Slaves of Randolph M McDonald Estate, Georgia

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Camden, Georgia, United States
Surnames/tags: slavery black_heritage McDonald

The purpose of this page is to connect descendants of those enslaved by Randolph McGillis McDonald with their ancestors.

Randolph owned only one slave at the time of his death. However, the quick succession of deaths in his family meant his estate gained numerous slaves before it was settled. His wife Mary was initially the administrator under bond in 1855 but by 1860 the court had appointed a new administrator, John Cunningham. The war must have interrupted this process as the estate distribution did not take place until 1871 with the widow, Mrs. Mary McAdoo, and a son, Randolph Gillis McDonald, splitting the land. By this point, of course, the slaves were free, but they basically remained in probate for ten years from 1855 to 1865.

Listed on his probate inventory for property in St Marys:

• Chance - boy valued at $750^[1]

The tables below divided the slaves based on which estate they were inherited from.

Slaves inherited from father, Gillis McDonald

No.	Slave Name	Assessed Value 1855	Notes from 1860	Value 1860
1	Minty Jr	$ 500	age 50	$ 150
2	Isaac	$ 400	age 22	$1500
3	Rhody	$ 500	age 20, child Jane?	$1200 & $100
4	Suckey Sr	$ 300	age 56	$350,
5	Cyrus	$ 700	age 25	$1500,
6	Lydia "Lidy"	$ 500	age 23, child Sophia	$1200
15	Chainah	$ 500	age 45, child King	$800 & $100
16	Buck	$ 500	age 18	$1000
17	Jerry	$ 300	age 22	$250
18	Joshua	$ 150	age 10	$750
	Cockburn	not yet born	age 3	250
29	March Sr	$ 550	age 60	$350
30	Sarah Sr	$ 400	age 55	$200
32	Clarissa jr	$ 500	age 23, child Duris	$1200 & $200
33	Ian	$ 200	age 11	$1000
34	Alice	$ 250	age 13	$1200
38	Clarrisa Sr	$ 400	age 46	$300
39	Cato	$ 300	age 57	$300
40	Martha	$ 5	age 22	$5
41	Robert	$ 300	age 14	$1200
42	Charles	$ 150	age 8	$ 750
43	Sarah jr	$ 600	age 24	$800
51	John	$ 800	age 28	$1500
52	Phoebe jr	$ 600	age 25, child Peter	$ 1200 & $100
53	Mary	$ 150	age 7	$600
55	Lizzy	$ 150	age 7	$500
56	Duam "Buaw"	$ 800	age 27	$1500
57	George	$ 600	age 60	$600
60	Emily Sr	$ 600	age 27, child Sarah	$1200 & $150
61	Donald	$ 150	age 8	$750
64	Aleck "Ellick"	$ 800	age 30	$1500
68	Sam	$ 800	age 26	$1500
69	Susan	$ 600	age 24	$1200
70	Frank	$ 100	does not appear on 1860 list
71	Zacariah "suckey jr"	$ 75	Emily's child (note from 1855), age 5	$350
	Elbert	$120	born between Gillis inventory and distribution, age 5	$400
	Elsy	$150	age 6	$100
	Nelly	$150	born between Gillis inventory and distribution, age 5, possibly child of Phoebe Jr	$350

• See Slaves of Gillis McDonald for full list of father's slaves

Slaves inherited from Hannah McGillis

Slave Name	description	Assessed Value	Notes from 1860	Value 1860
John	son of Kate	$ 500	age 29	$800
Phillis	daughter of Kate	$ 650	not on 1860 inventory
Priscilla Jr	daughter of Kate	$ 350	not on 1860 inventory
Pussy Sr	woman	$ 450	age 48	$700
Fanny	daughter of Pussy Sr.	$ 250	not on 1860 inventory
Priscilla Sr	woman	$ 5	very aged	$0
Cockburn	son of Priscilla	$ 800	age 43	$1500
Ceasar	man	$ 750	age 32	$1500
Jim Sr.	man	$ 700	age 49	$800
Sopha	woman	$ 50	very aged	$100
Isreal	son of Sopha	$ 300	age 61	$500
Paul	son of Sopha	$ 600	age 25	$1500
Nember	woman	$ 175	age 63	$100
Burgaw or Burgen	son of Nember	$ 750	age 31	$1500
Edward	boy	$ 450	age 20	$1500
Stephen	brother of Edward	$ 400	age 18	$1500
Margaret	sister of Edward	$ 250	age 10	$750
Pussy or Penny	sister of Edward		age 12	$1000

• Friday (age 48) $1200 - on 1860 inventory, unclear which if any of the three missing women this might be.
• See Slaves of Hannah McGillis for full list of Hannah's slaves

Sources

1. ↑ Camden County, Georgia, Inventories and appraisements 1832-1860, page 203 FamilySearch.org link

• Estate Inventory Randolph McDonald 1855, Camden County, Georgia, Inventories and appraisements 1832-1860, page 209-210 FamilySearch.org link
• Inventory Randolph McDonald 1860, Camden County, Georgia, Inventories and appraisements 1832-1860, page 268 FamilySearch.org link
• Estate Distribution Randolph McDonald, Camden County, Georgia, Inventories and appraisements 1860-1908, page 47 familysearch.org link
• Estate Distribution Hannah McGillis, Camden County, Georgia, Inventories and appraisements 1832-1860, page 228-229 FamilySearch.org link
• Estate Inventory Hannah McGillis, Camden County, Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, Inventories and Appraisements, 1832-1860, page 201-202 Ancestry.com link - Ancestry.com public link
• Estate Inventory Gillis McDonald, Camden County, Georgia, Inventories and appraisements 1832-1860, page 209-210 FamilySearch.org link
• Will, Gillis McDonald, Camden County, Georgia, was refiled in 1880 as the original will book had been burned familysearch.org link
• Estate Distribution Gillis McDonald, Camden County, Georgia, Inventories and appraisements 1832-1860, page 224-225 Ancestry.com link