Bullitt County History

Slavery in 1840

While nearly 70% of Bullitt County heads of households in 1840 did not own slaves, 254 did, and they controlled the lives of over 1300 slaves.

Four men listed a total of 224 slaves. David B. Whitman is shown with a total of 83 slaves. It is likely that many of them were used in mining iron ore and working iron furnaces. Jacob Bowman listed 51 slaves, and Joseph A. Brooks listed 47. Both likely used these slaves as agricultural workers. John H. Baker listed 43 slaves. He was operating an iron manufacturing business in Shepherdsville and perhaps at least one of the iron furnaces. In addition to the slaves, he likely had as many as 22 other workers employed in these businesses.

The chart below lists the slaveholders, and lists a count, by age, of their slaves. We have tried to accurately spell the names, but there may be some errors as the handwriting was difficult to read at times.

Legend
pg = page of census; ln = line on page
name = name of slaveholder
M1-M6 = male slaves by age; F1-F6 = female slaves by age
1 = under 10; 2 = 10-23; 3 = 24-35; 4 = 36-54; 5 = 55-99; 6 = 100+
ttl = total number of slaves

pglnnameM1M2M3M4M5M6F1F2F3F4F5F6ttl
12Wm. W. Wise2200002110008
13Marshall Davison0100000000001
14Felix M. Cahege1300001001006
15Henry Chapeze0020000101004
16Jno Hoagland0000100000001
17Philip H. Weller0000000100001
18Henry Hurt1000000100002
19Samuel Neill1020101200007
110Elizabeth Chapeze0000100030004
112Archibald Magruder23100012101011
117Robert Brashear0101000101004
122James A. Ducon1000000101003
126Jno B. Simmons0011000110105
129Lewis Smizee0010002100004
130Thompson Bell1112000010006
31Nicholas Simmons2100004020009
32Nicholas Criglar1000001010003
33James Y. Pope2110001110007
36Thomas P. Martin0100000000001
38Samuel Peters1010003110007
39Lavina Maraman2101001100006
311Samuel Stallings0010003410009
313Jno E. Wilcoxen0000000000101
314Enos Herr0000001100002
315Humphrey Simmons1500000101008
318Elemolie Swearengen0000000100001
321Sophia Weathers0000000000101
322Dory Asburn1000002010004
323George Weller0000000100001
330Jno W. Buky11110041020011
54William Simmons20001034300013
59Wilford Lee Jr.0000000100001
510Jno B. Engle0321001010008
511Jno H. Dearars63201023220021
513Isaac Jackson0101002010005
516Charles Crenshaw0000000100001
518Sarah Gallen31000004410013
519Cesly Crenshaw1000000100002
522Samuel Wells1200000001004
71Lloyd B. Magruder5110001010009
72Samuel H. Briscoe0000001000001
73Nancy Overall2000002010005
77Nelson Crenshaw2011002012009
78Levi Magruder0000002010003
719Sarah Thomas1100002001005
726Susan Hamilton0101001100004
728Isaac T Jenkins1000000010002
730Jno C. Hornback0000000100001
93Thos J. Boswell1110000100004
95A. L. Beard0000000100001
98Wm. W. Simmons4020000200008
99Francis Maraman32200041200014
910Woodford McDowel0001000100002
914John Trannel0100000000001
917Samuel Evans0100000001002
927Wm. T. Lee0101000001003
928Felix J. Hamilton0000001100002
930Richard Meno0010000000001
113John S. Thixton2000001100004
114Isaiah Sanders2000001100004
118Richard Pratt0000100000001
1110Nathan Evans0000100010002
1111Charles Lee0100000100002
1114George Knight1100001100004
1115Ezekiel Magruder0100000000001
1117John Peacock0000100000001
1119Henry Stallings1000000000001
1122Joseph Ridgway1100000100003
133Joel Alloway0001000000001
139Peter Brentlinger0000001200003
