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.
Kirbys district was essentially present-day Cross Roads and Springhill townships and was part of Wayne and Johnston Counties prior to 1855. The 1860 slave schedule lists 29 enslavers in this section of Wilson County, the largest of whom held 16 people in bondage. Southwestern Wilson County consisted predominantly of yeoman farmers, not plantation owners, in contrast to county’s eastern districts.
Jacob Rentfro — 2, ages 67 and 72 years
Kinchen Crumpler — 3, age 1 to 49 years
Joseph Raper — 1, age 13 years
Thomas Woodard — 2, ages 50 and 67 years
John Revell — 3, age 10 to 27 years
Ashley Atkinson — 1, age 8
Pitts Kirby — 2, ages 17 and 19 years
Dempsey Watson — 2, ages 9 and 11
Geraldus Sullivant — 1, age 67
Mabry Rentfro — 4, ages 3 to 30 years
Lovett Atkinson — 9, ages 1 month to 30 years
Matthew Peel — 1, age 59 years
- Sampson
Rufus Rentfro — 1, age 12 years
J.T. Rentfro — 1, age 48 years
Hinyard Rentfro — 2, ages 7 and 17 years
Simon Barnes and 7 others — 4, ages 5 to 40 years
Simon Barnes, in trust — 12, ages 6 months to 48 years
Ransom Hinnant — 5, age 5 to 53 years
Sallie Hinnant — 3, age 14 to 46 years
John H. Barnes — 8, ages 3 months to 34 years
Sarah Boykin — 1, age 14 years
M.M. Godwin — 1, age 18 years
Roberson Raper — 1, age 19 years
Nelson Kent — 7, age 6 months to 40 years
William Hinnant — 9, age 2 months to 53 years
W.H. Hinnant in trust — 16, age 3 to 50 years
Andrew Scott — 5, age 2 to 55 years
David A. Scott — 2, ages 7 and 10 years
John D. Adams — 3, age 13 to 80 years