Slaves of Richard Bibb, Kentucky

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Logan, Kentucky, United States
Surnames/tags: Bibb slavery

Acknowledgement to the Seek Museum for their assistance in providing a copy of the Inventory of those enslaved who were emancipated in the Will of Richard Bibb, Sr.

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Slaves 1.2 Those Emancipated and Sent to Liberia 1.3 Those Emancipated who Remained 2 Research Notes 3 Sources

Introduction

This page's purpose is to record the people enslaved by Richard Bibb, Sr. and attempt to connect them to their families.

Richard Bibb was born April 12, 1752, in Goochland County, Virginia.^[1] He was the son of John Bibb and Susannah Bigger.^[2] Major Bibb went to Kentucky in 1799 and lived in Russellville, Logan County. He was reputed to be the wealthiest man in Western Kentucky. He was the owner of a large number of slaves.

In 1839, when he died, he granted freedom to his slaves, furnishing them with the means for acquiring farms or homes of their own. Colonel John Bibb was the administrator who carried out the Will of his father to the letter.^[2]

In Coleman's "Slavery Times in Kentucky," page 285 appears this item:
"Major Richard Bibb, a large slave holder and planter of Logan County, Kentucky made rather a unique and remarkable Will which yellowed with age and falling to pieces, is still to be seen at the courthouse in Russellville. By this Instrument he liberated all of his slaves, fifty one in number, valued at $25,000., to take effect from and after the first day of January next after his death (1839), and willed 'that all of them, who have not wives or husbands in bondage, be sent to Liberia. I give to my slaves hereby emancipated five thousand dollars, to be divided out among them and paid out to them from time to time according to the discretion of my executors." Sole years later "Abel Long, a Negro preacher of Russellville, went to Liberia as a missionary. When he returned to Logan County he reported that he had been unable to find any of the Bibb Negroes, although a number of them had died of the tropical diseases." The same item says that two aged women were then living, but they had relaxed into the native barbarity.^[3]

Slaves

Runaway Slaves Ad 22 Jun 1799.
Richard Bibb advertised in the Kentucky Gazette on 11 July 1799 in Lexington, Kentucky for the return of two accomplished blacksmiths.^[4]

1. Nicholas, 22 and
2. Ben (Mundall), 20

Census Records
In the 1820 census Richard Bibb was in Russellville, Logan, Kentucky, United States, where he held 12 enslaved people.^[5]

In the 1830 census Richard Bibb held 32 enslaved people in Russellville, Logan, Kentucky:^[6]

• 1 Free White Persons - Males - 70 thru 79 - Richard Bibb
• 1 Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59 - wife
• 32 enslaved people:

5 Males - Under 10 (James Morton, 12, Anderson Bibb, 8, William Bibb, 8, Wesley Bibb, 8, Lewis Morton, 6, George Bibb, 5 in 1833)

3 Males - 10 thru 23 (John Bibb, 13 in 1833 and William Bibb, 23 in 1833)

3 Males - 24 thru 35 (Andrew Bibb, 38 in 1833)

6 Males - 36 thru 54

4 Females - Under 10 (Lydia Bibb, 10, Lucretia Bibb, 12 in 1833)

5 Females - 10 thru 23 (Lavina Bibb, 15, Patience Bibb, 21, Elizabeth Bibb, 23, )

2 Females - 24 thru 35 (Phillis Bibb, 28, Hannah Bibb, 28 in 1833)

3 Females - 36 thru 54

1 Female - 55 thru 99

1 Slave and Colored Person - Deaf and Dumb - Under 14

In 1833 he emancipated 32 of his slaves through the American Colonization Society. They are listed on the rolls of the Brig Ajax’s Company, which arrived at Monrovia July 11, 1833. They are also listed below. Some of them may be associated with the 1830 census, but not all. Note - The ages of enslaved people often differ from one record to another.

Those Emancipated and Sent to Liberia

The following were emancipated by Richard Bibb and sent on the Brig Ajax’s Company, arrived at Monrovia July 11, 1833

