Slaves of Arvah Hopkins at Goodwood Plantation

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Tallahassee, Leon, Florida, United States
Surnames/tags: Slavery African-American

Index of Plantations

Contents 1 Goodwood Plantation 1.1 Slaves Purchased from Henrietta Smith by Arvah Hopkins in 1858 1.2 Slaves on the 1850 US Census Slave Schedule for Arvah Hopkins 1.3 Slaves on the 1860 US Census Slave Schedule for Arvah Hopkins 2 Sources

Goodwood Plantation

In 1832-1834, Hardy Bryan Croom bought 2400 acres of land in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida from the Lafayette Land Grant. His brother, Bryan Hardy Croom (1801-1875), also purchased parcels of land. The two men brought slaves from North Carolina to work the cotton plantation they developed, which would later be known as Goodwood Plantation.

Upon Hardy Croom's death, his brother assumed he inherited the plantation, but a 20 year court battle ensued between Bryan Croom and Henrietta Smith, Hardy's mother-in-law, with the Supreme Court finally deciding the plantation and lands were to go to the Smith family.^[1](^[2]

On 8 Feb 1858, Arvah Hopkins purchased the Goodwood Plantation located in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, from then owner, Mrs. Henrietta Smith for $52,862.^[3][4] They continued large scale operations of the plantation until 1865. After the war, the workforce consisted of share croppers and tenant farmers. In 1885, Arvah sold it to an Englishman, Dr. William L. Arrowsmith.

Slaves Purchased from Henrietta Smith by Arvah Hopkins in 1858

The property deed of purchase from the sale of the property from Henrietta Smith to Arvah Hopkins in 1858 listed the enslaved as follows:^[3]

• Sam age 42
• Dolly age 35
• Bow (man) age 21
• Mary age 18
• Jane age 16
• Celia age 14
• Easter age 12
• Parker age 4
• Daniel age 6
• Lucy age 1
• Old Lucy an aged woman
• Henry age 38
• Mary age 28 (1)
• Letty age 6
• Maria age 4
• Ben age 48
• Lena age 40
• Milly age 16
• George age 21 (1)
• Patsey age 8
• Mary age 26 (2)
• Louisa age 7
• Harris age 18
• Nancy age 21
• Will age 4
• Rachel age 2 yrs
• Fed age 32
• Godfrey age 25
• William age 28
• Simmy (girl) age 10
• George age 5 (2)
• Ned age 38
• Rose age 27
• Noah age 6
• Jonas age 3
• Fereby (girl) age 1
• Moses age 28
• Celey age 25
• Mathew age 10
• Alfred age 32
• Lotty age 22

Slaves on the 1850 US Census Slave Schedule for Arvah Hopkins

1. UNKNOWN M 70
2. UNKNOWN F 32
3. UNKNOWN F 16
4. UNKNOWN M 10
5. UNKNOWN F 7
6. UNKNOWN M 4
7. UNKNOWN F 2

Slaves on the 1860 US Census Slave Schedule for Arvah Hopkins

1. UNKNOWN M 50
2. UNKNOWN M 30
3. UNKNOWN M 20
4. UNKNOWN F 14
5. UNKNOWN M 9
6. UNKNOWN M 3
7. UNKNOWN F 45
8. UNKNOWN F 29
9. UNKNOWN F 16
10. UNKNOWN F 11
11. UNKNOWN F 8
12. UNKNOWN F 3

Sources

1. ↑ Florida Supreme Court. Smith v. Croom. 1839. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/260675>, accessed 18 June 2021.
2. ↑ https://www.floridamemory.com/find?keywords=slaves&query=&page=28)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Deed: "Deeds, 1825-1886; index, 1825-1940"
   Catalog: Deeds, 1825-1886; index, 1825-1940 Deeds, v. L 1855-1858
   Film number: 008190672 > image 400 of 453
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CSL6-7SQR-X (accessed 6 April 2022)
   • Deed Bk L p.659, the enslaved are named in this deed.
4. ↑ Goodwood Plantation, Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwood_Plantation)

• Goodwood Plantation
• Goodwood Museum & gardens history (https://www.goodwoodmuseum.org/history/)
• Goodwood Museum & Gardens Enslaved memorial plans, including a list of the names of enslaved people at the plantation from 1832-1865 (https://www.goodwoodmuseum.org/memorial/)