Bogert, Pen. Research collection on enslaved and free Black people, ca. 1990s-2026
Collection held by the Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky
Creator: Bogert, Pen
Title: Research collection on enslaved and free Black people, ca. 1990s-2026
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for this collection, contact the Collections Department at gro.lacirotsihnoslif@hcraeser.
Size of Collection: 21 born-digital files (.017 GB) and 9 binders
Location Number: Mss. A B674
Finding aid created by: Hannah O’Daniel McCallon and Pen Bogert
Date finding aid created: 17 August 2026
Date finding aid last updated: 18 August 2026
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of detailed digital indexes and abstracts of county records, burial records, city directories, census records, and newspapers that document the lives of enslaved and free Black people in Jefferson County, Kentucky, from 1786-1912. Pen Bogert organized the data in 16 OpenDocument spreadsheets. An additional spreadsheet, nine binders, and a report document people who self-liberated themselves from slavery across Kentucky between 1788 and 1860. See the item list for descriptions of each dataset and links to the digital files.
Bogert assigned each spreadsheet a table number. This numbering system has been maintained since it corresponds with the Key to Tables guide written by him. The table names in the item list are shortened to improve readability; see the Key to Tables document for the original titles. The date ranges in the item list represent the years covered by the data. Within the tables, abbreviations for most place names and sources have been replaced with full text to improve readability. The files linked to the online finding aid are PDF and Microsoft Excel formats.
Related collections:
Charles Lemon’s database, which can be viewed onsite using Filson library computers
Index of Western Cemetery Burial Records in the Louisville City Council Papers [click here for PDF]
Zoeller, Bruce A., 1936-2017, and Charles D. Waggoner, 1908-1988. Papers, 1975-1980. 1 box. Research collection on legal cases involving Jefferson County slave traders. [005×16]
Biographical or Historical Note
Cornelius “Pen” Bogert grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Midwestern University in Texas. Before moving to Louisville, he managed the Presbyterian Bookstore of the Presbyterian Church USA in Atlanta, Georgia. When the church moved its headquarters to Louisville in 1988, Bogert followed suit. A blues musician himself, Bogert began researching African American music in Louisville in the early 1990s. The Filson Historical Society hired him as a research specialist in 1996. Bogert assisted Farmington Historic Plantation with research on the people enslaved by the Speed family. In 1998, Bogert received an African American Heritage Grant from the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission to research fugitive slave advertisements in newspapers published in Louisville and surrounding cities between 1788 and 1860.
In 2008, Bogert became the Preservation Administrator for the Bardstown Historic District in Nelson County. He continued his research on slavery in Kentucky and is still actively researching as of 2026.
Sources (available in the paper finding aid folder):
Martha Elson, “Blacks had significant effect on music, study says,” The Courier-Journal, 12 February 1997.
Rochelle Riley, “The story of Farmington’s slaves; Three researchers painstakingly traced lives of estate’s slaves,” The Courier-Journal, 21 February 1997, page A5.
Ben Z. Hershberg, “Floyd woman tracks Underground Railroad,” The Courier-Journal, 30 March 1998, page B1, B3.
Bill Pike, “Ads give glimpse into slaves’ lives,” The Courier-Journal, 19 February 2001, page B1, B6.
Ben Z. Hersberg, “Research into escape system for slaves passes test,” The Courier-Journal, 16 October 2001.
Item List
Digital spreadsheets on Jefferson County
Document 0: Key to Tables [click here to access the PDF]
Table 1: Birth records, 1852-1859 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of birth records for free and enslaved people from Jefferson County records. Data includes child’s name, free or enslaved status, parents’ names, date, enslaver’s name, district, birthplace, residence, and notes on other information provided in the record, such as child’s sex or occurrence of stillbirth.
Table 2: Baptisms recorded at the Cathedral of the Assumption and at Our Lady of the Port, 1835-1861, 1864 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of baptismal records from two Catholic parishes: the Cathedral of the Assumption and Our Lady of the Port in Louisville. Data includes the person’s name, free or enslaved status, date, father, mother, age at time of baptism or birth date for infants, enslaver’s name, church, sponsor name, and other notes.
