Jonathan Pritchett

New Orleans Slave Sale Data, 1856 - 1861.

The following sample includes all extant slave sales recorded by the Register of Conveyance from October 1856 to August 1861. Prior to the Civil War, New Orleans was the commercial and financial center of the South, its most populous city, and the site of its largest slave market. Unlike states with a common law tradition, Louisiana treated slave sales like real estate transactions, and required all sales to be recorded by a notary public (Louisiana, 1806). Each notary operated an independent office and when he died or retired, his successor inherited his records. The new notary was responsible for maintaining and storing the records of the previous notary and his office was to be located in a brick house as a precaution against fire. After 1867, the records of deceased notaries were deposited in the Notarial Archives. To locate a legal document, the researcher needed information on the date of sale, the name of the notary, and the name and location of the current notary who held the document. Because notary offices were located throughout the city, a researcher might have to visit numerous offices to complete a title search. Recognizing these difficulties, the Louisiana legislature created the office of the Register of Conveyances in 1827, whose job was to register all acts of transfer of real estate and slaves. Public notaries were required to certify the date and location of the act, a description of the slaves, “with all necessary details,” the price of the transfer, and whether the transaction was for cash or credit. In addition, transfers passed “under private signature” were to be recorded in toto. The Register maintained an index which allowed researchers to locate the sale date and the notary who recorded the act of sale.

The Conveyance Records represent an alternative (and under used) source of information on New Orleans slave slaves. Because the Notarial Archives preserve the actual acts of sale, these records provide a more complete description of the transaction, including more information about the slave. The conveyance records provide a relatively brief summary of the sale. Although the name and age of the slave was almost always recorded, information on occupation or guarantee was often omitted from the record. Despite the required precautions, some notarial records were destroyed by office fires (whereas others are simply missing due to the passage of time). Although few in number, sales passed under private signature (typically a parish judge) were not recorded by the notaries. In contrast, none of the Conveyance Records appear to be missing and as a consequence, they provide a better accounting of the total number of slave sales within the city.

More information about the Notarial Archives may be found at the website for the Clerk of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans.

Description of data fields

Data file (Excel spreadsheet)

Related Literature

Charles W. Calomiris and Jonathan Pritchett, "Betting on Secession: Quantifying Political Events Surrounding Slavery and the Civil War," American Economic Review, 106(1) (January 2016), pp. 1–23.