Series 2668: Executed Slaves.

Series 2668: Executed Slaves. 1846-1865.

Creator: Auditor (RG 29). 

Date(s): 1846-1865.

Volume: 0.5 cubic feet.

Collection Summary: A small collection of receipt warrants for slaves executed in the state. After a slave was convicted of a capital offense, the sheriff summoned five slaveholders in the county to appear and assess the value of the slave condemned to death. The owner was then allotted half of the assessed value for that slave paid out of the state treasury. Other southern states passed similar legislation, but Mississippi did not do so until 1846. Materials in the collection are arranged by year. A chart with the date, county, value, slave name, owner name, and offense is also provided.

Access Restrictions: None.

Related Materials: Series 2373: Slave Legislation Records.

Finding Aid Created By: Shaun Stalzer in April 2025

Record Group History: The office of the state auditor dates to the territorial era, when the legislature defined the major duties of the office as follows: “to examine, state, settle, and audit all accounts, claims, or demands arising under any laws or resolutions of the legislature; and to grant every authorized claimant a warrant on the treasurer making due entry and register of all his proceedings in a book to be kept for that purpose; and to carefully arrange, file, and preserve all accounts, receipts, vouchers, and papers touching the same.” When Mississippi became a state in 1817, the office of the auditor was enumerated as part of the executive branch in Article IV, Section 25, of the 1817 Constitution. The 1832 Constitution stipulated that the auditor was to be popularly elected to serve a two-year term, while the 1869 Constitution extended the term to four years. In the modern era, the state auditor is responsible for auditing state agencies, county governments, school districts, and higher educational institutions. The office also: conducts data audits for public schools, monitors state agencies' inventories, advises local governments on accounting matters in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and investigates misuse of public funds.   

Collection Inventory.

Box Content	Box Number
1846-1865	03392