During the nineteenth century, Alachua County was home to nearly five dozen plantations, many of which produced Sea Island cotton.
A valuable cash crop that powered the Southern economy, Sea Island cotton was one of the main sources of Gainesville’s wealth, and slavery was a major contributing factor to Gainesville’s economic success.. Planters brought countless hundreds of enslaved people to Alachua County to labor on their plantations. In addition to cultivating cotton, rice, and vegetables, many of the enslaved also worked as cooks, midwives, blacksmiths, builders, and carpenters.
Many people enslaved in Alachua County, Florida through the end of the Civil War appear in ancient documents such as bills of sale, wills, mortgages, and more. A large portion of the enslaved were children, some as young as infants. Because they were considered personal property, enslaved people were listed in these records alongside other kinds of personal property including cattle, horses, and pigs. In addition to the names of enslavers, these ancient documents often record the names of enslaved people who were bought, sold, willed, and used as collateral for loans.
Using excerpts from public records dating from 1815–1865, Alachua County Black Book gives a glimpse into the lives of the enslaved as well as the people who enslaved them. The book’s collection of primary source documents, as well as an index of names of enslaved people and enslavers mentioned in these records, is an invaluable resource for genealogists, researchers, historians, and anybody who wants to learn more about Black history and the half century of slavery in Alachua County, Florida.
This book is written in honor of the enslaved people who lived and toiled and helped to build our country before their names and stories are lost to time and memory. You are not forgotten.
