South Carolina, Charleston District, Estate inventories - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains inventory and appraisal books as well as inventories of estates from Charleston, South Carolina between 1732 and 1872. These records are a good resource for finding slave ancestors. Because slaves were treated as property at the time, when an estate was appraised for probate or tax purposes, slaves were listed and appraised along with other items belonging to the estate. In some cases, slaves did not have surnames and may need to be located using the name of the slave owner. In other cases, records may include the slave's American and African names. Additionally, there are records of free African Americans, which provides a glimpse into their lifestyles and possessions. This collection is part of a joint project with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, FamilySearch, and the Lowcountry Africana group.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

 * Name of person who died
 * Place of residence
 * Date of sale
 * Inventory and value of estate

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?

 * Use a Probate record to identify adoptions, guardians, heirs and relatives
 * Use a will to approximate a death date, then find a death certificate
 * Use the information in the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records for earlier years
 * Use the information to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records. Also search for immigration, military, land and probate records
 * Use the information to find additional family members in census records
 * Search church records

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

 * Try viewing the original record. Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Try variant spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of South Carolina.
 * Researching African Americans
 * South Carolina Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

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.