151Lewis Snapp31110050200013
154J. H. Snapp0000000100001
155Edward Hessy1100000100003
156Wm. Stephens0100100000002
157Albert E. Hubbard0000000000101
158Jno. Q. A. Hall0000000100001
1515Martin G. Holmes1100002000004
1517R. M. Wible0000000100001
1518Austin Hall0000000010001
1520Wm. B. Hamilton0000001100002
1521Frederick Johnson1000000100002
1522Peyton Burdit0101000100003
1526Austin Hupp1000000000001
1528Wm. Chiasey1100001100105
173Wm. Barns0101000000002
174Nat P. Saunders0000000100001
177Gabriel Cox1100001301007
1711Wm. Smith2000003110007
1718Wm. Thurman0010000000001
1720Wm. Barclay0100000000001
1721Elizabeth Relp1100000010003
1724Thos. Hardman0000000100001
1725John E. Fisher0010000000001
191James M. Wright22001021020010
194James Lee0000000200002
197Rodolphus Lee0100000100002
1910Isaac Purcell0000001100002
1914Seth B. Thornbury1000000000001
1916Asa Hall0000001010002
1917John Jones1000001100003
1918Stephen Medley0011001010004
1920Wm. J. Brown0100000000001
1923Charles Carrithers0100000000001
1924John Denham1100004010007
1925George Key0000000100001
1926Alonzo C. Kinnison0100000000001
1927Royal Glass1010001201006
1930Enoch Jones1100001200005
217Joseph Swearengen41100044100015
218Jesse Swearengen0020000201005
2114Jno. Harshfield Jr.1000000000001
2116Pugh Price0100100100003
2117Geo. W. Jenkins0000000100001
2125Jacob Miller1000001200004
2128Jno. M. Jones2000001100105
232Rowan J. Stence32000050200012
236Alfred J. Robards0100001000103
237Jacob Bowman10104010125432051
238Joseph Bowman0320100101008
239Jonathan Simmons0311002200009
2310Julius C. James0200000200004
2311Abraham Crigler0230000100006
2312Benjamin Gano0010000000001
2314Thos J. Bowman0300000100004
2315David B. Whitman0265200021020083
2316Joseph A. Brooks66971086130047
2317Wm. Brooks1211001110008
2319Joseph Sanders1110001110006
2320Peter Smith Sr.21210031101012
2321Jno C. Wheder1110004010008
2322Jno C. Shanklin31300031200013
2323Jno Anderson1220001210009
2324Jno McDowel Jr.1000004110007
2325Abner Gore1100001111006
2328James Wells1000002010004
255James Crenshaw0100000100002
2510Henry S. Crist1001000010003
2512James Wilson0000100200003
2513Lusander Shanklin0100000000001
2514Amon Sheckles1300000200006
2516Mary E. Cartwell0000000000101
2520Joseph Greenwell1000001100003
273Joseph R. Murray2000001001004
274Henry Oldham1200001110006
275Samuel Malloy0000003010004
276Hale Thomas0000000100001
277Richard P. Simmons21001033000010
278Wolf Dessaur0000000100001
2710J. H. Applegate0200000101004
2711Samuel M. Smith0000000100001
2715Isaac Spraggin0000100000001
2722Horatio Moore0000001000001
2723Benjamin Summers70300031210017
2726Henry F. Kalfus0120000100004
291James Knight0100000100002
293Charles G. Douglas0000000100001
2915James Doyle0000000100001
2916Robert M. Lee0000000100001
2919Jno D Colmesnil31400012300014
2923James B. Lee1100000000002
313George Jones3110003010009
315Francis Y. McAtee0000000100001
316Jno R. Burch1020003101008
317Samuel B. Smith0100000000001
3110Zealy Williams0000003010004
3115Thos Russell0201000200005
3117Wm C. Short0000000010001
3120Jno Mackwell0000000100001
3128Jno H. Myers2010000110005
3129W. W. Swearengen1010002110006
334Nancy Gentry1000000000001
3312Joel Hundley0100000100002
3314Maria Smith1010002100005
3321Thos Stallings1000000200003
3322Wm A. Whitlege2001001100005
3324Elizabeth Sanders2010000110005
3510Emily Dunn33020011210013
3516Anthony Shanler0000001000001
