In Bondage JOCO 1840 Slave Census

In 1836, historical records from Johnson County, Missouri, reveal that Martin Warren sold a Black woman named Jane and her daughter Lucinda to John Marr for $400. Just three years later, in 1839, Marr sold Jane again—this time with five children: Lucinda, John Green, Nancy Susan, George Washington, and Isham Garner—to Joseph Garner, a free Black man, for the same price of $400.

By 1841, another notable transaction was recorded. John Marr received $200 from Jack, a man of color who had previously belonged to Marr’s father and was still under Marr’s ownership at the time. The payment was made for Jack’s own emancipation and manumission. Interestingly, shortly afterward, Martin Warren sold a woman named Susannah—a Black enslaved woman—to Jack (listed in records as “Jack Mar”), now described as a free man of color, for $267.

The 1860 U.S. Census sheds further light on the pervasiveness of slavery in Warrensburg and Johnson County, Missouri. Among those listed as slaveholders were prominent members of the community:

William Anderson, a store owner and banker – 5 slaves
E. M. Bolton, hotel owner – 5 slaves
William Brown, merchant – 1 slave
Josiah Caldwell, physician – 6 slaves
G. W. Campbell, livery stable keeper – 2 slaves
F. M. Cockrell, lawyer – 2 slaves
George Colbern, banker – 1 slave
James Daugherty, carpenter – 1 slave
Z. T. Davis, teacher – 4 slaves
A. H. Gilkeson, merchant – 1 slave
M. C. Goodlett, attorney – 7 slaves
Joseph P. Henshaw, merchant – 4 slaves
George Houts, sheriff – 4 slaves
W. S. Hume, merchant – 6 slaves
George Hunt, physician – 3 slaves
Thomas Ingle, hotel keeper – 4 slaves
James Lapsley, merchant – 1 slave
William Logan, merchant – 13 slaves
Nancy McCormack, resident of the city – 2 slaves
James McCown, Circuit Clerk – 8 slaves
Noah Redford, retired farmer – 2 slaves
Daniel Rentch, merchant – 6 slaves
W. H. Schroeder, Methodist clergyman – 2 slaves
Thomas Slack, merchant – 3 slaves
Kenny Smith, miller – 4 slaves
John Snider, occupation listed as miscellaneous – 2 slaves
Fountane Stroder, livery stable keeper – 8 slaves
Newtown Walker, merchant – 1 slave
Ackman Welch – 1 slave

These records provide a sobering glimpse into the lives of both the enslaved and free Black individuals who navigated a complex and often brutal social structure in pre-Civil War Missouri. They also reflect the deeply entrenched role slavery played in the economic and social framework of the region—even among those in professions not typically associated with large-scale slaveholding.

Jackson Township