Elijah was listed in the register as being 5 feet 10.25 inches tall and having a yellow complexion. In Common Law Book B, his appearance was listed in the same manner, and he was "known by the court to be free born."
In the partition of Elijah M. McClanahan's enslaved individuals, Billy Brown, Reuben, Little Billy, Anthony, Granville, Dick, Henry, Mariah and child Daniel, Marion, Evaline and child, Peggy, and Elijah. Each of these individuals was divided into seven "lots" to be divided equally between Betsy Cox, Mary Montague, Lucy Johnston, Aggy Ingles, Catherine Jones, Fanny Miller, and Jane Lewis that are valued at $1,092.85 each.
Elijah registered three times: at 21 years old, 34 years old, and 35 years old. He was listed as being "bright mulatto," 5 feet 7 inches tall, and having a small scar on his left cheek and a dark spot on his right shoulder. In Common Law Book D, Elijah's appearance was described in the same manner at 21 years old. The same occurred in Common Law Book E when he was 31 years old.
Elijah was listed in the register as being 5 feet 6.5 inches tall with a "black complexion." In Common Law Book E, his appearance was listed in the same manner. Elijah was also listed in the Requisition Records as one of several free Black men who were requisitioned for labor by Major General Breckinridge.