Researching Gillilands of color -- or slaves in Gilliland households -- presents it own unique set of hurdles. Since many or most early records must be traced via the slave owner rather than those who were themselves slaves, numerous sources must be combed for clues, including wills, court records for bills of sale, slave registers, tax rolls, etc.
Even then there may be an absence of evidence that a slave within a Gilliland household used the surname, though we know this to have been true for some Gillilands of color, such as the African-American Gilleylens of Mississippi. Nevertheless, any and all early documents may hold important clues for researching those early ancestors, so I've included a variety of records here. Any additions to this file are most welcome.
-- Kate Maynard