*There are wills in the Fulton County Probate Court dating back to before the Civil War that illustrate how slave owners passed their slaves and slaves’ children to relatives.
“Here, people came to leave their last wishes and where they wanted their properties to go,” Judge Johnson said, and that property included slaves, WSBTV reports.
“It is my will and I declare that negro slaves be divided into five lots,” Records Supervisor Candace Davis read from one will, per the news outlet.
Several of the documents show how slaves and their children were treated as cattle.
“I bequeath to my daughter Margaret Rebecca my Negro woman Gin. Of dark complexion and all of her children to her and her heirs forever,” Judge Johnson read from one of the wills.
Last Will and Testament document with quill pen and handwriting / iStock“It is emotional to know that slaves were considered property,” Judge Johnson said.
Johnson’s staff examined the records to determine what slave owners did with their slaves. In one will, the slaveowner asked for his slaves to be paid and sent back to Africa when he passed away.
“This is not only Georgia history. It’s American history,” she said.
“While slavery was a horrific institution, there were some compassionate slaveowners,” Johnson added.
Judge Johnson hopes to collaborate with a museum or archival organization to help restore and preserve the records, according to WSBTV.
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