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 people described in the 1860 slave schedule. The paucity of such identifications is heartbreaking, and I continue to search.

We start with Black Creek district, which was part of Wayne County prior to 1855. The 1860 slave schedule lists 59 enslavers in this section of Wilson County. The largest, by order of magnitude, was Stephen Woodard Sr.:

Sallie Simms — 10, age 7 months to 72 years

William Thompson — 22, age 0.5 to 44 years

Dr. A.G. Brooks —  29, age 1 to 55 years

Enos Barnes — 2, age 15 and 18 years

Celia Barnes — 2, age 28 and 53 years

James Barnes — 9, age 3 to 50 years

Jesse Watson — 1, age 10 years

Jacob Daniel — 4, age 9 to 60 years

Joseph Farrell — 9, age 5 months to 38 years

James Nusom — 22, age 1 to 28 years

• Fanny and child Henry, Zilpha 

Jesse Sauls — 7, age 3 to  26 years

Nancy Bass —  8, age 5 months to 36 years

Belinda Aycock — 6, age 3 to 38 years

• Hannah, Arthur and Matilda

Sallie Daniel — 14, age 11 months to 53 years

Elisha Bass — 6, age 3 months to 30 years

Jeremiah Bass — 3, age 4 months to 17 years

Ephraim Bass — 1, age 36 years

Jinnet Holland — 4, age 4 months to 23 years

Jonathan Barnes — 19, age 3 months to 65 years

• Warren

Henry King — 11, age 3 months to 27 years

Edith Horn — 13, age 2 to 55 years

• Elijah, Linnet, Patience and child Hilard, Will, Litha, Jeffrey, Sarah

Milly Barnes — 21, age 4 to 78 years

Larry Nusom — 21, age 1 to 39 years

Stephen Woodard Jr. — 16, age 6 months to 30 years

• Lazarus, Randol, Henry, Harry, Little Bob, Jack, Arch, Solomon, Cooper, Mintus, Chacy and her child Handy, Jackan and her children Julia and Silvia, Rachel and her children Lawrence and Jim, Charity and her children Minger and Anzy, Little Peggy, Dianna, Nicey, Old Peggy, and Darkus

Stephen Woodard Sr. — 65, age 1 to 39 years

• Lazarus, Randol, Henry, Harry, Little Bob, Jack, Arch, Solomon, Cooper, Mintus, Chacy and her child Handy, Jackan and her children Julia and Silvia, Rachel and her children Lawrence and Jim, Charity and her children Minger and Anzy, Little Peggy, Dianna, Nicey, Old Peggy, Darkus, Barden, Sy, Reddic, Jonas, Sena and her four children Smithy, Amos, Jesse, and Michel, Maram and her child Bedy, Alfred, Washington, Sherard, Ned, Wright, Frank, Auston, Etney and her three children Jane, Hugh, and Oliver, Jincy and her child Chany, Hester, Lucy, Asa, James, Ben, George, William, Jacob, Gray, Sam, Old Bob, Sarah and her children Delilah, Edwin,and Ellen, Rebecca and her childrenIsidore, Isaac, and Mary, Rose, Cherry, and Barbery.

Amos Horn in trust — 9, age 2 months to 37 years

Henry Pope and two others — 3, age 1 to 36 years

R.M. Cox — 15, age 9 months to 33 years

Arthur Bass — 7, age 8 months to 35 years

James H. Barnes — 8, age 8 months to  32 years

Joseph S. Holt — 3, age 5 to 40 years

Jesse Bass — 7, age 1 to 35 years

• Bob and Rhoda

Abigail Simms — 8, age 1 to 60 years

• Harriet, Frank and Ellen

P.H. Simms — 3, age 1 to 35 years

• Harriet, Frank and Ellen

Mary A. Simms — 3, age 3 to 33 years

Thomas Amason — 2, age 13 and 17 years

B.F. Briggs — 3, age 6 to 12 years

Ichabod Pearson — 7, age 1 to 35 years

John P. Bardin — 7, age 6 to 50 years

• Sarah and child Wright, Westley, Sam, Jerry

Arthur Bardin — 2, age 19 and 20 years

• Joe

Zilpha Daniel — 14, age 2 months to 39 years

W.R. Bass — 2, age 11 and 35 years

W.R. Bass in trust — 7, age  6 to 73 years

Benjamin Barnes — 3, age 6 to 9 years

Annis Bass — 1, age 68 years

Ezekiel Smith — 14, age 1 to 33 years

Stephen Privett — 4, age 1 to 20 years

Jonah Barnes — 10, age 2 to 38 years

Calvin Barnes — 1, age 36 years

Ruffin Barnes  — 4, age 6 to 65 years

Elias Barnes — 2, age 7 months to 17 years

Jacob Woodard — 5, age 17 to 65 years

Felix Woodard — 2, age 6 months to 17 years

Joel Rose — 1, age 11 years

McKinley Durden — 6, age 9 to 35 years

• Howell Darden

Amos Horn — 2, age 12 to 35 years

Robinson H. Baker — 11, age 4 months to 34 years

Granberry Ethridge — 1, age  14  years

W.W. Williamson — 3, age 18 to 50 years