Cirode returned to France in 1844, abandoning his wife, Jane, who eventually took Wood with her to Ohio, a free state. This list is by no means complete. Whether she succeeded in that quest is unknown but she did find a lawyer, Harvey Myers. The postwar constitutional amendments that abolished slavery and extended national citizenship to ex-slaves enabled Wood to pursue Ward in federal court. The society stores the documents in an archive spanning thousands of square feet, he said. February 27, 2023 By restaurants on the water in st clair shores. Slave traders met the demand by buying slaves in Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland and selling them in the cotton states. Gerard Brandon, one of the largest slaveholders in the South, bought Wood and took her to his house, Brandon Hall, on the Natchez Trace. Expressions of homesickness. Most rural enslaved people were owned by masters who had 10-20 enslaved people, who often were housed in closer proximity to masters, perhaps sharing housing, and perhaps having access to closer relations with their masters than plantation slaves had. This inventory lists the names, ages and capabilities of Arnold's newly . It remains the largest known sum ever granted by a U.S. court in restitution for slavery. Chilly weather. Harrisonburg by the 16th, butcould not pass the pickets" and found that all the Ferries on Ouachita & Tensas were destroyed or strictly guarded. Backtracks to Alexandria. Robertson offers him use of land, offers to put the deal in writing in Belton. Then, in 1848, Jane Cirode went to a county courthouse and registered Wood as free. "Fortunately for this country the institution of slavery has passed away," he had instructed the jurors, "and we should not bring our particular ideas of the legality or morality of an institution of that character into Court or the jury-box." Ownership was also an investment: purchased children and adults may or may not have been . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]. It went through a number of owners before becoming an inn and event venue. Wood secretly told her story to a sympathetic innkeeper who followed her to Lexington, where a lawsuit was filed on her behalf asserting that she was free. In November 2015, I retraced some of this route by car when coming back from Natchez. The value of his real estate was $18,000. Danish West Indies, Denmark, Records of Enslaved People, 1672-1917 Robert Payne, who attended Saturdays workshop, said hes been researching his family for the past 15 years, but finding information about his ancestors wasnt easy. The tract was known as Martin's Brandon. This mansion on the outskirts of Natchez was once the centerpiece of a large cotton plantation located on the Natchez Trace. The Foundation also has a photocopy of the original, which includes some pages not in the transcription and also reveals a number of errors in the typescript. Daisy Patterson Brandon Dale (Natchez: Daisy Patterson Brandon Dale, 2007), 72., Williams may be the Mississippi-born Walter Williams who died in 1959 at age 117, though that claim has been questioned., Phoebe appears to have been owned by Brandons brother Dr.James C. Brandon. Loundon Co. Duncan, Patricia B. Abstracts of Loudoun County Virginia Register of Free Negroes 1844-1861.Willow Bend Books, Westminster Maryland, 2000. But these people were writing down their inventory as if you would for insurance purposes. It is currently used as a successful wedding venue and bed & breakfast. This structure still exists as the "basement" of the present house known as Brandon Hall. The traders put Wood up for sale at Natchezs infamous Forks of the Road slave market. Mandys child died. On October 29, 1840, Charlotte Hoggatt married Gerard Brandon III, who was the son of an early Governor of Mississippi and the grandson of a Revolutionary War Hero of the same name. Brandon Hall was formally a large working cotton plantation located on the scenic Natchez Trace. The whole country bleeds and is in mourning. Its a database for the ones that are coming up. All accommodations at this luxury home have private in-room (not shared) bathrooms. Zebulon Ward was their man. They led me to archives in nine states in search of her story, which I tell in full for the first time in my new book, Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He had cautioned the jurors against an excessive award, claiming falsely that many former slaveholders already regretted slavery. In the eyes of Kentucky law, Wood was a slave. For them, the money Henrietta Wood demanded for her enslavement made a