3524Christopher Obryant0100000000001
3526Wm. Shanler0000001100002
375Margaret Starke0100000000001
378Elizabeth Lee2211000002008
3721Henry Lee2000003300008
3724Wm. Hill1300000101107
393Basil Summers0000000100001
3911Jno Howlet Sr.02110041201012
3912Jno Howlet Jr.2200003011009
3914Elizabeth Masden2010002100006
3925Wm. W. Hopkins0000000100001
3926William Brown0200000100003
3929Sarah Waters0000000000101
411Jonathan Rickets0110001010004
412Lewis Duvall1000000100002
4310James C. Pendleton23000022010010
4313James Pendleton0100000010002
458Elizabeth Lansdale22110041210014
4521Nelson King Sr.0010001000002
4523James Porter0000000100001
4529Albert Payne0200102210008
471Peter Scott1000000010002
475Jno Humphrey1000000000001
479Jno Ridgway0100101111006
4711Jno Hall0000000000101
4712Richard Furgerston21100041101011
4715George Keith0111002001006
4719Joseph Myers1000002010004
4720Hannah Myers2100001210007
4721Matthew Wilson2010000200005
4722Charles Connes0110000010003
4725Wm Vaughn0100000000001
4729Thos J. Saunders1000000001002
4730George Grafton0000000100001
495Peter Shain1210000101006
4910Nole Summers0100000010002
4911James Holselan0000101100003
4913Joseph Brown2100101010006
4914Elijah King0100000100002
4918Jonathan Masden0000000100001
4919Henry Lee Jr.1000000100002
4920Samuel H. Hibbels0100000000001
4921Volenda Henson0110000110004
4922David D. Harshfield63100041200017
4924Rowland S. Webb1000002100004
4926Guy Phelps0110000100003
4929Jeremiah Froman0100000100002
513Jno Goldsmith0000001100002
514James Arnold0100000000001
516Moses W. Hall1000000100002
519G. L. Rogers1100001100004
5110Samuel Nichols2101000020006
5111Thos Quick1000002100004
5112James Samuels Sr.1100000100003
5115Thos Joyce0100002001004
5118Samuel Goldsmith1101003210009
5119Joseph Blandford0000001010002
5120Wm. Congrove0200000100003
5121Wm. T. Joyce1200101301009
5126Jno Richerson15210031100014
5128Wm. R. Thompson33000033200014
5130D. L. Brooks2010001100005
531Robert F. Samuels1110000210006
532Enoch W. Gore0010000100002
5310Jno. H. Baker0161250042400043
5311Richard James1000000001002
5312Richard Brashear0000000100001
5316Abraham Field45411060320026
5317Jno Crenshaw0100000000001
5319Wm Temple0000000100001
5320Benjamin Jewel0000000001001
5321Robt Davis0200000000002
551H. C. Alin0000000100001
552R. M. Smith0100000000001
5515Fred R. Pennebaker0000000000101
5517James Combs2000001010004

It is interesting to note that while 4 slaveholders controlled 224 slaves, there were 133 slaveholders who had three or fewer slaves, totaling 214 slaves. The chart below details these. the first line identifies the holdings of those with a single slave. The second line describes those with two, and the third line those with three.

#per# of holdersM1M2M3M4M5M6F1F2F3F4F5F6ttl
1746164140330217074
23711152220923730074
32210142330818521066
totals13327458690207114680214

If you, the reader, have an interest in any particular part of our county history, and wish to contribute to this effort, use the form on our Contact Us page to send us your comments about this, or any Bullitt County History page. We welcome your comments and suggestions. If you feel that we have misspoken at any point, please feel free to point this out to us.

The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 12 Jan 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/slave1840census.html