The entries are arranged chronologically by recording date. Only the volumes between 1764 and 1828 contain indexes. The following analysis concentrates on records relating to slaves and free blacks. Other documents will be discussed in the next article. Bills of sale, mortgages, and deeds of trust comprise the largest category of documents in chattel records.
Some properties appear repeatedly throughout the records and others show up only periodically.
Chattels sold and mortgaged throughout the time period of 1750 to 1851 include slaves. Manumissions, 1764-1851, are documents giving slaves their freedom contemporaneously or at a later date. The records show names, ages, and freedom dates and include many granted by free blacks, especially for family members. Some granted the power to convey slaves, 1820-1837. Some people filed depositions and agreements with the clerk of the court so that the information could be a matter of public record.