Loose Court Records Referencing Enslaved People

The Shelby County Museum & Archives houses over twenty thousand packets of Loose Court Case Records. Following a meticulous page-by-page examination of these cases, we have curated a collection focusing on cases involving enslaved individuals. The next phase of our project involves transcribing these documents to make our collection accessible online. This initiative aims to overcome the "1870 Brick Wall," a barrier often encountered by black individuals seeking information about their ancestry prior to the 1870 Census. By making the transcribed records available on our website for public access, we aim to level the playing field, providing black individuals with improved opportunities to trace their family history. Loose Court Records offer valuable insights into the treatment of slaves within our justice system. These documents feature a range of offenses, from trading goods with a slave to more serious crimes such as rape and murder. Additionally, the collections frequently include cases concerning disputes over emancipation and documents pertaining to the ownership of slaves.