Slaves of Henry Banks, Mississippi

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: slavery Banks Black_Heritage

Contents 1 Background 1.1 1823 Inheritance, Elbert County, GA 2 Importation of the Enslaved, Elbert County, GA 1831 3 Slave Purchase from Brother, Elbert County, GA 1835 3.1 1840 Census DeSoto County, MS 3.2 1846 Will 4 Sources

Background

This page enumerates the slavery history of Henry Banks (1804-1846)

1823 Inheritance, Elbert County, GA

In 1823, Henry's father Ralph Banks (1757-1823) through his Will left to him and his brother Lemuel Banks equally "all that tract of land lying on Savannah River bought of Joseph W. Bibb & all the negroes that I work at my Bever Dam Plantation including everything thereto belonging, except the crop and one negro man named Solomon and one negro girl named Winney and her child, Item."

Of the three named enslaves whom Henry and Lemuel were not to inherit from their father, only the name Solomon Banks (bef.1805-) appears anywhere on Ralph's probate records. The names Winney and Item do not, and it is not known what happened to them, nor is it known why these three people were excluded from the inheritance of land and other enslaved people.

• Solomon Banks (bef.1805-)
• Winney Banks (bef.1805-)*
• Item Banks (bef.1823-)

Importation of the Enslaved, Elbert County, GA 1831

9 Aug 1831 - Henry Banks imported 4 enslaved persons to Georgia from location unknown.^[1]All four were under the age of 18, and are among the 12 people listed in the records of Henry's older brother Dunstan Banks (1800-1881) as having been imported just one date earlier (8 August 1831) into Elbert County. These four people in both lists are listed at exactly the same ages, three described as "yellow" in both Dunstan and Henry's records, with Nelson listed as "Mulatto" -- during these times meaning light skin -- so they are undoubtedly the same people. It's not known why four of the 12 on Dunstan's record are listed a second time on Henry's, but perhaps Dunstan passed on these four young people to his younger brother Henry, thereby possibly separating them from their family/ies.

• Nelson Banks (abt.1814-) age 17
• Sarah Banks (abt.1815-) age 16
• Susan Banks (abt.1817-) age 14
• William Banks (abt.1821-) age 10

Slave Purchase from Brother, Elbert County, GA 1835

In 1835, Henry likely purchased from the estate of his older brother Thomas Alston Banks (1789-1835) (who died that year) six enslaved people: (Sale of the Enslaved (April 1836) p.240)^[2]

• Fendal Banks (bef.1817-)
• Windsor Banks (bef.1817-)
• Meley Banks (bef.1817-), Windsor's wife
• Tom Banks (bef.1817-)
• Will Banks (bef.1795-)
• Hagar Banks (bef.1817-), Will's wife

He received a portion of ownership of Coldwater Plantation, Elbert County, Georgia

1840 Census DeSoto County, MS

• Slaves - Males - Under 10 (10)
• Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23 (5)
• Slaves - Males - 24 thru 35 (4)
• Slaves - Males - 36 thru 54 (1)
• Slaves - Females - Under 10 (6)
• Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23 (3)
• Slaves - Females - 24 thru 35 (5)
• Slaves - Females - 36 thru 54 (2)
• Slaves - Females - 55 thru 99 (1)

Total: 37

1846 Will

The probate file of Henry Banks was destroyed in a 1940. According to indexes, his case # was 3190. Cases 3171 through 3191 were destroyed.

Court docket p.236, will probated Doct 1846 (note FR-P 156^[3]

Will written 5 May 1846, proven 1st Monday Dec 1846^[4]

According to the will, all property was given to his wife, Judith, and at her death, to be equally divided among his children. At the time of Judith's death in 1858, Lucy, Charles, and Sallie were the surviving children.

Henry’s children were all underage when he died, likely making Lemuel the trustee. Lemuel died in 1854. Henry’s heirs would have been: Lucy, Ralph d. 1855, age 16, Charles, who died in the war in 1861, Joseph d. 1854, age 13, Sallie, Joel d. 1850, age 5 ( Joel is listed in trees, but no proof of existence). His wife Judith died in 1858 (she remarried before death). What happened between 1854 and 1860?

The 1860 slave schedule for Lucy’s husband Robert Wilkinson. Did he take over trusteeship for the other two portions (Charles and Sallie)? Part of his entry says Robert Wilkinson & 2 others.

• Slave Schedule: "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Record 7668 #92001081
  Robt Wilkinson, slave owner of 33 enslaved people, in 1860 in Desoto, Mississippi, USA.

Sources

1. ↑ Various records 1822-1874 [Elbert County, Georgia]: "Various records 1822-1874 [Elbert County, Georgia]"
   Catalog: Various records 1822-1874 [Elbert County, Georgia] Various records, 1822-1874
   Film number: 008153432 > image 158 of 191
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CSKK-KQJS-B (accessed 10 December 2023)
   • named slaves imported into Georgia by Henry Banks
2. ↑ Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990: "Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990" Catalog: Annual returns (Elbert County, Georgia), 1835-1907 Vols. [P]-Q 1835-1842. Image path: Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990 > Elbert > Returns 1835-1842 vol P-Q > image 138 of 574; citing various county, district, and probate courts. FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L93G-NKH2 (accessed 1 November 2023)
3. ↑ Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930: "Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930"
   Catalog: Estate records and dockets, 1838-1940; index to estates and guardianship matters, 1838-1972
   Image path: Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930 > DeSoto > Estate dockets 1838-1863 > image 81 of 519
   FamilySearch Image: 3QSQ-G9Q8-F3LR (accessed 17 November 2023)

   probate docket index

4. ↑ Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930: "Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930"
   Catalog: Final record Probate Court (DeSoto County, Mississippi)
   Image path: Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930 > DeSoto > Final records 1846-1848 > image 85 of 336
   FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L9Q8-X2GH (accessed 17 November 2023)

   will of Henry Banks, Desoto County, MS

• 1840 Census: "1840 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1840; Census Place: De Soto, Mississippi; Roll: 215; Page: 114; Family History Library Film: 0014841
  Ancestry Record 8057 #1448389
  Henry Banks in De Soto, Mississippi.
• 1845 Mississippi Census: "Mississippi, U.S., State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951"
  Original data: Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: FamilySearch, 2016
  Ancestry Record 61949 #66871
  Henry Banks in Mississippi, United States.