384 Formerly Enslaved of William Lovett Balfour (1802-1857) & Family

Sharing a decade’s worth of research into 384 of the formerly enslaved of the Balfour family of North Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

In 2005, I (along with my awesome research team) began researching the origins of William Lovett Balfour (March 25, 1802-May 8, 1857) as a potential slaveholder of my Atlas line. In the time since, we confirmed that Balfour was NOT slaveholder of the King Atlas, Sr., his wife Rachel Day, and their children John, King Jr., William Steven, Andrew and Mary. Despite this, we gathered A LOT of info on this family and their enslaved. To date, we have gathered information on 384 individuals who were formerly enslaved by Balfour and his family.

At the time of his death in 1857, Balfour’s estate in just East Carroll Parish was worth $181,000 which, adjusted for inflation, is upwards of $4.7 million today.

Information was gathered from the following records:

• Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War. Series G: Selections from the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, Part 5: Natchez Trace Collection— Other Plantation Collections. William L. Balfour Papers, 1841–1863. General Editor: Kenneth M. Stampp, Associate Editor Martin Schipper.

  Click here for the Lexis-Nexis descriptive guide
  Click here to view the film on FamilySearch (2230249 and 2230250)

• Will and Codicil, Succession Record, Book I, 1857 – 1859, Page 1, William L. Balfour. Written: April 17, 1857, Recorded: June 3, 1857. 10th Judicial District Of Louisiana Courts, East Carroll Parish Clerk Of Court, 400 First Street, Lake Providence, LA 71254.

  Click here for a transcription of the will and codicil
  Click here to view the film at FamilySearch (311915)
  Click here to view the images on Ancestry (Subscription required)

• Inventory, Succession Book I, Page 4, June 8, 1857, Estate of William L. Balfour of Madison County, MS. 10th Judicial District Of Louisiana Courts, East Carroll Parish Clerk Of Court, 400 First Street, Lake Providence, LA 71254.

  Click here for a transcription of the inventory
  Click here to view the film at FamilySearch (311915)
  Click here to view the images on Ancestry (Subscription required)

• Mortgage Records, John B. Byrne to Wm. L. Balfour, Book B, Page 294-295, transaction: November 13, 1841, East Carroll Parish Clerk Of Court, 400 First Street, Lake Providence, LA 71254.
• Mortgage Record, W.S. Balfour to J.B. Byrne, Book D, Page 154-157, transaction: November 12, 1846, Recorded March 8, 1848, East Carroll Parish Clerk Of Court, 400 First Street, Lake Providence, LA 71254.
• 1850 and 1860 United States Census Mortality Schedules
• USGenWeb

The Balfour family held the formerly enslaved and/or had plantations in the following locations:

• Edgecombe County, North Carolina
• Carroll Parish, Louisiana
• Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
• Bolivar County, Mississippi
• Coahoma County, Mississippi
• Claiborne County, Mississippi
• Madison County, Mississippi
• Marshall County, Mississippi
• Yazoo County, Mississippi

There was no use in keeping the information for these folks on a hard drive. I KNOW there will be someone who is so close to getting the info they need on their ancestors and it may be in my hands. The table below is sortable, searchable, and can show up to 100 rows at a time.

If you have questions regarding any of the notations, holler at me below. Also, if you think you’re connected to this family through slavery or perhaps through DNA, I’d also love to hear from you. Remember, I’ve been tracing them for over a decade, so I have A LOT more than this. Cheers to some new finds!