Three purposes: (1) fact-check source documents against publicly verifiable records; (2) present a comprehensive deep-dive into the Faulkner/Falkner family's documented slaveholding history; and (3) address the family tradition of the Mayfield connection — assessing what the historical record supports, what is unconfirmed, and exactly where to search. Critical caveat: No currently digitized free-access archive has produced a document explicitly confirming a sale of enslaved people from a Mayfield family to a Falkner/Faulkner ancestor. This does not mean the tradition is false — it means this specific transaction most likely resides in county deed books not yet fully digitized.
Enslaved.org, SlaveVoyages.org, Freedom on the Move, Freedmen's Bureau on FamilySearch, Last Seen / Information Wanted, DLAS (UNCG), and Freedman's Bank records are all accurately described and correctly attributed. URLs, hosting institutions, and content descriptions check out. All correctly characterized as freely accessible.
Ona (Oney) Judge — George Washington's household, 1796 Philadelphia escape — confirmed by Library of Congress. Millie & Christine McCoy — conjoined twins born 1851 NC — confirmed via NARA RG 105 Freedmen's Bureau. Belinda Sutton's 1783 legislative petition — confirmed via Massachusetts state archives and Enslaved.org. 91,491 African names from Royal Navy prize courts — confirmed by SlaveVoyages African Names Database documentation.
The stated range of 33,000–40,000 runaway ads is plausible as of 2024–2025 but fluctuates as Freedom on the Move continues crowdsourcing transcriptions. The 200,000 total is a widely cited scholarly approximation, not an exact count. Treat as estimates subject to ongoing revision.
Multiple Mayfield families appear in the historical record in Giles County, Tennessee and neighboring north Mississippi counties in the antebellum period. These families were present in the geographic corridor of the Falkner family's migration route.
No currently digitized free-access archive has produced a deed or bill of sale document explicitly recording this transaction. This does not mean it did not occur — it means the record has not yet been digitized. Deed books from Tippah County, MS (1842–1865) and Giles County, TN are the most likely repositories.
Robert Sheegog, the original owner of what is now Rowan Oak (Oxford, Lafayette County, MS), held as many as 9 enslaved persons in the 1850–1860 period. The University of Mississippi Slavery Research Group (UMSRG) confirmed through 2016 archaeological excavation that an outbuilding on the property served as slave quarters. Seven first names have been recovered from university chancellor's papers.