long-lasting difference. He helped Wood file a lawsuit in Cincinnati against Ward, now a wealthy man living in Lexington. This description comes from Mortuary Customs and Beliefs of South Carolina Negroes, published in 1894 by May A. Waring in the Atlanta Constitution: Brandon Hall was formally a large working cotton plantation located on the scenic Natchez Trace. Living very poor. His travels for land continue. Snowfall, the deepest I ever saw in the South. Begins December 31 entry, bitter cold, water freezes on the shelf inside his cabin. Mitchell.. Poole gone to the field. Homesick thoughts, trying to read his Bible. The free, public website also provides a high-resolution copy of the antique documents that identify the slave. Many newspapers described Woods suit as an old case or a relic of slavery times, consigning stories like hers to a fading past. In 1834, the teenager was bought by a merchant in Louisville and taken from her family. Brandon Hall C1856. A NCGenWeb Special Project Documented Slave Plantations of North Carolina is a comprehensive database of various plantations derived from a variety of information mediums. In June 1866, The New Orleans Daily Crescent published an announcement that Gerard Brandons wife Charlotte was awarded a separation of property between her and her husband by the Court of New Orleans. The Agricultural census of 1860 shows 250 improved acres, 450 unimproved, valued at $10,000. The case was eventually dismissed. One half illegible. A native Kentuckian who had recently moved to Covington, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ward became a deputy sheriff in 1853. On April 17, 1878, 12 white jurors entered a federal courtroom in Cincinnati to deliver the verdict in a now-forgotten lawsuit about American slavery. Cookie Policy W. Caleb McDaniel is a professor of history at Rice University. (That route is supported by a notation on page 5 of his journal showing that he paid a toll at Neches on July 21.). Discovered that several men (Isaac, [Matt] & Charley) had been in the hog business, cost me $30 (noted in ledger on p.9, Brandons page 14); medicine scarce; Oh! Prince George County: Brandon. Cold front. He helped Wood file a lawsuit in Cincinnati against Ward, now a wealthy man living in Lexington. erath county rant and rave; springfield, mo jail inmates; essex county hospital center jobs; blanching vs non blanching erythema; star trek next generation cast salaries At San Agustine by 11th. Travels to Belton in buggy. After Brandon and his wife died, the property changed hand numerous times, and with each sale, the vast acreage diminished. Wood secretly told her story to a sympathetic innkeeper who followed her to Lexington, where a lawsuit was filed on her behalf asserting that she was free. The corn we sold yesterday brought 3.15$ per barrel. Some counties mentioned in Brandons diary, cropped from Texas County Map (1860), Vicksburg veterans continue their critiques of planters who stay at home to take care of our negroes. They hoped to hear of evry planter there losing everything they had, for they had done but little to deserve success.. When she died in 1912, her suit was already forgotten by all except her son. Set in 19th century Louisiana, Smith portrays a runaway slave who embarks on a treacherous journey to Baton Rouge while thwarting off violent plantation owners. Newspapers described Wood's suit as an "old case" or a "relic of slavery times," consigning stories like hers to a fading past. Your Privacy Rights Cookie Settings, Illustration by Cliff Alejandro; Source material: W. Caleb McDaniel; NYPL (3), Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine now for just $12, Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island. In 2009 the owners of the house, Edward L. and James R. Diefenthal of New Orleans, Louisiana, donated the house to the Historic Natchez Foundation.[2]. They and their heirs farmed it successfully until 1720 when it was sold to Nathaniel Harrison. As one put it, Woods award was not a liberal equivalent for the loss of liberty she had suffered, but it would be applicable to a great many cases yet untried.. This heritage is currently documented on the plantation's grounds, in exhibits at nine of the original property's slave cabins. ] stream. Between 1820 and 1860, nearly one million people were sold down the river.. Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, a New Orleans native who has devoted much of her life to the study of slavery, spent 15 years in the courthouses of Louisiana, as well as in archives in Spain, France and. Our brave participants started in a near-pitch black maze through the auditorium. Yes, Boone Hall Plantation did have slaves right from the time it was established in 1681. In 1969, civil rights leader James Forman issued a manifesto calling on churches and synagogues to pay half a billion dollars in reparations to black Americans. One Sunday afternoon in April 1853, Boyd tricked Wood into taking a carriage ride across the river. Louisiana, U.S., Slave Manumission Records, 1719-1820. Finally, they announced a verdict that few expected: We, the Jury in the above entitled cause, do find for the plaintiff and assess her damages in the premises at Two thousand five hundred dollars.. I need to know my history, she said, adding the site may help her prove or disprove many of the things shes heard about her familys past. The bulk of his papers are in several collections at Historic Natchez Foundation. You can explore lives and stories of these slaves at the 9 slave cabins in the plantation where the Black History in America Exhibit is displayed. I wanted to really know. Drayton Hall's African American history interpretation began with Richmond Bowens, who was descended from enslaved African Americans at Drayton Hall. this property for them for I have seen sights of trouble more than I can ever describe or make them sensible of. Begins August 13 entry. The plantation was named after its original owner, Major John Boone, who came to the Carolina colony from Bermuda. Then, in 1878, jurors ruled that Ward should pay Wood for her enslavement. Though a fraction of what Wood had asked for, the amount would be worth nearly $65,000 today. See Goodspeeds entry on the Brandon family. Brandon was also required to pay his wife $127,436 with legal interest and costs of suit. ADAMS Formed in 1799 from Natchez District Anchorage Plantation North - Griffith Auburn Plantation - Duncan Avalange Plantation - Harper The land on which Brandon Hall now stands first passed into private ownership as a royal grant from the Spanish King Carlos III in 1788. Discusses leaving Poole with a power of attorney, and one with Bennett if Poole becomes indisposed. Misses a dinner invitation from Graves. By the 3rd he paid $53 for a ferry at Trinity, Louisiana (likely to cross the Black River), and then paid $38 to cross Little River on the 7th. Cirode returned to France in 1844, abandoning his wife, Jane, who eventually took Wood with her to Ohio, a free state. Charles S. Darden The Robertson County Tax Rolls for 1866 show him with 25 horses and no real estate. ( photo 1; photo 2 ) Slavery in Virginia is not just a Virginia story. 468 Filed Under: Mississippi Natchez Natchez She had not forgotten Ward and sued him the following year. Researching black folk is difficult, so anytime you can find a new resource its always good to investigate, he said. For centuries, a story of a haunted tree has been attached to Comingtee. Warsaw Indiana Website Design by 1Eighty Digital, 1744 Colonial For Sale In Norwich Connecticut. Today, many reparations advocates look to legislation, targeting governments for their complicity in slavery and white supremacy. Though a fraction of what Wood had asked for, the amount would be worth nearly $65,000 today. Ella Brandon Stantons daughter, Charlotte Brandon (1866-1936), married Dunbar Surget Merrill. Has dinner with a woman who is hard on all who were not in the army, two soldiers from Vicksburg also critical of Mississippians. . Goes hunting for deer. A Note to our Readers The plantation, however, plays a role in the darkest period of American history. They led me to archives in nine states in search of her story, which I tell in full for the first time in my new book, Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America. 1890 ( photo) The Briars , (aka Briers), built 1814-18 possibly by John Perkins, Natchez. Reynolds and Lively got married at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, which features nine slave cabins, referred to as "Slave Street." The move was criticized at the time, but came under . : Estate of Sara Brandon Rickey, 2000), 63n6., Thanks to Will Jones for locating Brandons name in the county tax rolls as part of his RA Assignments for Fall 2015., See Map of Robertson County, Portal to Texas History., Sandersons 72 slaves, valued at $64,800 appear in the Freestone County Tax Roles for 1864. The land on which Brandon Hall now stands first passed into private ownership as a royal grant from the Spanish King Carlos III in 1788. All rights reserved. Wagons and wheels being fixed. We sold all the negros 43 in number at astonishingly large prices the whole amounting to $32016. Brandon kept her enslaved on a cotton plantation until well after the war. In 1637, merchants John Sadler and Richard Quiney and mariner William Barber, bought Martin's Brandon. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. It will not be held responsible or liable for its use and accuracy. Construction on the home began in 1853 and it was completed in 1856.3, Slave schedules for the 1860 Census confirm Brandons large slaveholdings. the joint wedding of Hoster's daughter Catelyn to Brandon Stark, eldest son and heir of Lord Rickard of Winterfell, and Lord Rickard's daughter Lyanna to Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End. All Rights Reserved. Property is 45 acres and one of the few private driveways directly off the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Civil War began, followed in 1863 by the Emancipation Proclamation, but Wood's ordeal continued. Brandon owning 287 horses, cattle, sheep & miscellaneous property, valued at $2120, and no real estate. Begins December 26 entry, very rainy. Now I was in trouble. The story told by Bill deepens in complexity, and involves a plot by Ables son to run to Mexico, though most of his slaves deny that they were going to go along. Woods victory briefly made her lawsuit national news. I sowed the cotton, hoed the cotton, and picked the cotton. Starts with Sandy for Col. Robertson at Salado (see Elijah Robertson). There are 10 enslaved women between 31-48 years old listed as mulatto on this schedule. In the 1863 tax sales the property was sold to the Federal government for . appreciated. Two hundred and five years ago, on the night of January 8, 1811, more than 500 enslaved people took up arms in one of the largest slave rebellions in U.S. history. All rights reserved. So you may not know you have Virginia ancestors, but you could.. While the online website is intuitive on how to use, the workshops are being held for users who need more guidance, Levengood said. Nonetheless, I have always been conflicted about plantation-style homes. Sign up so you don't miss a single old house!!! Begins August 24 entry: no beef as yet now for four days. Slaves dissatisfied. Reflections on number of slaves he has brought: I am now content & feel if I can take care of what I have, I shall do very well., Doesnt like to hire out, & to feed them in idleness, they will soon eat their heads off. Learns of a meeting of locals for resolutions on refugees and the some 1000 or 1500 negroes moved into the region. Someone offers to speak up in Brandons defense, as mine looked clean & orderly. Williams has sent a ham, bucket of butter, & three water mellons. Begins August 29 entry: demands from persons wanting to hire negroes.. Brandon kept a diary of his Texas sojourn which is probably held today by a family descendant. Land he sees will do fine for small Farmers of from 1 to 20 hands to make a living on, but to plant extensively or make a fortune I should never come here except on the creeks. Hasnt seen good hogs. Inside, behind the handsomely recessed main entrance, were parlor rugs from the Orient, services of English silver, mantels of the finest Italian marble and great pier mirrors from France., Since the 1860 slave schedule was not searchable at the time, the page numbers are provided for the Mississippi and Louisiana slave schedules., The affidavit says that on the 1st of July, 1863, the pending war, and the exigencies of the times compelled his hasty departure from this state for the state of Texas, where he was detained until February 1864. Photograph: Jessica Crawford. These 81 years extended from Mississippi's frontier days during the period of grace and plenty before the Civil War, and through the South's darkest hours after the war. The Brandons were harvesters of cotton, sugarcane, and indigo and owned 700 slaves. All accommodations at this luxury home have private in-room (not shared) bathrooms. I first learned of Wood from two interviews she gave to reporters in the 1870s. Wood's victory briefly made her lawsuit national news. Headed back to TX today using same route Brandon took with slaves, including Wood, in 1863. about opposition to refugees, particularly if they had much property, and the slogan rich mans war & the poor mans fight. Another refugee who had fenced up a spring. I really sometimes wish the war was ended, & would rejoice to hear the glad tidings of peace. Begins August 30 entry awakened by a fuss about eggs & a chicken and a slave who has robbed a hen house of a neighbor last night. 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