Good morning, Dr. Leveen:
I believe owners wanted to pay as little as possible in taxes on their slaves. Perhaps this source may have further relevant insights: Leslie Anderson Morales, ed., Virginia Slave Births Index, 1853-1865, 5 vols. (Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2007).
Prof. Ervin L. Jordan Jr. (Associate Professor)
Research Archivist, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
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-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Leveen, Lois
Sent: Monday, November 8, 2021 1:19 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Tracking enslavement through Census versus Property Tax records
Howdy,
This is a very nitty gritty question for folks who have worked on documents regarding enslavement, specifically regarding the number of enslaved people held as property by particular enslavers.
I'm discovering some pretty significant discrepancies between the number of enslaved people listed in the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules, and the number listed in the State Auditor Property Tax records. With the latter, I am able to see reported numbers of enslaved people for a particular enslaver year by year, not just decade by decade. But the numbers are WAYYYY off.
For example, somebody listed with over 20 enslaved people on the slave schedule has only 4 or 5 enslaved in the property tax listing for roughly the same time period. I keep seeing this, over and over.
I suspect someone who has more experience/knowledge working with these types of records might be able to explain the discrepancies. If that's you, please school me -- I am all ears (or eyeballs, as I"ll be reading your answer).
Thanks so much,
Lois
Lois Leveen, Ph.D.
she/her/hers
Virginia Humanities Fellow
Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
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