The 1842 Probate of John W. Guion
This is the archive's anchor record — the document from which every other record hangs. When John W. Guion of New Bern died, his executors inventoried his estate in November 1842 (Craven County Superior Court, Guardians and Administrators Accounts 1839–1845, pp. 781–782), listing thirty-four enslaved people by name, age, and value — and, unusually, recording mothers and children together. On 10 January 1843 the commissioners divided them among eight heirs. The two pages below, and the complete reconstruction that follows, account for every person — who was kept with kin, who was taken, and by whom.
Complete Family Clusters & Distribution Analysis
The project's full reconstruction of the probate: every mother-child cluster, every valuation, and the fate of each of the thirty-four people across the eight heirs — including the eight documented family separations.
The Family Clusters
The commissioners recorded kinship with the notation “(child of …).” Shaded rows mark documented mother-child separations enacted by the distribution.
| Name | Age (1842) | Value | Distributed to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cluster 1 — Nanny and her children (three generations) | ||||
| Nanny | 59 | $25* | Mrs. Mary Guion (widow) | Elder mother; valued with old Hannah at $25 combined |
| ↳ Ben | 20 | $500 | Mrs. Mary Guion | Kept with mother |
| ↳ Moses | 11 | $350 | Mrs. Mary Guion | Kept with mother |
| ↳ Louisa | 23 | $575† | Alexander Henderson Guion | Separated from Nanny — taken with her own infants |
| Cluster 2 — Louisa and her children (intact, but severed from Nanny) | ||||
| Louisa | 23 | $575† | Alexander Henderson Guion | Daughter of Nanny; one valuation with her two children |
| ↳ Charles | 7 mo. | — | Alexander Henderson Guion | Infant, kept with mother |
| ↳ Owen | 3 | — | Alexander Henderson Guion | Toddler, kept with mother |
| Cluster 3 — Eliza and her children | ||||
| Eliza | 26 | $400 | Isaac Guion | Grouped with daughter Harriet under $500 |
| ↳ Harriet | 3 | $110 | Isaac Guion | Kept with mother |
| ↳ Cicero | 5 | $150 | Haywood W. Guion | Separated — a five-year-old taken from his mother |
| Cluster 4 — Suky and her children — the largest family, and Hannah's | ||||
| Suky (Sukey) | 40 | $250 | John A. Guion | Hannah's mother; also pledged in the 1832 trust deed |
| ↳ Adeline | 2 | $100 | John A. Guion | Kept with mother |
| ↳ Julia | 4½ | $150 | John A. Guion | Kept with mother |
| ↳ Jane | 15 | $400 | John A. Guion | Kept in household of the same heir |
| ↳ Hannah | 10 | $350 | Haywood W. Guion | Separated from her mother — the subject of this archive |
| ↳ Sam Spotts | 10 | $250 | Henry T. Guion | Separated; the only person recorded with a surname — a key census search anchor. Hannah and Sam, both ten, may be twins |
| ↳ Hetty | 17 | $400 | Isaac Guion | Separated — eldest, taken from her mother |
| Cluster 5 — Ferebee (absent mother) and her children | ||||
| ↳ Fanny / Frances | 17 | $400 | Henry T. Guion | Eldest of Ferebee's children; mother absent from the roster |
| ↳ Hannah (child of Ferebee) | 12 | $300 | Benjamin J. Guion | A second, distinct Hannah — do not conflate with Suky's daughter |
| ↳ Stephen | 8 | $250 | Miss Ferebee E. Guion | The enslaved mother Ferebee's son, given to the white heiress of the same name |
| Unattached adults and children — no maternal kinship recorded | ||||
| George | 61 | $125 | Haywood W. Guion | Elder — sent west with Hannah |
| Frank (old) | 61 | $100 | Miss Ferebee E. Guion | Distinguished from Frank (young) |
| Ned | 54 | $250 | John A. Guion | Likely the Edward Guion of the 1870 census |
| Joe | 56 | $250 | Isaac Guion | |
| Scipio (“Sipe”) | 56 | $200 | Alexander Henderson Guion | Confirmed as “Sipe” on page two |
| Frank (young) | 44 | $250 | Mrs. Mary Guion | |
| Daniel | 31 | $500 | Miss Ferebee E. Guion | Among the highest-valued adults |
| Kit | 35 | $500 | Haywood W. Guion | Prime working age — sent west with Hannah |
| Bob | 37 | $450 | Henry T. Guion | |
| Bill | 39 | $425 | Benjamin J. Guion | Confirmed as “Bill” per page two |
| Hannah (old) | 71 | $0 | Mrs. Mary Guion | Valued at zero — an elder beyond commodified labor age, still parceled out |
| Clarissa | 25 | $400 | Benjamin J. Guion | No children recorded — possibly a mother whose children were sold before 1842 |
| Esther | 15 | $400 | Alexander Henderson Guion | Teenager; later named in Mary Guion's 1854 will with “all her children” |
| Frances | 11 | $250 | Miss Ferebee E. Guion | Child with no mother named; distinct from Fanny/Frances above |
| Becky | 60 | $25 | John A. Guion | Elder |
Eight Heirs, Full Distribution
Each share was fixed at $1,134.37½. Signed at New Bern, 10 January 1843, by commissioners Will. J. Blackledge, W. Hollister, Thos. Sparrow, and John M. Roberts.
| Heir | Persons allotted |
|---|---|
| Mrs. Mary Guion (widow) | Frank (young), Ben, old Hannah & Nanny, Moses |
| Miss Ferebee E. Guion | Daniel, old Frank, Frances (11), Stephen |
| Haywood W. Guion | Kit, George, Hannah (child of Suky), Cicero — the four taken 280 miles to Lincolnton, appraised together at $1,125 |
| Henry T. Guion | Bob, Sam Spotts, Fanny/Frances (child of Ferebee) |
| Benjamin J. Guion | Bill, Clarissa, Hannah (child of Ferebee) |
| Alexander Henderson Guion | Sipe (Scipio), Esther, Louisa with Charles & Owen |
| Isaac Guion | Joe, Hetty, Eliza & Harriet |
| John A. Guion | Ned, Becky, Suky with Julia & Adeline, Jane |
From This Record Hang All the Others
Forward, into Freedom
The Session I survey traces the names of this inventory into the 1850–1880 censuses.
Backward, into the Estate
The deeds and wills, 1786–1854, that built the estate the probate divided.
The Heir Who Took Hannah
Haywood W. Guion, isolated: his papers, career, and only bloodline.
The Child of Line Fifteen
Hannah's whole arc, from this ledger to her own will of 1899.