Table 3: Marriages, 1842-1912 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of marriage records for enslaved and free Black couples and Declarations of Marriages from 1865-1912 by formerly enslaved couples who were married before 1865. The data includes the bride’s and groom’s names, date of marriage or declaration, source, years married, and notes on other information such as names of witnesses, enslavers, and ministers. Sources are Jefferson County Marriage Books, Cathedral of the Assumption sacramental records, and Our Lady of the Port sacramental records. For the county records, a blank space in the source field indicates an entry before 1861, when marriage records were not segregated. After 1865, marriages were recorded in separate books for Black and white couples. FWC abbreviation stands for Free Woman of Color. FMC abbreviation stands for Free Man of Color.
Table 4: Deaths, 1836-1864, 1884 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of death of free and enslaved Black people in Jefferson County as recorded in newspapers, church records, county records, and manuscripts. Data includes the person’s name, age, free or enslaved status, birthplace, residence, place of death, name of parents or enslavers, district, date, source, cause, and other notes about the circumstance of their death or life. See the Key to Tables document for more information. [click here to access the PDF]
Table 5: Burials in Eastern Cemetery, 1843-1857 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of burials of Black people in Eastern Cemetery of Louisville, Kentucky, from Eastern Cemetery burial records and Louisville City Council reports. The data includes the name of the deceased, informant, parent, age, burial date, cause of death, cemetery section, lot, range, grave number, and other notes about their identity, death, or burial. See the Key to Tables document for more information. [click here to access the PDF]
Table 6: Burials in Western Cemetery, 1839-1854 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of burials of Black people in Western Cemetery of Louisville, Kentucky, from City of Louisville records. The data includes the name of the deceased, age, sex, free or enslaved status, cause of death, burial date, and other notes about their identity, death, or burial. Only one enslaved person in the records was identified by name. Some burials were entered with a range of dates. One person was listed without identification as free or enslaved. This spreadsheet is known to be incomplete as of 8/18/2026; see the full Index of Western Cemetery Burial Records in the Louisville City Council Papers [click here for PDF] for additional enslaved people.
Table 7: Wills and probate records for free Black people, 1789-1865 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of wills and probate records for free Black people abstracted from Jefferson County Will Books and Jefferson County Court Order and Minute Books. The data includes the deceased person’s name, will date, probate date, source, family members, and estate property. The “Other” field provides notes on executors, orders for immediate or delayed emancipation of people the deceased enslaved, orders for purchasing freedom of enslaved people, property valuation, division of property, orders on care of children, witnesses, signed by mark, and former enslavers.
Table 8: Estate inventories and settlements for free Black people, 1809-1864 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of estate inventories and settlements for sixteen free Black people recorded in Jefferson County Inventory and Settlement Books and Jefferson County Court Order and Minute Books. The data includes the deceased person’s name, date of the record, source, estate value, and notes on property, people they enslaved, executors, appraisers, and events around the estate settlement.
Table 9: Tax lists for free Black people, 1810-1838 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of all free Black men and women taxed each year in each Jefferson County district. The data includes the name of the property holder, year, district, and taxable property. Many districts outside of Louisville are labeled by the name of the person responsible for assessing taxes.
Table 10: Emancipation records, 1786-1864 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of 573 immediate and delayed emancipations recorded in Jefferson County Order and Minute Books, Bond and Power of Attorney Books and Index Only, Deed Books, and Commonwealth Land & Title Records. The data includes the name of the enslaver, freed person’s name, date of record, and notes on the circumstances around the manumission.
Table 11: Proof of freedom cases, 1810-1864 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of 159 cases in which free Black people had to prove their freedom before the Jefferson County Court. The sources are Jefferson County Court Order and Minutes Books; and the Index of the Bond and Power of Attorney Books. The data includes the name of the free person, the date of the record, source, and notes on the person and circumstances around the case, including age, identifying physical characteristics, nicknames or other names, familial relationships, former enslavers, people who provided affidavits, and result. See the Key to Tables document for more information. [click here to access the PDF]
Table 12: Indentures of apprentices, guardianships, and children bound out, 1796-1870 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of free and enslaved people who were bound out or apprenticed, as recorded in the Jefferson County Court Order and Minute Books; and Bond and Power of Attorney Books. The data includes the name of the person, the person they were bound to, source, date of record, and other notes around the identity of the person and terms of the indenture or guardianship, such as length of time, trade they will be trained in, and property they will be provided. The first two columns are the first and last names of the person who was bound out or apprenticed. The next two columns list the name of the person to whom they were bound out or indentured.
