slave statistics

Maryland’s 1864 Constitution ended slavery, even as the majority of Marylanders civilians opposed the constitution. The constitution passed with a narrow victory due to the exclusion of citizens who would not take an oath of allegiance to the Union and the inclusion of white Maryland soldiers who were voting from the field.

The Constitution took affect on November 1, 1864. Three years later, in 1867 the General Assembly authorized the compilation of slaveholders and value of slave property, so that the slaveholder might seek compensation from the Federal Government, as had been done in the District of Columbia. Former slaveholders voluntarily submitted lists to the newly established post “Commissioner of Slave Statistics”. I refer to these documents as the 1867 compensation lists.

The compensation lists are invaluable to the research of freed families as they provide both the given and family name of the enslaved person, their age, gender, and information on military service. The lists do not fully document slavery as not all slaveholders submitted lists.