1861 Estate Inventory
Appraised December 28, 1861 · Houston County Court of Ordinary · Filed January 1, 1862
The negroes into six lots numbering from one to six — then placed the numbers having the negroes names on them in one hat and put five blanks in another hat and put C.H. Bryan's name in with the blanks — and after shaking both hats we commenced drawing a number from one hat and a blank from another hat until we drew C.H. Bryan's name.
— 1861 Estate Inventory, Estate of James A. Bryan · December 28, 1861James A. Bryan died March 22, 1847. His widow Catharine H. Bryan was entitled to one-sixth of his estate. She died in May 1861 before receiving it. In December 1861 — fourteen years after James A. died — the estate was formally appraised and her one-sixth share was set aside for her heirs. Robert C. Bryan drew the lots. The rest of the estate remained on the plantation pending final division among the six legatees.
The document names six legatees: Catharine H. Bryan, widow and relict of James A. Bryan; Abner C. Bryan; James S. Bryan; Catharine P. Bryan; Honora T. Bryan; and Laura A. Bryan. The estate was not ready for final division — goods and chattels had not been sold and were still on the plantation. Robert C. Bryan asked that only one share be set off immediately: Catharine H. Bryan's one-sixth, to be held for her heirs. The remaining five shares awaited sale and final division.
The commissioners divided the enslaved people into six numbered lots. Slips carrying the lot numbers and the names of the people in each lot went into one hat. Five blank slips and one slip with Catharine H. Bryan's name went into another. Robert C. Bryan drew alternately — a number from one hat, a slip from the other — until her name was drawn. The number drawn with her name determined her lot.
Her lot: Redick, Sydney and three children, Enoch, Catherine, Redick Jr., Caroline, Moses, Mariah, and Polly. Appraised at $4,813 — $25 short of one-sixth of the total. The estate paid the difference.
Thomas Gilbert, John Bryan, and A.M. Crowder certify the appraisement. A.M. Crowder — superintendent of the Houston Factory — will sign the Final Distribution of the same estate five years later in 1866. The inventory is filed with W.T. Swift, Ordinary of Houston County, on January 1, 1862.
| Category | Principal Items | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Enslaved People | Named individuals — families, individuals, groups with children. Largest single category. | ~$28,890 |
| Livestock | Horses Pete, Joe, Bocephalus · oxen · cattle · stock hogs · goats | est. |
| Farm Equipment | Two road wagons $210 · two horse wagon $160 · gin · blacksmith tools · plow gear · two carts · cotton seed | est. |
| Household | Sofa $30 · carpet $35 · book case & books $15 · two guns $20 · beds & bedding · loom & reel · dining furniture | est. |
Enslaved People
Recorded by first name as written in the original document. Values as appraised December 28, 1861. † indicates individuals assigned to Catharine H. Bryan's lot by the hat drawing.
Values below $200 overlap with livestock appraisals of the period. These names appear in sequence before the livestock section begins. The document does not mark a clear boundary between the two categories at this value level.