In the days following the U.S. military’s capture of Port Royal, South Carolina in November of 1861, hundreds of enslaved men, women and children flocked to military encampments and Union Navy vessels, seeking freedom and protection from Confederate raids aimed at returning them to slavery. As the numbers of those seeking sanctuary began to swell, the U.S. military established temporary contraband camps on and around the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia. Two such encampments were established at Otter Island, South Carolina and Tybee Island, Georgia.
In March of 1862, military superintendents of the Otter Island and Tybee Island contraband camps recorded the names of the men, women and children in those camps. Remarkably, the lists also contain the names of the final slaveholders of the more than 100 individuals in the camps. The records are preserved in the collection “United States Union Provost Marshal Files of Two or More Civilians, 1861-1866,” digitized at FamilySearch.org. Here, we present transcriptions of those census lists, and a brief background of the contraband camps at Otter Island and Tybee Island.
Otter Island
Otter Island is a small island opposite Edisto Beach on the South Carolina coast. It is bounded by the Ashepoo River and St. Helena Sound. Now part of the St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area, the island of just under 2,000 acres was a strategic point for the United States military to occupy because of its proximity to Charleston1.
The Confederate Army established a fort on Otter Island in 1861, but abandoned the fort in November of that year after the Union capture of Port Royal. Union army and naval forces occupied the abandoned fort on Otter Island in December of 1861. There, they encountered a small settlement of self liberated African Americans, some of whom provided important intelligence of Confederate movements and positions in the area. Naval Commander Percival Drayton established a contraband camp at Otter Island in December of 1861. The camp was placed under the supervision and protection of Navy Lieutenant James W. Nicholson, whose ships patrolled the waters around Otter Island to protect the contrabands from Confederate raids, and provide cover for contrabands as they foraged for food provisions2.
The lists transcribed below are searchable. You may also select how many rows to view per page for each list. These lists were transcribed by Alana Thevenet.
Semi Monthly Return of Contrabands from Feb. 15, 1862 to March 1st 1862 On Otter Island S.C. 3
| Names of Contrabands | Former Owners | Date of arival | No. of days | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth O Ferry | |||||
| Cato Frayser | " | " | Dec 8th 1861 | 9 | Eliza Hutchenson |
| George Washington | " | " | " | 9 | Acting Agent |
| Frank Scott | " | " | " | 9 | John Lariby Overseer |
| Quash Frip | " | " | " | 7 | |
| Daniel Bailey | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Benjamin Jenkins | " | " | " | 9 | |
| Sambo Fergeson | " | " | " | 10 | |
| Cain Berns | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Cuffy Simmers | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Cudgel Gaston | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Stephen Seymour | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Amos Wilson | " | " | " | 9 | |
| Major Friday | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Robert Middleton | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Sipio Talbot | " | " | " | 10 | |
| William Simmons | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Ceaser Grant | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Monday Washington | " | " | " | 8 | |
| March Seabrook | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Ben Jenkins | " | " | " | 11 | |
| James Maygood | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Frank Simmers | " | " | " | 12 | |
| Jim Shingleton | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Dan[illegible] Baker | " | " | " | 12 | |
| Joe Seymour | " | " | " | 18 | |
| [Illegible] Tomsand | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Grifeth Brane | " | " | " | 12 | |
