For example, the Court Order Books of Virginia listed who got what and why including slaves. Follow the slaves to determine relationships. Twenty to thirty years after a man received a slave in an inventory sale, he could emancipate that slave in his own will and indicate that he received the slave from his father. Court records contain deeds. Look for deeds of gift passed from one family to another.
Slaves are often deeds of gift.
The price of the gift is important. If the consideration were a small amount this might could also indicate relationship, when the relationship was not stated. Many white families became closely attached to their slaves. They had no intention of the slave families being separated at the death of the owner. Estate inventories should be studied carefully for clues of family units being left intact to the widow, or to elder children.