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Research object · BT-CLM-00163

Hilliard was transferred through the William Q. Taliaferro estate division to Susan and George Read in 1855.

Documented· 5 sourcesLast reviewed August 9, 2026
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

The 18 October 1855 division of enslaved people names Hilliard, reports his age as approximately 36 and his value as $1,000, assigns him to Share 2, and allots Share 2 to Susan and George Read.

Public Summary

The estate division records a legal allotment of Hilliard to Susan and George Read. It does not record physical movement or its date.

Evidence Reviewed

  • SupportsStrong

    Hilliard is named in the 18 October 1855 division of enslaved people belonging to the William Q. Taliaferro estate.

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard's age is reported as approximately 36 in the 1855 estate division.

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

    Reported age, consistent with a birth about 1819–1823.

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard's value is recorded as $1,000 in the 1855 estate division.

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

  • SupportsStrong

    Hilliard was assigned to Share 2 in the estate division.

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

  • SupportsStrong

    Share 2 was allotted to Susan and George Read. The document records a legal allotment; it does not state when or whether the people in that share were physically moved.

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

    Establishes the transfer of legal claim, not travel.

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

Hilliard was transferred through the William Q. Taliaferro estate division to Susan and George Read in 1855.

Documented· 5 sources

BT-CLM-00163

The 18 October 1855 division of enslaved people names Hilliard, reports his age as approximately 36 and his value as $1,000, assigns him to Share 2, and allots Share 2 to Susan and George Read.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

  1. Supports · Strong weight

    Hilliard is named in the 18 October 1855 division of enslaved people belonging to the William Q. Taliaferro estate.

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00135 ← BT-SRC-00117

  2. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard's age is reported as approximately 36 in the 1855 estate division.

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00134 ← BT-SRC-00117

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Reported age, consistent with a birth about 1819–1823.

  3. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard's value is recorded as $1,000 in the 1855 estate division.

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00133 ← BT-SRC-00117

  4. Supports · Strong weight

    Hilliard was assigned to Share 2 in the estate division.

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00132 ← BT-SRC-00117

  5. Supports · Strong weight

    Share 2 was allotted to Susan and George Read. The document records a legal allotment; it does not state when or whether the people in that share were physically moved.

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00131 ← BT-SRC-00117

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Establishes the transfer of legal claim, not travel.

Step 3 · Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current · High confidence

Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

The 18 October 1855 estate division names Hilliard, reports his age as approximately 36 and his value as $1,000, and allots him within Share 2 to Susan and George Read. The document records the transfer of legal claim; it does not record physical movement.

What is not known: The record does not state whether, when, or where Hilliard was physically moved after the allotment.

What could change this: Search Arkansas county records, Read family papers, and Mississippi tax lists for a record placing Hilliard after October 1855.

How the Evidence Sits Together

What supports the claim

Observations that carry the claim forward.

  • Hilliard is named in the 18 October 1855 division of enslaved people belonging to the William Q. Taliaferro estate.

    Supports · Strong weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People

  • Hilliard's age is reported as approximately 36 in the 1855 estate division.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People

    Reported age, consistent with a birth about 1819–1823.

  • Hilliard's value is recorded as $1,000 in the 1855 estate division.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People

  • Hilliard was assigned to Share 2 in the estate division.

    Supports · Strong weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People

  • Share 2 was allotted to Susan and George Read. The document records a legal allotment; it does not state when or whether the people in that share were physically moved.

    Supports · Strong weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People

    Establishes the transfer of legal claim, not travel.

What complicates or contradicts it

Kept in view rather than discarded.

  • Nothing in this column for this claim.

What only provides context

Consistent, but not identifying or probative on its own.

  • Nothing in this column for this claim.

Research Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current

The 18 October 1855 estate division names Hilliard, reports his age as approximately 36 and his value as $1,000, and allots him within Share 2 to Susan and George Read. The document records the transfer of legal claim; it does not record physical movement.

What is known: Hilliard was allotted to Susan and George Read in the 1855 division of the William Q. Taliaferro estate.

What is not known: The record does not state whether, when, or where Hilliard was physically moved after the allotment.

Future research: Search Arkansas county records, Read family papers, and Mississippi tax lists for a record placing Hilliard after October 1855.

Amberly's Research Notes

No research note has been published for this claim yet.

From the research notebook ofAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

What We Still Need to Find

No outstanding research question has been recorded.

Provenance, Access and Use

Source creator
Varies by record — see each source
Who made the original record.
Researcher of record
Amberly R. Carter-Mills — Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist
Located, transcribed, weighed and interpreted the evidence.
Publishing archive
BEFORE TILL: The Living Evidence Archive
Holds the object, its identifiers and its revision history.

William Q. Taliaferro Estate Division of Enslaved People

BT-SRC-00117
Evidentiary weight 3 of 4. Digital image of original recordOriginal image: Citation entered — image review pendingA photographic image of a contemporary record held by the repository named below.
Creator
Not recorded
Date created
Not recorded
Repository
FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)
Collection
Copiah County, Mississippi, County Court probate records
Record form
Digital Image
Source type
Probate
Accessed
Not recorded

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