| Cain Shingleton | " | " | " | 12 | |
| Sam Smith | " | " | " | 11 | |
| [Illegible] Christopher | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Jacob Polite | " | " | " | 8 | |
| George Hardtime | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Elizabeth O Ferry | |||||
| Adam Simmons | " | " | " | 10 | |
| Joe Robinson | " | " | 11 | ||
| Toby Riggs | " | " | " | 12 | |
| Fay Bainell | " | " | " | 11 | |
| Prince Leroach | In charge of Joshua Leroach | " | Dec 18th 1861 | 9 | |
| June Leroach | " | 8 | |||
| Fortune Leroach | " | " | " | 7 | |
| James Leroach | " | " | " | 8 | |
| Peter Granderson | John G Marshel | " | 11 | ||
| Adam Green | former Owner | " | 10 | ||
| Dick Jenkins | " | 13 | |||
| Jacob Hasleton | " | 12 | |||
| Saby Moris | " | 11 | |||
| Wiliam Alston | " | 11 | |||
| William Felda | Paul Felda formeer owner | " | 8 | ||
| Daniel Wright | L.C. Clifford | January 28th 1862 | 11 | ||
| Peter Wright | former owner | " | 12 | ||
| Sam Bligeon | " | 11 | |||
| Isaac Johson | Miss Katy Videre | February 8th 1862 | 11 | ||
| Charles Washington | former Owner | " | 12 | ||
| Frank Beads | Samson Paul former owner | " | 14 | ||
| Hackless Was. | Major Merry | " | 7 | ||
| John Merry | former Owner | " | 8 |
Descriptive List of Negro Contrabands Under Age on Otter Island, March 31, 18624
| Names | Age: Yrs-Mo | Former Owner | Married | Single | When Landed on Otter Island | Infirm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Wyatt | 9 yrs | John R. Matters | x | 25th March | ||
| Robert Talbot | 5 yrs | Major Massy | x | 8th Dec | Measles | |
| Richard Gadson | 8 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Cuffee Wright | 15 yrs | James Crayton | x | 31st Jan | ||
| Samuel Legree | 7 yrs | William Matters | x | 1st Feb | ||
| Jeffry Legree | 2 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Thomas Wright | 8 yrs | " " | x | 1st Jan | ||
| Hue Wright | 14 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Marion Walley | 15 yrs | Major Walley | x | 15th March | ||
| Jacob Brown | 19 yrs | J.G. Hazelton | x | 9th Jan | ||
| Henry Laroach | 10 yrs | Edward Laroach | x | 18th Dec | ||
| Toney Laroach | 5 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| June Shingleton | 16 yrs | x | 8th Dec | |||
| Sambo Shingleton | 13 yrs | Mrs. March | x | " " | ||
| David Hutchinson | 13 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| James Hutchinson | 8 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Albert Simons | 3 yrs | " " | x | 1st March | ||
| Robert Christopher | 16 yrs | " " | x | 10th " | ||
| Moses " | 12 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Ephram " | 5 yrs | " " | x | 5th Dec | ||
| Rowling " | 3 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| March Seabrook | 8 yrs | " " | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Abraham " | 4 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Ceaser " | 3 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| William Seamore | 18 yrs | " " | x | 1st March | Crippled | |
| Joe " | 13 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Steven " | 5 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Dick Laroach | 10 yrs | Edward Laroach | x | 13th Dec | ||
| Amos " | 1 yr | " " | x | " " | ||
| Edwin Brown | 2 yrs | Major Massy | x | 1st March | Measles | |
| James Wright | 2 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Robert Mack | 15 yrs | Mrs. March | x | 8th March | ||
| Jeffry Hardtimes | 7 yrs | " " | x | 8th Dec | ||
| [Illegible] F. Hardtimes | 1 yr 6 mo | " " | x | " " | ||
| John Lincoln Fripp | 0 yrs 6 mo | " " | x | " " | ||
| Andrew Simons | 8 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Cuffee " | 6 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Sire Bailey | 5 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Ed. Beaver Bailey | 0 yrs 3 mo | " " | x | " " | ||
| John Jenkins | 8 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| James " | 3 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Dick Robert March | 6 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| July R. March | 4 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Quash barns | 1 yr | " " | x | " " | ||
