Among the many records of the Mobile probate court is a record book of runaway slaves. The 30 slaves of the estate of Zeno Chastang, Sr., a free man of color in Mobile County, Alabama, were appraised at $23, 525 in late 1860. Among those appraised was Felix. Zeno Chastang, Jr. appeared before the Mobile Probate Court judge on March 1, 1865, and testified that he knew the slave named Felix, committed as a runaway slave, and that Felix was the slave of Edward Z. Chastang, Zeno’s younger brother. Felix may have been the slave of Zeno Sr., whose slave named Felix Monroe was born and baptized in 1845. A slave named Felix also appears in Zeno’s inventory. Shown below is the Chastang record in the runaway slave book in Mobile County. Have you thoroughly checked all probate records where your ancestors lived?
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August 2015
CategoriesAuthorI am a professional genealogist specializing in tracing the lives of African Americans. I earned my Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama. |