Before TillThe Living Evidence Archive

Research object · BT-CLM-00084

Laura Tolliver was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

Documented· 4 sourcesLast reviewed August 8, 2026
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

Laura Tolliver was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown of Copiah County, Mississippi.

Public Summary

An 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register names Laura and identifies her as formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown. An unnamed eight-year-old female in Brown's 1860 slave schedule is consistent in age but cannot independently be identified as Laura.

Evidence Reviewed

  • SupportsStrong

    The register identifies Laura 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

    This is the strongest named evidence in the case: the record identifies Laura by name and states the enslavement relationship directly.

  • SupportsModerate

    The register records Laura as age 12.

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

    An age of 12 in an 1865-era record is consistent with a birth around 1852-1853.

  • SupportsStrong

    The register identifies Laura by name.

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

  • ContextualizesContext Only

    An unnamed enslaved female approximately eight years old appears in H. G. D. Brown's 1860 slave schedule.

    Source: 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedule — H. G. D. Brown Household, Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch

    The age is consistent with Laura's approximate 1852 birth year and later evidence connecting Laura to H. G. D. Brown, but the slave schedule itself does not name the child. The identification should therefore remain inferential.

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

Laura Tolliver was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

Documented· 4 sources

BT-CLM-00084

Laura Tolliver was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown of Copiah County, Mississippi.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

  1. Supports · Strong weight

    The register identifies Laura 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-00048 ← BT-SRC-00035

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    This is the strongest named evidence in the case: the record identifies Laura by name and states the enslavement relationship directly.

  2. Supports · Moderate weight

    The register records Laura as age 12.

    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-00045 ← BT-SRC-00035

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    An age of 12 in an 1865-era record is consistent with a birth around 1852-1853.

  3. Supports · Strong weight

    The register identifies Laura by name.

    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-00043 ← BT-SRC-00035

  4. Contextualizes · Context Only weight

    An unnamed enslaved female approximately eight years old appears in H. G. D. Brown's 1860 slave schedule.

    1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedule — H. G. D. Brown Household, Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch · pp. 12-13 (penned), digital image 12 of 101 · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00042 ← BT-SRC-00034

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    The age is consistent with Laura's approximate 1852 birth year and later evidence connecting Laura to H. G. D. Brown, but the slave schedule itself does not name the child. The identification should therefore remain inferential.

Step 3 · Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current · High confidence

Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

The 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register provides direct named evidence that Laura was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown. The unnamed eight-year-old female recorded in Brown's 1860 slave schedule is consistent with Laura's approximate age but cannot independently be identified as Laura.

What is not known: Whether the unnamed child in the 1860 slave schedule was Laura. Where Laura was held before 1865. Who her parents were.

What could change this: Review the original register image inside BEFORE TILL. Search Brown estate, probate, tax, and Freedmen's Bureau labor contract records.

How the Evidence Sits Together

What supports the claim

Observations that carry the claim forward.

  • The register identifies Laura as formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown.

    Supports · Strong weight

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

    This is the strongest named evidence in the case: the record identifies Laura by name and states the enslavement relationship directly.

  • The register records Laura as age 12.

    Supports · Moderate weight

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

    An age of 12 in an 1865-era record is consistent with a birth around 1852-1853.

  • The register identifies Laura by name.

    Supports · Strong 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.

  • An unnamed enslaved female approximately eight years old appears in H. G. D. Brown's 1860 slave schedule.

    Contextualizes · Context Only weight

    1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedule — H. G. D. Brown Household, Copiah County, Mississippi

    The age is consistent with Laura's approximate 1852 birth year and later evidence connecting Laura to H. G. D. Brown, but the slave schedule itself does not name the child. The identification should therefore remain inferential.

Research Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 1 · Current

The 1865 Freedmen's Bureau register provides direct named evidence that Laura was formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown. The unnamed eight-year-old female recorded in Brown's 1860 slave schedule is consistent with Laura's approximate age but cannot independently be identified as Laura.

What is known: Laura is named in an 1865-era Freedmen's Bureau register as formerly enslaved by H. G. D. Brown, recorded as female, age 12, a field laborer, and described with the historical term "yellow".

What is not known: Whether the unnamed child in the 1860 slave schedule was Laura. Where Laura was held before 1865. Who her parents were.

Future research: Review the original register image inside BEFORE TILL. Search Brown estate, probate, tax, and Freedmen's Bureau labor contract records.

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

Do additional Brown estate, probate, tax, or Freedmen's Bureau labor records name Laura or her family?

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.

1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedule — H. G. D. Brown Household, Copiah County, Mississippi

BT-SRC-00034
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
Collection
U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, slave schedule
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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