| Thomas Baker | 6 yrs | " " | x | 5th Dec | ||
| Aaron " | 4 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Simon Drayton | 15 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Joseph Talbot | 6 yrs | " " | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Lenard " | 4 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Richard " | 3 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Fay Barnwell | 19 yrs | " " | x | " " | ||
| Tom Bolds | 2 yrs 6 mo | " " | x | " " | ||
| York Hazelton | 15 yrs | Mrs. Hazelton | x | " " |
Descriptive List of Male Contrabands On Otter Island April 1 1862: Males Over Age4
| Names | Age: Yrs-mos | Former Owner | Married | Single | When Landed on Otter Island | Infirm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Brown | 26-00 | Major Murry | x | 1st March | ||
| Thomas Gadson | 24-00 | " | " | |||
| Jesse Dunken | 30-00 | " | x | " | ||
| Steven Ruben | 24-00 | " | " | |||
| McNeal Wyars | 40-00 | John R. Mattess | x | 25th March | ||
| Hackless Walsh | 28-00 | Major Murry | x | 15th Febr | ||
| William Brown | 30-00 | Mr. Lee | x | 25th March | ||
| Peter Gadson | 25-00 | Major Murry | x | " | ||
| Frank Simons | 23-00 | " | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Timothy Videer | 54-00 | Samuel Videer | x | 25th Febr | ||
| Charles Washington | 26-00 | " | x | " | ||
| Thomas Mattess | 40-00 | John R. Mattess | x | 12th March | ||
| Daniel Wright | 25-00 | J.C. Clifford | x | 31st Jan | ||
| Peter " | 40-00 | Wm Mattess | x | 1st Jan | ||
| James Blanchard | 50-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| William Felder | 54-00 | Pall Felder | x | " " | ||
| Saby Morris | 25-00 | Col Morrise | x | " " | ||
| Robert Simons | 40-00 | Wm Simons | x | 15th March | ||
| Peter Granderson | 59-00 | Wilson Marshal | x | 9th Jan | ||
| Dick Jenkins | 39-00 | " " | x | " " | Ruptured | |
| Adam Green | 50-00 | " " | x | " " | Blind of one Eye | |
| Lee Hardtimes | 40-00 | Mrs. March | 1st Dec | Crippled Feet | ||
| Toby Biggs | 20-00 | " " | x | 11th Jan | ||
| Monday Washington | 25-00 | " " | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Prince Leroach | 24-00 | Edward Leroach | x | 13th Dec | ||
| June Leroach | 45-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Joshua Leroach | 52-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Cain Shingleton | 40-00 | Mrs. March | 8th Dec | |||
| Cato Frazier | 25-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Tom Hutchinson | 110-00 | " " | 1st March | Infirm of Age | ||
| David Haywood | 25-00 | Col. Chism | x | 15th Dec | ||
| James Hutchinson | 84-00 | Mrs. March | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Yahill Simons | 25-00 | " " | x | 1st March | ||
| Kit Christopher | 42-00 | " " | x | 5th Dec | ||
| March Seabrook | 32-00 | " " | 8th Dec | |||
| Steven Seamore | 54-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Fortune Leroach | 45-00 | Edward Leroach | x | 13th Dec | ||
| James Leroach | 22-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Judge Hardtimes | 52-00 | Mrs. March | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Quash Fripp | 22-00 | " " | x | 1st " | ||
| Cuffee Simons | 54-00 | " " | x | 8th " | ||
| Daniel Bailey | 30-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Homer Shingleton | 22-00 | " " | x | 1st March | ||
| Titus Jenkins | 55-00 | Dr. Gerardne | x | " " | ||
| Ceaser Grant | 75-00 | John Jenkins | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Charles March | 55-00 | Mrs. March | x | 1st March | ||
| Ben Jenkins | 32-00 | " " | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Benjamin Jenkins | 32-00 | John Jenkins | x | " " | ||
| Joe Robert March | 40-00 | Mrs. March | x | " " | ||
| William Simons | 25-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Judson Gadson | 23-00 | John Jenkins | x | " " | ||
| Major Friday | 46-00 | Mrs. March | x | " " | ||
| Cain Burns | 35-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Da[illegible] Baker | 65-00 | " " | x | 5th " | ||
| Adam Simons | 40-00 | Col. Chism | 15th " | |||
| Amos Wilson | 23-00 | Mrs. March | x | 8th " | ||
