Slaves of Alexander Atkinson, Georgia

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Camden County, Georgia, United States
Surnames/tags: Slavery Black_Heritage

Index of Plantations

Contents 1 Slaves of Alexander Atkinson in Camden County, Georgia 1.1 Slaves Inherited from His Father, Nathan Atkinson, 1817 1.2 1820 US Census 1.3 Slave Purchases 1.4 Slaves involved in the Boggy Swamp Murder in 1840 2 Sources

Slaves of Alexander Atkinson in Camden County, Georgia

Alexander Atkinson (1796-1840) owned two plantations:

• Black Hammock Plantation, Camden County, Georgia, 700 acre plantation inherited from his father, Nathan Atkinson, in 1817.^[1]
• Boggy Swamp Plantation, Camden County, Georgia, a 2000 acre property purchased for $10,000 from David Brown in 1837.^[2]

Slaves Inherited from His Father, Nathan Atkinson, 1817

Nathan Atkinson (1758-1817) owned Black Hammock Plantation, Camden County, Georgia, a 700 acre property in Camden County, Georgia. He passed his Black Hammock plantation on to his son, Alexander Atkinson (1796-1840), including 21 slaves, when he died in 1817. Other property and slaves were given to his wife, Sarah Letitia (Stevens) Atkinson (1774-1817), and other children, John, Nancy and Edmund. All the slaves were to remain on Black Hammond Plantation until the crops were harvested.^[3]

Slaves bequeathed to Alexander in Nathan Atkinson's will in 1817:^[1]

• Seck
• Hannah
• George
• Ned
• Phillis
• Joe
• Jim
• Chloe, Jim's wife
• Peg, Jim and Chloe's daughter
• Amos
• Ester
• Venus
• Maria
• Adam
• Sarah Kitt
• Bess Elder
• Jack
• Pen
• Rachel
• June
• July

1820 US Census

In the 1820 census Alexander was in St Marys, Camden, Georgia, with 44 slaves.^[4]

• Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 3
• Free Colored Persons - Males - 45 and over: 1
• Free Colored Persons - Females - Under 14: 1
• Slaves - Males - Under 14: 13
• Slaves - Males - 14 thru 25: 5
• Slaves - Males - 26 thru 44: 5
• Slaves - Females - Under 14: 8
• Slaves - Females - 14 thru 25: 5
• Slaves - Females - 26 thru 44: 8
• Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture: 1
• Total Free White Persons: 3
• Total Slaves: 44
• Total Free Colored Persons: 2

Slave Purchases

Alexander purchased 14 slaves worth $4300 from Charles Dunham of Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, on 22 Mar 1824.^[5]

• George
• Patty
• Harry, Lacy and their children, Auig and Fong
• Tyra
• Chloe and her child Harriet
• William
• Minty
• Molly and her children, William and Nancy

On 18 Dec 1830, he purchased 30 slaves for $10,000 from John Randolph Bryan, of Chatham County, Georgia. ^[6]

• Ned
• Fanny
• Ned, assumed to be son of Ned
• Clara
• Nancy, Clara's child
• March
• Lydia
• Amy, not the same Amy as Amy
• Lyndy
• Jacob
• Sarah, not the same Sarah as Sarah
• Joe
• Ruth
• Abraham
• Bess
• Salisbury
• Margaret
• Aminda
• York
• Sarah, not the same Sarah as Sarah
• Amy, not the same Amy as Amy
• Charlotte, not the same Charlotte as Charlotte
• Adam, not the same Adam as Adam
• Rose
• Adam, not the same Adam as Adam
• Charlotte, not the same Charlotte as Charlotte
• Dick, Charlotte's infant, not the same Dick as Dick
• Tyra
• Andrew
• Dick, not the same Dick as Dick

Slaves involved in the Boggy Swamp Murder in 1840

Alexander Atkinson passed away in 1840. He was beaten to death with hoes by five of his slaves in a cornfield at Boggy Swamp Plantation. The slaves, Lewis, Little Joe, Ned, March and Prince, tried to escape to Savannah, but were captured, tried and convicted. The slaves involved in his murder and/or tried to escape were from Boggy Swamp Plantation:^[2]

• Lewis
• Little Joe
• Ned
• March
• Joe
• Amos
• William
• Prince

William, Big Joe and Amos were found not guilty. The others were found guilty and hung on 6 Jul 1840. They were buried where they fell. The area is now called The Gallows. Minta, Rachel, Amy and Lydia were female slaves that witnessed the attack and gave statements.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Probate: "Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992"
   Will Index 1795-1916, And, Wills 1795-1829, 1868-1932 Atlanta (Georgia); Author: Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Camden County)
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8635 #1350548 (accessed 7 September 2022)
   Alexander Atkinson probate.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Murder at Boggy Swamp Plantation: The Killing of Alexander Atkinson by Five of His Slaves by Tara D. Fields © February 22, 2006
3. ↑ Probate: "Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992"
   Will Index 1795-1916, And, Wills 1795-1829, 1868-1932 Atlanta (Georgia); Author: Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Camden County); Probate Place: Camden, Georgia
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8635 #338368 (accessed 7 September 2022)
   Nathan Atkinsons probate on 17 Mar 1817.
4. ↑ 1820 Census: "1820 United States Federal Census"
   1820 U S Census; Census Place: St Marys, Camden, Georgia; Page: 60; NARA Roll: M33_8; Image: 57
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7734 #1452983 (accessed 10 September 2022)
   Alexander Atkinson in St Marys, Camden, Georgia.
5. ↑ Abstract from a Camden Co. GA slave deed book. M-238. March 1824.
6. ↑ Human Bondage: The Buying and Selling of Africans in Camden County, Georgia. 1787-1865. A collection of slave deed abstracts. Compiled by Tara D. Fields 2004-2008, p88, M 176-177
7. ↑ Murder at Boggy Swamp Plantation: The Killing of Alexander Atkinson by Five of His Slaves by Tara D. Fields © February 22, 2006

See also:

• Slaves of John Atkinson, Georgia
• Slaves of Nancy Ann (Atkinson) Lang, Georgia
• Slaves of Edmund Atkinson, Georgia
• Slaves of Nathan Atkinson, Georgia
• Boggy Swamp Plantation, Camden County, Georgia
• Black Hammock Plantation, Camden County, Georgia