Legacy of Slavery in Maryland: “Chattels”

Chattels records housed at the Maryland State Archives contain recorded sales of property for other than real estate from 1790 to 1862 for twenty-one of the state’s counties; the “Chattels” dataset utilizes information from four counties in central Maryland: Anne Arundel, Dorchester, Kent, and Prince George’s. The “Chattels” dataset is currently composed of 8,691 records that enumerate transactions regarding the purchase and sale of enslaved people in central Maryland between 1790 and 1862. The dataset is derived from lists of sales of property (“chattels”), which included crops, livestock, farm implements, furniture, and wagons. Prior to the Civil War, the sale of enslaved individuals was also recorded in the chattel sales records. Archival records may include bills of sale, chattel mortgages, and releases; additionally some manumission records are included.