1. Patience Bibb, 21
2. Lavina Bibb, 15 Removed to C. Palmas in 1837
3. Lucretia Bibb, 12
4. Lydia Bibb, 10
5. Anderson Bibb, 8 died in 1834 Unknown cause
6. Charity Bibb, 6 died in 1836 Unknown cause
7. Thomas Bibb, 2 died in 1835 Unknown cause
8. Phillis Bibb, 28 removed to C. Palmas in 1837
9. Jane Bibb, 7
10. George Bibb, 5 died in 1839 of Pleurisy
11. Adam Bibb, 3 died in 1836 of Pleurisy
12. Elizabeth Bibb, 24 died in 1838 of Diseased brain
13. Eleanor Bibb, 5
14. James H. Bibb, 3 died before arrival in colony
15. Hannah Bibb, 28
16. James Morton, 12 Farmer
17. Lorinda Morton, 8 died in 1837 Diseased brain
18. Lewis Morton, 6
19. Harriet Morton, 4
20. S. Jane Morton, 2 died in 1840 Unknown cause
21. Lucinda Morton, 1 died of Whoop’g cough
22. Mary Bibb, 31 died of Whoop’g cough
23. John Bibb, 13 Farmer
24. Wesley Bibb, 8 died in 1838 of Pleurisy
25. Arthur Granville, 4 died of Worms
26. William Greenfield, 1 died of Worms
27. Catharine Bibb, 25
28. William Bibb, 8 died before arrival in colony
29. Amanda Bibb, 6 died before arrival in colony
30. Oscar Bibb, 1 died in 1833 Fever
31. Andrew Bibb, 38 Farmer died in 1838 of Diseased brain
32. William Bibb, 24 died in 1837 of Diseased brain

Those Emancipated who Remained

An Inventory of the Negroes emancipated by the Will of R. Bibb, Sr - the one attached to his will not being perfect (?). Those born since his death are not included in this list. The following are grouped by family beginning and ending with [[ ]].^[7]

Name	Age
[[Ben ? and his wife	no age
Sue & their children	no age
Stephen, aged about	35]]
Dennis, aged about	31	(might be Ben and Sue's child)
Ephraim, aged about	15
[[Charlotte & her children	33
Louisa aged about	6
Charles ages about	2]]
[[Matilda & her children	23
Violet Ann,	4
Harriet,	3]]
[[Eliza &	20
Henry (her child)	2]]
[[Clarissa &	25
Allen (her child)	5]]
Margaritte	7	(Ben’s gr.daughter)
Old Lucy & her children	no age
Aaron	48
Henry	43
Nicholas	32
[[Anderson & his	39
Angilla (wife)	38
Monroe	18
Andrew	16
Mary	13
Henry	10
Richard	7
Malvena	3
JL William about	1 month]]
Old man Matt	no age
Randall	42
Charles	42
Ben Walker	40
Old Woman Mary & her children	no age
Dick	35
James	29
[[Jack &	37
Anna his wife &	31
Chesterfield	10
Horace	8
Richardson	6
Charity	5
Wallace	2]]
[[Judy & her child.	27
Eliza	8
Frances	6
Lafayette	4
Napoleon	2]]
[[Abby &	32
Mary Ann (her ch)	1]]
[[Nancy (& her ch)	45
Marjarelle	16
Wesley	13
Martha	5]]
Old Kesiah & her ch	no age
Frank	36	Old Kesiah's son?
York	34	Old Kesiah's son?
[[Agga & her	27
Osborn child	5]]
Silvia	19
Pleasant	1	(Silvia’s child?)
[[Rachel & her	17
Kesiah (child)	1]]
Winny (deaf & dumb)	21
Catharine	2	(Old Kesiah’s granddaughter)

Signed: Jno B. Bibb Exec of R. Bibb, Sr Feb. 1840

Research Notes

• Seek Museum Director, Michael Morrow, has researched most of these lines and has a great deal of additional information he is willing to share. Pocock-248 01:04, 18 February 2024 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ DAR Birth: 4-13-1752 GOOCHLAND CO VIRGINIA
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Bibb Page 66 says Goochland or Prince Edward County.
3. ↑ [https://archive.org/details/bibbfamilyinamer00bibb/page/n165/mode/2up?q=%22Richard+Bibb%22 The Bibb Family in America, p. 67
4. ↑ 1799 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"
   Kentucky Gazette (Lexington, Kentucky) Thu, Jul 11, 1799, page 1
   Newspapers Clip: 141130963 (accessed 16 February 2024)
5. ↑ 1820 Census: "1820 United States Federal Census"
   Fourth Census of the United States, 1820; Census Place: Russellville, Logan, Kentucky; Page: 23; NARA Roll: M33_26; Image: 34
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7734 #1258944 (accessed 16 February 2024)
   Rich Bibb Senior in Russellville, Logan, Kentucky, USA.
6. ↑ 1830 Census: "1830 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1830; Census Place: Russellville, Logan, Kentucky; Series: M19; Roll: 39; Page: 38; Family History Library Film: 0007818
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8058 #1874706 (accessed 16 February 2024)
   Richard Bibb Senior in Russellville, Logan, Kentucky.
7. ↑ www.seekmuseum.org