| Tom |
Anderson | Enslaved man |
| Beth |
Ann | Clarence's wife |
| Arthur |
Brindle | Juror |
| Jean |
Broussard | French immigrant and slave owner |
| Beau |
Calhenny | His companion |
| Morris |
Calhenny | Wealthy slave owner |
| Manfred |
Carlyle | Brings smallpox |
| Louis |
Cartwright | Son of William Robbins and Philomena |
| Philomena |
Cartwright | Black mistress and former slave |
| Saunders |
Church | Free Black man |
| Alfreda |
Colfax | Member of Colfax family |
| Robert |
Colfax | Wealthy landowner |
| Mary |
Conlon | Irish woman. Aka: Mary O'Donnell Conlon |
| Timothy |
Conlon | Mary's son |
| Abundance |
Crawford | Kidnapped girl |
| Cameron |
Darr | Overseer |
| Jebediah |
Dickinson | Gambler |
| Fern |
Elston | A respected free Black schoolteacher |
| Millard |
Fillmore | U.S. President (reference) |
| Benjamin |
Franklin | Founding Father (reference) |
| Anderson |
Frazier | Journalist |
| Elias |
Freeman | An enslaved man on Henry Townsend's plantation |
| Thomas |
Gray | English poet (reference) |
| Thomas |
Jefferson | 3rd U.S. President (reference) |
| Hiram |
Jinkins | Louisiana man |
| Barnum |
Kinsey | Deputy |
| Wilbur |
Mann | Reverend |
| Sara |
Marshall | Seamstress |
| Elizabeth |
Marson | A white woman in Manchester County |
| Clara |
Martin | Cousin of Winifred |
| Hope |
Martin | Young woman |
| Shavis |
Merle | Slave owner |
| Valtims |
Moffett | Preacher |
| Maude |
Newman | Mother of Caldonia and Calvin |
| Tilmon |
Newman | Father of Caldonia and Calvin |
| Gilly |
Patterson | Sheriff |
| Winifred |
Patterson | Wife of John Skiffington |
| William |
Robbins | Wealthy white plantation owner in Manchester County |
| Graciela |
Sanderson | Harry's wife |
| Harry |
Sanderson | Capitol liaison |
| William |
Shakespeare | English playwright (reference) |
| Belle |
Skiffington | Wife of Counsel Skiffington |
| Carl |
Skiffington | John's father |
| Counsel |
Skiffington | John's wealthy cousin |
| John |
Skiffington | Sheriff |
| Esther |
Sokoloff | Anderson's partner |
| Ray |
Topps | Insurance man |
| Augustus |
Townsend | Henry's father |
| Caldonia |
Townsend | An educated, free-born wife of Henry Townsend |
| Calvin |
Townsend | Caldonia's twin brother |
| Henry |
Townsend | A formerly enslaved Black man who becomes a plantation owner |
| Harvey |
Travis | Brutal white slave patroller |
| Hillard |
Uster | Hope's husband |
| Mandy |
Wallace | Kidnapping victim |
| George |
Washington | 1st U.S. President (reference) |
| Clarence |
Wilford | Patroller |
| Saskia |
Wilhelm | Prostitute |
| Achilles |
| Mythological figure (reference) |
| Agnes |
| Irish immigrant baby |
| Alice |
| A slave on Henry Townsend's plantation, initially seen as a madwoman |
| Allie |
| Patty's child |
| Annette |
| Belle's maid |
| Bennett |
| Zeddie's partner |
| Bessie |
| Enslaved woman |
| Boyd |
| Grant's friend |
| Carolyn |
| Kidnapping victim |
| Cassandra |
| Delphie's daughter. Aka: Cassie |
| Celeste |
| Elias Freeman's wife |
| Charles |
| Slave from Colfax plantation |
| Clarke |
| Enslaved man |
| Clement |
| Last slave purchased by Henry |
| Colley |
| Enslaved by Fern |
| Darcy |
| Slave trader |
| Delores |
| Young enslaved girl |
| Delphie |
| Enslaved woman on Townsend plantation |
| Destiny |
| Enslaved woman owned by Elizabeth Marson |
| Dora |
| Daughter of William Robbins and Philomena |
| Ellwood |
| Elias's child |
| Epetha |
| Cook |
| Essie |
| Nancy's fiancée |
| Eva |
| Carolyn's sister |
| Fred |
| Slave |
| Gloria |
| Stamford's partner |
| Grant |
| Tessie's brother |
| Helen |
| Moffett's wife |
| Isabelle |
| Saunders's wife |
| Jamie |
| Moses's son |
| Jeff |
| Barnum's slave |
| Jesse |
| A slave |
| Judy |
| Enslaved woman |
| Laura |
| Counsel's daughter |
| Loretta |
| Personal maid to Caldonia Townsend |
| Lucinda |
| Unborn child of Celeste |
| Luke |
| A 12-year-old enslaved boy |
| May |
| Peter's wife |
| Melanie |
| Enslaved woman |
| Mildred |
| Augustus's wife |
| Millard |
| Slave from Colfax plantation |
| Mindy |
| Toby's sister |
| Minerva |
| Enslaved girl. Aka: Minnie |
| Mirtha |
| Enslaved woman owned by Elizabeth Marson |
| Moses |
| A slave and overseer on Henry Townsend's plantation |
| Nancy |
| Enslaved girl |
| Newby |
| Patty's child |
| Oden |
| Patroller |
| Ophelia |
| Young enslaved girl |
| Patience |
| Dora's half-sister |
| Patrick |
| Delores's brother |
| Patty |
| Belle's maid |
| Pauline |
| Moffett's slave |
| Peter |
| Enslaved man |
| Priscilla |
| Moses's wife |
| Ralph |
| Enslaved man |
| Ramsey |
| Fern Elston's first husband |
| Rita |
| Mildred's cabin mate |
| Sam |
| Elderly enslaved man |
| Selby |
| Baker |
| Sheila |
| Anderson's sister |
| Sir Guilderham |
| William Robbins's prized horse |
| Spencer |
| Kidnapping victim |
| Stamford |
| Slave on Robbins plantation |
| Stennis |
| Darcy's slave |
| Tessie |
| Child of Elias and Celeste |
| Thorbecke |
| Saskia's husband |
| Toby |
| Groom of William Robbins |
| Torry |
| Essie's lover |
| Victoria |
| Enslaved woman |
| Willis |
| Brickmaker |
| Wilson |
| Morris's son |
| Zeddie |
| The cook |
| Zeus |
| Servant |
