

James Tomlinson — 6, ages 3 to 30 years

John McGowns — 11, ages 2 months to 40 years

Ann Scarboro — 10, 6 months to 50 years

Benjamin Simms — 37, ages 3 months to 63 years

• Harriet and child

Larry Dew — 34, ages 3 months to 60 years

Joshua Barnes — 67, ages 8 months to 94 years

• Marina, Chaney, Judy, Toppy, Simeon, Lettice and her children Hines and Madison, Jane, David, Willis(?)

Thomas Jordan — 15, ages 9 months to 32 years

J.H. Martin — 1, age 21 years

Jacob Taylor — 6, ages 8 to 45 years

Julian Jordan — 4, ages 3 to 30 years

John Barnes — 8, ages 4 months to 27 years

William Tomlinson — 9, ages 2 to 54 years

Samuel Barnes — 3, ages 5 months to 24 years

Jonathan Bullock — 1, age 50 years

John W. Farmer — 10, ages 7 to 46 years

Ira G. Ellis — 8, ages 10 months to 32 years

Cornelius Jordan — 7, ages 2 to 50 years

John P. Clark — 5, ages 3 to 25 years

• Peggy, Henry, Mourning, Harry,

R.H. [Richard Hines] Blount — 27, ages 4 months to 80 years

R.H. Blount, in trust for 2 minor heirs — 2, ages 24 and 75 years

J.J. [Joseph J.] Lawrence — 2, ages 12 and 19 years

James Jordan — 4, ages 12 to 30 years

J.W. [James Watson] Davis — 2, both age 14 years

• Judia

Martha Selby — 5, ages 3 to 45 years

Isaac Harris — 6, ages 1 to 26 years

John Dew — 27, ages 5 months to 39 years

Gray B. Sharp — 5, ages 14 to 52 years

• Hines

Samuel Marshbourn — 18, ages 1 month to 65 years

Jonathan T. Dew — 7, ages 8 to 34 years

• Edwin

David Dew — 7, ages 6 to 50 years

John Coleman — 2, ages 27 to 30 years

Patsey White — 8, ages 1 to 47 years

• Stephen, Cherry, Luke, Thomas, Harriet, Fanny,

Isaac B. Farmer — 20, ages 6 months to 40 years

• Will, Cherry

Nancy Farmer — 2, both age 50 years

• Abram, Treasy

Ephraim E. Cobb — 1, age 18

Isaac Farmer — 2, ages 45 and 50 years

Ceborn Farmer — 3, ages 9 to 55 years

Iredell Farmer — 1, age 20 years

Permelia Farmer — 1, age 55 years

Jesse B. Robbins — 5, ages 8 months to 38 years

Arthur Robbins — 10, ages 1 month to 60 years

John Thorn — 5, ages 2 to 25 years

S.B. Farmer — 14, ages 1 to 67 years

G.W. Ruffin — 22, ages 3 to 43 years

James Farmer — 1, age 94 years

Arthur B. Dew — 6, ages 3 months to 51 years

Lemon Ruffin — 21, ages 1 to 52 years

David Conner — 1, age 70 years

Elizabeth Amason — 4, ages 5 to 50 years

Calvin Rountree — 2, ages 1 and 36 years

Crissie Rountree — 1, age 8 years

• Deley

Elizabeth Rountree — 6, ages 10 months to 61 years

James Rountree — 1, age 32 years

Charles Rountree — 8, ages 2 to 29 years

Margaret Rountree — 12, ages 1 to 37 years

Elisha Barnes — 1, age 23 years

James D. Barnes, in trust for 4 minor heirs — 5, ages 14 to 51 years

Charles F. Deems — 1, age 40 years

Jackson Brinkley — 2, ages 8 and 17 years

[no first name] Skinner — 1, age 25 years

Nathan T. Rountree — 3, ages 2 to 30 years

• Patsey, Jane, Amos, George

John Harper — 3, ages 8 to 36 years

• Jason, Lettice, Martha

O[swald]. Lipscomb — 9, ages 6 to 55 years

• Stephen

Benjamin Bynum — 12, ages 1 to 41 years

Thomas Mollison — 3, ages 13 to 23 years

Walter Farmer — 13, ages 3 months to 55 years

A.S. [Alexander Spotswood] Cotton — 42, ages 1 to 70 years

Thomas Hadley — 39, ages 2 to 74 years

Calvin Parker — 13, ages 1 to 38 years

Jesse Fulghum — 9, ages 2 to 56 years

Alsey Stott — 2, ages 7 and 20 years

David Taylor — 5, ages 8 to 50 years

Thomas Johnston — 4, ages 11 to 56 years

Joshua Barnes, in trust for 2 minor heirs — 29, ages 2 months to 65 years

William Barnes Jr., in trust for 1 minor heir — 6, ages 9 to 38 years