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Research object · BT-CLM-00161

Hilliard was enslaved in the William Q. Taliaferro estate by 1840.

Documented· 4 sourcesLast reviewed August 9, 2026
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

The 1840 estate inventory of William Q. Taliaferro names Hilliard, classifies him as property, and assigns him a value of $800.

Public Summary

A named entry in an 1840 probate inventory places Hilliard in the William Q. Taliaferro estate and records his enslaved status.

Evidence Reviewed

  • SupportsStrong

    A person named Hilliard appears in William Q. Taliaferro's 1840 estate inventory.

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

    A named entry, not an inference from age and sex columns.

  • SupportsStrong

    The estate classified Hilliard as enslaved property. The inventory's own wording, recorded here as historical record language and not as a description of Hilliard, reads: "Negro boy Hilliard $800".

    Negro boy Hilliard $800

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

    The record's classification is evidence of the legal system that produced it.

  • SupportsStrong

    Hilliard was appraised at $800.

    Source: William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records)

    Monetary valuation within a probate inventory is direct evidence of enslaved status.

  • ContextualizesContext Only

    An unnamed enslaved male in the relevant age range (approximately 10 to 23) appears in William Q. Taliaferro's 1840 household. The census does not name this person.

    Source: 1840 U.S. Census — William Q. Taliaferro Household, Copiah County, Mississippi · National Archives and Records Administration (via digital image provider)

    The census entry is unnamed and cannot independently identify Hilliard.

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

Hilliard was enslaved in the William Q. Taliaferro estate by 1840.

Documented· 4 sources

BT-CLM-00161

The 1840 estate inventory of William Q. Taliaferro names Hilliard, classifies him as property, and assigns him a value of $800.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

  1. Supports · Strong weight

    A person named Hilliard appears in William Q. Taliaferro's 1840 estate inventory.

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · digital image 101 of 914 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00125 ← BT-SRC-00112

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    A named entry, not an inference from age and sex columns.

  2. Supports · Strong weight

    The estate classified Hilliard as enslaved property. The inventory's own wording, recorded here as historical record language and not as a description of Hilliard, reads: "Negro boy Hilliard $800".

    “Negro boy Hilliard $800”

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · digital image 101 of 914 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00124 ← BT-SRC-00112

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    The record's classification is evidence of the legal system that produced it.

  3. Supports · Strong weight

    Hilliard was appraised at $800.

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property · FamilySearch (digital images of county court records) · digital image 101 of 914 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00123 ← BT-SRC-00112

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Monetary valuation within a probate inventory is direct evidence of enslaved status.

  4. Contextualizes · Context Only weight

    An unnamed enslaved male in the relevant age range (approximately 10 to 23) appears in William Q. Taliaferro's 1840 household. The census does not name this person.

    1840 U.S. Census — William Q. Taliaferro Household, Copiah County, Mississippi · National Archives and Records Administration (via digital image provider) · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00126 ← BT-SRC-00113

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    The census entry is unnamed and cannot independently identify Hilliard.

Step 3 · Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current · High confidence

Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

The 1840 estate inventory names Hilliard and assigns him a monetary value of $800, directly documenting his enslaved status within the William Q. Taliaferro estate.

What is not known: The record does not establish where Hilliard was born, who his parents were, or whether he was born into the estate or purchased into it.

What could change this: Locate earlier Taliaferro estate, deed, and tax records that may name Hilliard or his parents before 1840.

How the Evidence Sits Together

What supports the claim

Observations that carry the claim forward.

  • A person named Hilliard appears in William Q. Taliaferro's 1840 estate inventory.

    Supports · Strong weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property

    A named entry, not an inference from age and sex columns.

  • The estate classified Hilliard as enslaved property. The inventory's own wording, recorded here as historical record language and not as a description of Hilliard, reads: "Negro boy Hilliard $800".

    Negro boy Hilliard $800

    Supports · Strong weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property

    The record's classification is evidence of the legal system that produced it.

  • Hilliard was appraised at $800.

    Supports · Strong weight

    William Q. Taliaferro Estate Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property

    Monetary valuation within a probate inventory is direct evidence of enslaved status.

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.

  • An unnamed enslaved male in the relevant age range (approximately 10 to 23) appears in William Q. Taliaferro's 1840 household. The census does not name this person.

    Contextualizes · Context Only weight

    1840 U.S. Census — William Q. Taliaferro Household, Copiah County, Mississippi

    The census entry is unnamed and cannot independently identify Hilliard.

Research Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current

The 1840 estate inventory names Hilliard and assigns him a monetary value of $800, directly documenting his enslaved status within the William Q. Taliaferro estate.

What is known: Hilliard was named, classified as property, and valued at $800 in the William Q. Taliaferro estate by December 1840.

What is not known: The record does not establish where Hilliard was born, who his parents were, or whether he was born into the estate or purchased into it.

Future research: Locate earlier Taliaferro estate, deed, and tax records that may name Hilliard or his parents before 1840.

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 Inventory — Hilliard Listed as Enslaved Property

BT-SRC-00112
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

Access and use

No rights statement has been recorded for this source. Verify rights with the holding repository before republication.

BEFORE TILL publishes description, transcription and analysis. Reuse of the underlying record is governed by the holding repository. Cite this archive by its persistent identifier when quoting our reading of the record.

1840 U.S. Census — William Q. Taliaferro Household, Copiah County, Mississippi

BT-SRC-00113
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
National Archives and Records Administration (via digital image provider)
Collection
1840 U.S. Census population schedules
Record form
Digital Image
Source type
Census
Accessed
Not recorded

Access and use

No rights statement has been recorded for this source. Verify rights with the holding repository before republication.

BEFORE TILL publishes description, transcription and analysis. Reuse of the underlying record is governed by the holding repository. Cite this archive by its persistent identifier when quoting our reading of the record.

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