The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom 1750 -1925

The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom 1750-1925 by Herbert G. Gutman is a valuable resource for any one researching the origins and culture of the African American families on number of southern plantations.  Information in this book led me to the slave birth registers and family papers of the slave holder of my ancestors. Paying it forward, here is the list of all of the plantations that are studied in Gutman's book:

• Stirling Plantation, West Feliciana Parish, Lousiana
• Carlisle Plantation, Concordia Parish, Lousiana
• Good Hope Plantation, Orangeburg, South Carolina
• John C. Cohoon's Cedar Vale Plantation, Nansemond Couty, Virginia
• Benehan-Cameron Plantation, Orange County, North Caroina
• Henry Watson Plantation, Alabama

Gutman includes charts and tables of family and kinship structures, naming patterns and a few illustrations of birth registers. There was a copy of the birth register which contained complete birth record - day, month, year- for my great-grandmother and two of her siblings.

Stirling Papers - Record of the Births of Negroes

On June 30, 2012, Judy Riffel went to the library at LSU to examine the records of Lewis Stirling, the owner of a cotton and sugar plantation, to look for the births of my ancestors.  She found them on Reel 25 and sent me two TIF files consisting of 24 pages of births records.  I found the names and  birth records for my second and third great-grandparents and their children and a few death records.  Listed below are the entries from the registers:

Major and Fortine; my great-great-great grandparents

George, the son of Major and Fortine, was born Aug 1807; my great-great grandfather
Linder, daughter of Leven and Big Judy, was born Feby 1814; my great-great grandmother
Cecile*, daughter of Linder & Long George, born 17 of Jany 1833
Primus*, son of Linder & L George, born August 21 1834; died of Port Hudson July 1864
George, son of Linder & Long George, born Dec 9th 1836
Lewis, son of Linder & Long George, born October 24th 1838
David Williams, son of Linder & Long George, born Sept 7 1840; died Nov 29 1840
Roseale, daughter of Linder & Long George, born Feby7 1842; died 1847
Luke, son of Linder & Long George, born Feby 14th 1844
Ann, daughter of Linder & Long George, was born July 28th 1845
Jim, son of Linder & Long George, was born October 11th 1847
Wilson, son of Linder & Long George, was born Feby 10th 1849
Martha, daughter of Linder & Long George, was born July 8th 1851; my great grandmother
Roseale, daughter of Linder & Long George was born Oct 5 1855
* some records list Linder as mother and the father is not listed



Leven; my great-great grandfather
Big Judy; my great-great grandmother
Ervin, son of Leven and big Judy, was born May 1810
Linder, daughter of Leven & Big Judy, was born Feby 1814; my great-great grandmother
Eveline, daughter of Leven & Big Judy, was born March 1816
Leven, son of Leven & Big Judy, was born Jany 1820' died jany 23 1857
Caroline, daughter of Leven & B Judy, was born October 1st and died of same 1821
Mary, daughter of Leven & Judi, was born 13 Sept 1822; died Jany 20 1853
Maretta, daughter of B. Judy & Leven, was born May 10th 1825
Henrietta, daughter of Leven & B.Judi, born Jany14th  1829