| George Jenkins | 83-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Sambo Ferguson | 49-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Jacob Polite | 42-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Cudjo Read | 25-00 | " " | x | 25th March | ||
| John Chism | 25-00 | " " | x | 10th March | ||
| Samuel Smith | 24-00 | " " | x | 8th " | ||
| Scipio Talbot | 47-00 | Mrs. March | x | 8th Dec | ||
| Frank Scott | 20-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| George Washington | 22-00 | Capt. Byford | x | " " | ||
| Caser Bolds | 51-00 | Mrs. March | x | " " | Body Pains | |
| Primas Morris | 35-00 | Col. Morrise | x | 25th March | ||
| Sam Hazelton | 60-00 | Mrs. Hazelton | x | " " | ||
| Cuffee Legree | 24-00 | Mrs. Legree | x | " " | ||
| Jackson Hazelton | 21-00 | Mr. Hazelton | x | " " | ||
| Charles Morrise | 23-00 | Col. Morrise | x | 30th " | ||
| Ned Morrise | 21-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Peter Morrise | 20-00 | " " | x | " " | ||
| Mose Sheridan | 25-00 | Hugo Sheridan | x | " " | ||
| William Alson | 25-00 | Wilson Marshal | x | 9th Jan | Sick |
Descriptive List of Female Contrabands on Otter Island, April 1, 1862: Females Over Age4
| Names | Age: Yrs-Mos | Former Owner | Married | Single | When Landed on Otter Island | Infirm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susen Brown | 22-00 | Major Murry | x | 1st March | |||||
| Lavenia Dunken | 28-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Eliza White | 35-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Milley Wyass | 35-00 | John R. Mattes | x | 25th " | |||||
| Cellia Walsh | 28-00 | Michael Seabrook | x | 16th Febr | |||||
| Minty Brown | 30-00 | Major Murry | |||||||
| Susen Tolbert | 30-00 | " " | |||||||
| Cloie Gadson | 30-00 | " " | 25th " | ||||||
| Charlotte Washington | Samauel Videer | x | " " | ||||||
| Sibby Mattess | 43-00 | John R. Mattess | x | 12th March | |||||
| Judy Field | 40-00 | " " | x | 1st " | |||||
| Mary Neal | 28-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Harriet Legree | 45-00 | William Mattess | x | 1st Febr | [All of her info is crossed out] | ||||
| Jane Wright | 45-00 | " | " | x | 1st Jan | ||||
| Annie Blanchard | 40-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Fanny Felder | 35-00 | William Elliot | x | " " | |||||
| Peggy Simons | 35-00 | Benjamin Walley | x | 15th March | |||||
| Dinah Green | 40-00 | Wilson Marshal | 9th Jan | ||||||
| Harriet Riggs | 19-00 | Mrs. March | x | 10th Dec | |||||
| Rose Washington | 28-00 | " " | x | 8th " | |||||
| Harriet Leroach | 30-00 | Edward Leroach | x | 18th " | |||||
| Minda " | 70-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Sarah Shingleton | 46-00 | Mrs. March | x | 8th " | |||||
| Dora Frazier | 29-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Dapheny Hutchnson | " " | x | " " | ||||||
| Susen Haywood | 18-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Nora Hutchinson | 62-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Elsey Simons | 26-00 | " " | x | 1st March | |||||
| Lidia Christopher | 37-00 | " " | x | 5th Dec | |||||
| [Illegible] Seabrook | 30-00 | " " | x | 8th " | |||||
| Tyra Seamore | 27-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Jema Leroach | 35-00 | Edward Leroach | x | 13th Dec | |||||
| Cinda Hutchinson | 53-00 | Mrs. March | x | " " | |||||
| Clarinda Hardtimes | 40-00 | " " | x | 8th " | |||||
| Molly Fripp | 22-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Sinda Simons | 45-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Mila Bailey | 84-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Dinah Hutchinson | 75-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Juda Elliot | 80-00 | Thomas Elliot | x | 15th March | |||||
| Rose Jenkins | 45-00 | Mrs. March | x | 8th Dec | |||||
| Peggy Grant | 52-00 | " " | x | " " | Asthma | ||||
| Hager March | 90-00 | " " | " " | ||||||
| Elizabeth " | 35-00 | " " | x | 1st March | Deaf | ||||
| Lucy Jenkins | 28-00 | " " | x | 8th Dec | |||||
| Betsy R. March | 22-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Rose Simons | 19-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Lizzie Gadson | 18-00 | Ellick Chism | x | " " | |||||
