Port Royal Experiment

In 1861, freedom came early to South Carolina’s Sea Islands.

As Confederate slaveholders fled the advancing Union Army, more than 10,000 enslaved people were liberated across the Lowcountry. With federal and private support, these newly freed men, women, and children began to farm land, earn wages, purchase property, and build independent communities.

This bold initiative—known as the Port Royal Experiment—offered a revolutionary glimpse into what post-slavery America could have been.

What We’re Doing

In partnership with the Heritage Library on Hilton Head Island, 10 Million Names genealogists are launching a five-year research initiative focused on the lives and legacies of 2,280 individuals freed during the Port Royal Experiment. Using land deeds, Freedmen’s Bureau papers, pension applications, vital records, and census data, we will:

Trace the family lines of these freed individuals
Identify and document an estimated 364,800 descendants
Map entire neighborhoods and land ownership histories
Make our findings accessible through searchable, public family trees

African Americans standing next to the slave houses, Port Royal, South Carolina

This work not only preserves the legacy of the Port Royal Experiment—it reveals its deep, living impact on American history.

Why This Project Matters

The Port Royal Experiment was one of the earliest large-scale efforts to support Black land ownership, education, and economic independence in the aftermath of slavery. It stood as a model of self-determination—until it was dismantled during Reconstruction’s reversal.

By uncovering and documenting the individuals who took part, we are:

Restoring agency and identity to those who seized freedom
Reconnecting descendants with their family histories
Challenging the myth that formerly enslaved people left no trace
Preserving a vital example of Black resilience, property ownership, and community-building