This record book was found in a basement storage vault in the Adams County Courthouse, Natchez, Mississippi, in 1999. The book is labeled on the spine as "Record Book Adams County" and contains no other identification on the binding, which appears to be of mid-twentieth century origin. The book contains three separate records series: Slave Certificates (pages 1 - 135); Justice Court Minutes (pages 137-140, 143-148, 152-155, 157-168); and Board of Police Minutes (pages 141-142, 149-151, 156, 169-337).

The slave certificates cover the period 1858 through 1861. During this period, state law required that all slaves brought to Mississippi from other states for the purpose of being sold must be certified as not being guilty of any felony or other such crime and that they are lawfully possessed by the person offering them for sale, The Revised Code of the Statute Laws of the State of Mississippi (1857), Chapter XXXIH, Section VII, Article 30, states:

"In all cases where any slave shall be introduced or imported into this State as merchandise or for sale, the person so introducing or importing, shall, before it shall be lawful to offer any such slave for sale, exhibit to the clerk of the probate court of the county where such slave may be introduced, a statement under oath, of two or more credible persons, who are acquainted with the character of such slave in the place from which he was so imported, that he has not been guilty of any felony or other crime, and that the person so offering him for sale, came lawfully into the possession thereof, and such statement shall be verified by the certificate of some justice of the peace of the State or Territory from which such slave was imported, and of the clerk of some court of record of such State or Territory, under his seal of office, and shall be recorded by the clerk of the probate court of the county in this State to whom it is exhibited, and such person or persons shall also enter into bond with good security, payable to the State of Mississippi, in the penalty of three thousand dollars, for the payment of all taxes which may accrue upon the sale of any such slave in this State, which bond shall be filed with the clerk of the probate court aforesaid, and may be put in suit in the circuit court of any county in this State, where such taxes may be due, and a certificate of such registration, and of the execution of such bond, shall be furnished by the said clerk under his seal of office, the party for whose benefit it is due paying the cost of such registration and certificate."

The detail of information contained in each certificate varies, but at a minimum each certificate contains the name of the slave trader, state and county in which the oath is being made, the names of those making the oath, the name of the slave, name of the justice receiving the oath with the date it was received, and the filing date of the certificate in the Probate Court. More detailed information regarding each slave is contained on the majority of the certificates, and usually includes gender, color, age, and weight. In many of the certificates the slaves are identified by both first and last names.

The owner obtaining the certificate is presumed to be a slave trader. Although there are approximately 180 separate certificates filed in this volume, less than thirty separate individuals or companies are identified as the owner. Of the individuals listed as owner of the slaves, many can be recognized to be noted slave traders during the period (e.g. Blackwell, Murphy, and Ferguson; Griffin and Pullum, Pierce Griffin, J. and T. Arterbum; and W. F. White and Company), and several of those operated at “Forks of the Road" in Natchez, which was a large slave trading center. These records primarily document the movement of slaves from Kentucky to be sold in Natchez. Although there are scattered certificates from such places as Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia, by far the majority of these certificates originate in the state of Kentucky.

Following the slave certificates appear minutes of several cases heard in a Justices Court during autumn of 1865. The minutes cover the period September 1865 through December 1865 and are scattered among the early pages of the Board of Police Minutes. All of the minutes document the jury decision in cases of replevin, primarily involving wrongful detention of either mules, horses, or cotton.