Inventory of the Estate of Isaac Franklin, 1847

This dataset was extracted from the “Inventory of the Estate of Isaac Franklin,” a document cataloging the enslaved individuals and other possessions of value held at the Fairvue Plantation in Gallatin, Tennessee. The purpose of the document was to codify a legal record of Franklin’s property that was to be inherited by his wife, Adelicia Franklin. The document was submitted to the Sumner County Court by Executors John Armfield and Oliver B. Hayes on September 28th, 1847, and then later certified by Sumner County Clerk William S. Munday. The inventory catalogs 136 enslaved individuals held at Fairvue and two enslaved individuals (John Baker and Betsey Baker) held at the Belmont Mansion. The information was recorded in two separate columns, listing the names of men and women, their ages, and dollar figure at which they were valued, totaling $51,931. Further, some individuals are marked as skilled laborers by listing their profession in the space next to their name.