Table 13: Migration to Kentucky cases, 1829-1860 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of Jefferson County and Louisville court cases in which free Black people were accused of breaking state law by migrating to Kentucky. The data includes the name of the accused person, source, date of record, and abstract of the case, including the result. Sources include the City Court Records of Arrests and Minute Book, Louisville Police Court, Jefferson County Court Order and Minute Books, Records of the Mayor’s Court, Louisville Daily Journal, Louisville Daily Dime held at the Filson Historical Society. See the Key to Tables document for more information about state law on migration cases. [click here to access the PDF]
Table 14: Criminal cases, 1785-1865 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of Jefferson County criminal cases brought against Black people and white people who were their accomplices; and cases brought against white people for helping enslaved people escape to freedom. The data includes the name of the defendant, status or race, gender, source, date of record, abstract of charges, name of the enslaver, and notes on the final disposition.
See Document 14a: Key to Table 14 for a detailed listing of the city, county, and newspaper sources used. [click here to access the PDF]
Table 15: Free Black people and Black churches in city directories, 1832-1865 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of free Black people and churches listed in Louisville city directories. The data includes the name of the person or church, year of the directory, occupation of the person, address, and other notes.
Table 17: Free Black people in U.S. Censuses, 1820-1860 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of free Black people recorded in the United States Censuses for Jefferson County, Kentucky. The data includes the name of the head of household, year of the census, and location. For the 1820-1840 censuses, additional fields are the number of free people in the household, number of enslaved people in the household, and occupation. The data for the 1850-1860 censuses includes the names of all residents, not just the head of household, along with the household number, age, race, gender, birthplace, real property value, personal property value, literacy, and occupation. See the Key to Tables document for a description of the census districts recorded in the location field.
Freedom Seekers
Table 16: Freedom Seekers, 1788-1860 [click here to access the spreadsheet]
Index of Black people who escaped from slavery, mostly in central Kentucky, as advertised in newspapers, with some mentioned in county records and manuscripts held at the Filson Historical Society. The table corresponds with printed copies of the cited newspaper advertisements, which are organized in binders 19-27 according to publication date. The table data includes the name of the person, enslaver, escape date, letter date, advertisement date, place of escape, probable destination, age, gender, previously escaped, whether they escaped with a group, injuries, sickness, disability, literacy, source, and notes on their physical appearance, property taken with them, potential people who helped them, behavior, clothing, and other circumstances of their escape.
See Document 16a: Key to Table 16 for a detailed description of fields and list of sources. [click here to access the PDF]
Document 18: “Making Their Way to Freedom: Runaway Slave Advertisements from Louisville Newspapers, 1788-1860,” African American Heritage Grant report, 1999, revised in 2023 [click here to access the PDF]
Binder 19: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 15 March 1788-17 November 1807 [physical copy only]
Binder 20: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 2 January 1808-20 December 1823 [physical copy only]
Binder 21: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 3 January 1824-28 December 1830 [physical copy only]
Binder 22: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 5 January 1831-20 December 1836 [physical copy only]
Binder 23: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 10 January 1837-16 December 1843 [physical copy only]
Binder 24: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 29 February 1844-27 December 1849 [physical copy only]
Binder 25: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 3 January 1850-26 December 1853 [physical copy only]
Binder 26: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 11 January 1854-24 December 1855 [physical copy only]
Binder 27: Ads for Freedom Seekers, 5 January 1856-27 December 1860 [physical copy only]
Subject Headings
For more details on how the below subjects appear in this collection, search the subject in the manuscript database at https://filsonhistorical.org/collections/manuscript-database/.
African American Catholics – Kentucky – Louisville.
African American churches – Kentucky – Louisville.
African Americans.
Enslaved persons.
Free African Americans – Kentucky – Louisville.
Free Black people – Kentucky – Louisville.
Fugitive slaves – Kentucky.
Marriages – Kentucky – Louisville.
Slavery – Kentucky.