Sidney's Salon w/ the Enslaved People Project

The Enslaved People Project is an initiative of the Bibb Superior Court Clerk’s Office to identify, index and digitize original records involving enslaved people. The project came to life several years ago when Superior Court Clerk, Erica L. Woodford, Esq. and her Chief Deputy Stephanie Woods Miller, Esq. discovered deed books dating from 1823 (the year that Macon was incorporated) to 1865.

The Clerk’s Office and staff collaborated with Mercer University’s Director of Africana Studies, Dr. Chester Fontenot, as well as Mercer University librarians, interns and a community volunteer to identify over 1,000 records which include enslaved people. The team, now led by Historical Preservation Clerk Julie Grimm, has been cataloging documents recording legal transactions involving enslaved people in Macon and Bibb County. The Clerk’s Office is in the process of creating and completing a searchable database for public viewing of these historic documents.

Historic Macon will host the Enslaved People Project team at our office, 950 Third Street, for our next salon on September 28th. We hope you will join us to learn more about the project from the researchers themselves. We will begin with a reception at 5:30, followed by a presentation at 6:00.