Looking for descendants/info of General Matthew Locke's (1730-1801) slaves

Question

I have found my husband's ancestor General Matthew Locke (1730-1801) from Rowan/Salisbury, NC. I am looking for information on the slaves they owned. Some of their first names are recorded in his will: Amey, Tom, Andy, Dinah(?), Judy, Sarah, Steven, Peter.

General Matthew Locke's wife's name was Mary Elizabeth Brandon and they had 13 children including: Richard, Matthew, Robert. Two grandsons Moses and Alexander.

Comments

Descendants?

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Yes, obviously.

Answer 1

If they were in his will, they were left to someone.  Who were they willed to?  Start with their census records, including the census slave schedule for their household.  You should also look for deeds and bills of sale with the inheriting slaveholder as the grantee, as 1801 is a long way from Emancipation in 1865, and the people you are tracking could sadly have been sold many times over their lives.   Another important point to check is leases.  Leased slave labor happened a lot more often than slave sales.  You might find records of enslaved people anywhere in town or on neighboring farms.