South Carolina, Charleston, Free Negro Capitation Books - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of 29 books documenting free blacks who resided in Charleston, South Carolina between 1811 and 1860. Most of these residents belonged to one of two city parishes, St. Philips and St. Michaels. The books most often list residents in alphabetical order and include notations indicating the persons tax status. At the end of the first set of images there is a small explanatory pamphlet written by Judith M. Barlow and Michael E. Stevens. Images are originally housed at the South Carolina Archives.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name of person
 * Address

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add the new information to your records
 * Use the information to find other records such as marriage, death, or census records
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname, unless the surname is a common surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames, middles name, or an abbreviation of their given name

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of South Carolina.
 * South Carolina Guided Research
 * South Carolina Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research
 * African American Genealogy
 * Researching African American Genealogy
 * Quick Guide to African American Records

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Paul R. Begley, African American genealogical research S.C. Dept. of Archives and History, Publications Service Area, c1997 Rev. Ed. 975.7 D27b
 * compiled by Carey Lucas Nikonchuk ; edited by Matthew A. Lockhart ; with an introduction by W. Eric Emerson, Slave records in the manuscript collection of the South Carolina Historical Society : a catalog Charleston, South Carolina : South Carolina Historical Society, c2005 FS Library 975.7 J53n
 * Gary B. Mills. Tracing Free People of Color in the Antebellum South: Methods, Sources, and Perspectives. National Genealogical Society Quarterly 78 #4 (December 1990): 262- 278. FS Library 973 B2ng.
 * State free Negro capitation tax books, Charleston, South Carolina, ca. 1811-1860

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.