BEFORE TILL archival sealBefore TillThe Living Evidence Archive

Research object · BT-CLM-00167

Hilliard was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

Corroborated· 7 sourcesLast reviewed August 20, 2026
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

An 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register of former slaves names Hilliard, records him as male, approximately 45, a field laborer, and formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown, associated with the Lucky Hit plantation.

Public Summary

A named federal record documents Hilliard's prior enslavement by H. G. D. Brown.

Evidence Reviewed

  • SupportsStrong

    Hilliard is named in the 1865 register of formerly enslaved people.

    Source: Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard is recorded as male.

    Source: Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard's age is recorded as approximately 45.

    Source: Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • ContextualizesContext Only

    The register records the historical complexion term "yellow" for Hilliard. This is the record's own descriptive language of the period; it does not by itself establish parentage, ancestry, or identity.

    yellow

    Source: Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

    Recorded as record language only. It establishes nothing about parentage or ancestry.

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard's occupation is recorded as field laborer.

    Source: Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • SupportsStrong

    Hilliard is recorded as formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

    Source: Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard is associated in the register with the Lucky Hit plantation.

    Source: Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

Hilliard was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

Corroborated· 7 sources

BT-CLM-00167

An 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register of former slaves names Hilliard, records him as male, approximately 45, a field laborer, and formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown, associated with the Lucky Hit plantation.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

  1. Supports · Strong weight

    Hilliard is named in the 1865 register of formerly enslaved people.

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · pp. 10-11, image 7 of 81 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00152 ← BT-SRC-00035

  2. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard is recorded as male.

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · pp. 10-11, image 7 of 81 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00151 ← BT-SRC-00035

  3. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard's age is recorded as approximately 45.

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · pp. 10-11, image 7 of 81 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00150 ← BT-SRC-00035

  4. Contextualizes · Context Only weight

    The register records the historical complexion term "yellow" for Hilliard. This is the record's own descriptive language of the period; it does not by itself establish parentage, ancestry, or identity.

    “yellow”

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · pp. 10-11, image 7 of 81 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00149 ← BT-SRC-00035

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Recorded as record language only. It establishes nothing about parentage or ancestry.

  5. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard's occupation is recorded as field laborer.

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · pp. 10-11, image 7 of 81 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00148 ← BT-SRC-00035

  6. Supports · Strong weight

    Hilliard is recorded as formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · pp. 10-11, image 7 of 81 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00147 ← BT-SRC-00035

  7. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard is associated in the register with the Lucky Hit plantation.

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · pp. 10-11, image 7 of 81 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00146 ← BT-SRC-00035

Step 3 · Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current · High confidence

Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

An 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register names Hilliard as a formerly enslaved field laborer, approximately 45 years old, formerly held by H. G. D. Brown and associated with the Lucky Hit plantation. This is a named federal record, not an inference.

What is not known: The register does not establish when Brown acquired Hilliard, and therefore does not prove Brown was the 1856 purchaser. The recorded complexion term establishes nothing about parentage or ancestry.

What could change this: Search Brown estate, tax and deed records for an acquisition record between 1856 and 1865.

How the Evidence Sits Together

What supports the claim

Observations that carry the claim forward.

  • Hilliard is named in the 1865 register of formerly enslaved people.

    Supports · Strong weight

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

  • Hilliard is recorded as male.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

  • Hilliard's age is recorded as approximately 45.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

  • Hilliard's occupation is recorded as field laborer.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

  • Hilliard is recorded as formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

    Supports · Strong weight

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

  • Hilliard is associated in the register with the Lucky Hit plantation.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

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.

  • The register records the historical complexion term "yellow" for Hilliard. This is the record's own descriptive language of the period; it does not by itself establish parentage, ancestry, or identity.

    yellow

    Contextualizes · Context Only weight

    Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

    Recorded as record language only. It establishes nothing about parentage or ancestry.

Research Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current

An 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register names Hilliard as a formerly enslaved field laborer, approximately 45 years old, formerly held by H. G. D. Brown and associated with the Lucky Hit plantation. This is a named federal record, not an inference.

What is known: By 1865 Hilliard was named in a federal register as formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

What is not known: The register does not establish when Brown acquired Hilliard, and therefore does not prove Brown was the 1856 purchaser. The recorded complexion term establishes nothing about parentage or ancestry.

Future research: Search Brown estate, tax and deed records for an acquisition record between 1856 and 1865.

Amberly's Research Notes

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.

Register of Formerly Enslaved People — H. G. D. Brown / Lucky Hit Plantation

BT-SRC-00035
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 / National Archives and Records Administration
Collection
Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
Record form
Digital Image
Source type
Freedmens Bureau
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.

Submit a Lead

Do you hold a record, a photograph, or a family account bearing on this question? Submit it for review. A submission becomes a research lead; it does not change a published conclusion on its own.

Attach files (optional)

Scans, photographs, or a recorded account. Up to 5 files, 25.0 MB each — images, PDF, or audio. Attachments are stored privately and are never published without review.

Please do not send Social Security numbers, account or policy numbers, unredacted identification for living people, financial information, private medical records, or records about a living person who has not agreed to it. Everything you send is stored privately and reviewed before anything is published — nothing you submit appears on the site automatically. See the records and documents policy.