| Derinda Friday | 22-00 | Mrs. March | x | " " | |||||
| Sibby Burns | 26-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Martha March | 75-00 | " " | X | " " | |||||
| Rebecca Baker | 47-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Jemima Simons | 30-00 | Col. Chism | x | 15th Dec | |||||
| Dolly Wilson | 21-00 | Mrs. March | x | 8th Dec | |||||
| Lucy Jenkins | 28-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Tammy Ferguson | 30-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Becca Polite | 30-00 | " " | x | " " | Mute | ||||
| Fibby Chism | 93-00 | " " | x | 10th March | |||||
| Eliza Talbot | 30-00 | " " | x | 8th Dec | |||||
| Hester Bolds | 35-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Eve Hazelton | 40-00 | Mr. Hazelton | x | 25th March | |||||
| Lousia Legree | 72-00 | " " | " " | ||||||
| Julia Hazelton | 80-00 | " " | " " | ||||||
| Mary Hazelton | 40-00 | Mr. Hazelton | x | 25th March | |||||
| Sarah " | 65-00 | " " | " " | ||||||
| Pantie Morrise | 25-00 | Col. Morrise | x | 30th " | |||||
| Cloie " | 26-00 | " " | x | " " | |||||
| Nora " | 30-00 | " " | x | " " |
Suggestions for Further Research
If you find an ancestor’s name among these lists, there are several avenues of research you can pursue next. Here are some starting points:
- Search Freedmen’s Bureau records to see if your ancestors had further interactions with the U.S. military or the Freedmen’s Bureau. You can start at www.discoverfreedmen.org to search for your ancestor’s name.
- Search for your ancestors in the collection “United States, Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1874” on FamilySearch.org.
- Search for your ancestor in the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Census. Note their location in relation to the slaveholder – did they return to their pre-1862 homes, or choose to live in an entirely different location?
- Research the slaveholder in the U.S. Census Slave Schedules. Note the age of your ancestor in the 1862 list, then search the 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedules for the name of the slaveholder, to verify that they held an enslaved person of the gender and age that would match your ancestor’s age in 1860.
- Research the slaveholder’s genealogy to identify other slaveholding family members. In most cases you need not start from scratch, you may find family trees on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org that have been posted by descendants. Do be sure to conduct your own research to verify the family relationships in any family tree you find.
- If your ancestors were adults in 1862, search for probate records for the parents of the final slaveholder in the list transcribed here, to see if your ancestors are mentioned in wills, estate inventories or estate accounts. South Carolina probate records and Georgia probate records are searchable on Ancestry.com.
If you would like to learn more about the contraband camp at Otter Island, please see the book Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy, by Barbara Tomblin. The book is searchable at Project Muse.
References Cited
[1] Map of Otter Island, Edisto Beach. https://www.edistobeach.com/otter-island/, accessed 8 Aug 2017.
[2] Tomblin, Barbara 2009 Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy. University Press of Kentucky, pp. 66-68.
[3] “United States Union Provost Marshal Files of Two or More Civilians, 1861-1866,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-MK95-9?cc=1845948&wc=M6KL-T38%3A165419801%2C165440901 : 22 May 2014), Records by Number and Date > 00821-01078, Mar.-Apr. 1862 > image 468 of 1211; citing NARA microfilm publication M416 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
[4] “United States Union Provost Marshal Files of Two or More Civilians, 1861-1866,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-MV97-NR?cc=1845948&wc=M6KL-T38%3A165419801%2C165440901 : 22 May 2014), Records by Number and Date > 00821-01078, Mar.-Apr. 1862 > image 754 of 1211; citing NARA microfilm publication M416 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
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