Slaves of James W Durham, South Carolina

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States

Slaves of James W Durham 1807 - 1894

In the 1840 census James Durham was in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with four enslaved people:^[1]

• Male 24-36: 1
• Male under 5: 2
• Female 24-36: 1

The 1850 Slave Schedule of Spartanburg, South Carolina reported 16 enslaved people:^[2]

• 32 F B
• 27 F B
• 24 F B
• 16 F B
• 13 M B
• 13 F B
• 11 F B
• 9 F B
• 7 M B
• 6 M B
• 4 M B
• 4 F B
• 3 F B
• 1 F B
• 1 F B
• 1 F B

The 1860 Slave Schedule of Southern Division, Spartanburg, South Carolina reported 29 enslaved people:^[3]

• 86 F B
• 42 F B
• 38 F B
• 26 M B
• 26 F B
• 23 M B
• 23 M B
• 18 F B
• 18 F B
• 17 M B
• 16 M B
• 15 M B
• 15 M B
• 13 M B
• 12 M B
• 9 M B
• 9 F B
• 15 F B
• 13 F B
• 14 F B
• 8 M B
• 7 M B
• 5 M B
• 4 F B
• 4 F B
• 2 M B
• 4 F B
• 2 F B
• 1 F B

The 1870 census, 1875 will, and 1880 census of James W. Durham name some of the people he had enslaved:

• Dorcas Durham, mother of the following children
• David (or Davis) S. Durham
• Harriett Durham McElrath
• Jacob Javan Durham
• Henry Durham
• Willis Durham
• Asberry Durham
• George Durham
• Medora Durham Hallie
• Boyce Durham

Research Notes

• Evidence that James W Durham is both father and enslaver of the children of Dorcas Durham: According to an 1887 book, Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising, one son, Rev. J. J. [Jacob J.] Durham, was born on 13 Apr 1849 near Woodruff, Spartanburg, South Carolina to a wealthy White farmer, James W. Durham, and Dorcas Durham, an enslaved person in his household. Jacob was held as a slave by his father.^[4] Presumably , Jacob's siblings were also enslaved, as none of the children, nor Dorcas, appears in the 1850 or 1860 census, and all were expected to pay his daughters for the privilege of owning the home property after James Durham's death.

Sources

1. ↑ 1840 Census: "1840 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1840; Census Place: Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: 515; Page: 86; Family History Library Film: 0022511
   Ancestry Record 8057 #2974959 (accessed 20 October 2023)
2. ↑ 1850 Census: "1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
   The National Archive in Washington Dc; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
   Ancestry Record 8055 #92044272 (accessed 19 October 2023)
3. ↑ 1860 Census: "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 #90135676 (accessed 19 October 2023)
4. ↑ Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising, William J. Simmons, 1887, pp. 878-882; https://archive.org/details/menmarkeminentp00turngoog/page/n1000/mode/2up

See also: Will of James W Durham, South Carolina