Slaves of Oliver Bliss Hayes, Davidson County, Tennessee

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Surnames/tags: Hayes Slavery Black

Contents 1 Slaves of Oliver Bliss Hayes 1.1 1820 Census 1.2 Sale of Lucinda 1.3 1850 Slave Schedule 1.4 Will of Oliver B Hayes 2 Sources

Slaves of Oliver Bliss Hayes

The purpose of this page is to document and identify the slaves held by Oliver Bliss Hayes (1783-1858) in Davidson County, Tennessee.

1820 Census

In the 1820 Census, O B Hayes held 8 slaves in Nashville.^[1]

Slaves - Males - Under 14: 1

Slaves - Males - 14 thru 25: 2

Slaves - Females - Under 14: 3

Slaves - Females - 14 thru 25: 1

Slaves - Females - 26 thru 44: 1

Sale of Lucinda

Soon after his wedding to Adelicia, Isaac Franklin sold the enslaved woman, Lucinda, and her child. A couple of articles suggest he sent them to Louisville trader William Cotton or a "Louisville friend".

"One of them, a woman Franklin kept at Fairvue, Lucinda, bore him a son. According to the letter that accompanied the woman and child to Louisville trader William Cotton, Franklin wanted them gone from Fairvue before his wedding to Adelicia Hayes, a woman from one of Nashville's most prominent families. Franklin's vast wealth made his long career as a slave trader ignorable, his trail of victims all but invisible. He was a good marriage match for a respectable lady." ^[2]

Isaac Franklin's Wikipedia entry has this:

"Franklin was "focused on" a sex slave named Lucinda Jackson or "Lucindy" after purchasing her at a company discount in 1834, impregnating her shortly before his marriage. Franklin quickly sold her to a friend in Louisville in order to avoid scandal."^[3][4][5]

1850 Slave Schedule

In the 1850 Slave Schedule, Oliver B Hayes held 12 slaves^[6]

Female 60

Female 35

Female 23

Female 16

Male 28

Male 25

Male 22

Male 23

Male 19

Male 16

Male 14

Female 8

Will of Oliver B Hayes

Oliver B Hayes made his will on May 8, 1857. It was proved in December Court, 1858. In his will, Hayes gifted slaves by name.^[7]

to my wife: Sarah Clements (Hightower) Hayes (1795-1871)

• William
• Jacob
• Dinah & her two children

Joel Addison Hayes

• Charles
• Betsey
• mulatto boy, Charley

Oliver B Hayes

• George
• John

Henry Martin Hayes

• Brown
• Peter

Laura Hayes Shields

negroes in trust with Oliver B Hayes

• Alfred
• Hannah
• Adeline, daughter of Hannah

Corinna Hayes Lawrence, wife of W deB Lawrence

• Mary

Sources

1. ↑ 1820 Census: "1820 United States Federal Census"
   1820 U S Census; Census Place: Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee; Page: 79; NARA Roll: M33_122; Image: 93
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 7734 #992726 (accessed 10 February 2022)
   O B Hays.
2. ↑ https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/isaac-franklins-money-had-a-major-influence-on-modern-day-nashville-despite-the-blood-on/article_0971dd68-02e2-5205-a9c6-c9413d1213f8.html
3. ↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/2692741
4. ↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/blacwomegendfami.5.1.0017
5. ↑ The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America, by Joshua D. Rothman.
6. ↑ 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 Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 8055 #92219028 (accessed 10 February 2022)
   Oliver B Hays in Davidson, Tennessee, USA.
7. ↑ Probate: "Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008"
   Wills; Author: Tennessee County Court (Davidson County); Probate Place: Davidson, Tennessee
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 9176 #4593664 (accessed 19 January 2023)
   Oliver B Hayes probate on 8 May 1857.