Hi Bonnie, My African American SIMPKINS line does not go back as far as yours, but I know of one SIMKINS family that held enslaved people out of Edgefield Co, SC. I estimate the birth of our oldest known maternal ancestor, Maria, at ca 1810 as her first son was born ca 1825. I don't know what surname she or her first 4 presumed children used: Paul, Mitchell, Emmaline, & Susan. The last 3 known children (b. ca 1833 - 1838) did take the SIMPKINS surname: William, George, and Edmond (my great-grandfather - this line of mine averages about 41 years / generation). The slaveholding family came out of Virginia into Edgefield, SC, starting with Arthur (b. 1742 VA - d. 1826 SC). Numerous members of his family left will inventories identifying enslaved people by first names, and often in family groups. His son, Eldred had a daughter, Maria, who married James Edward Calhoun in 1839 Abbeville Co, SC. Calhoun's Millwood Plantation AKA today as the "Estate Lands" was flooded when the Russell Dam was built on the Savannah River. A multidisciplinary team researched & published info on Millwood (including an interview with my Aunt b. 1892). My Dad, the baby, was born to sharecropping parents who were still living on the "Estate Lands" in 1918. I only have a little information on Arthur's family, but at least VA gets you a bit farther north from SC with one known slave holding family. Perhaps someone on the list has the genealogical research to assist you. From what I've gathered, Arthur's parents were William Simkins and Sabra Roberts. He also had two brothers, Covington and William. Best of luck with your research! Sonia