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First published in 1993. The probate records of antebellum black Bostonians offer an ideal opportunity to compare the literature to a primary source, both in terms of content and method. Critical reviews of the scholarship, first, on black social history and, then, on probate inventories as historic sources precede an examination of the probate records themselves and a comparison of the literature to probate records. The study concludes by indicating that the shortcomings of probate records arise from their leaving much mysterious or misunderstood without recourse to other sources while their strengths residei n their intimate and subtle suggestions for understanding a purportedly inarticulate population.