brandon hall plantation slaves

She spent the first nights of her captivity locked inside two roadside inns. Hover over the town names to trace her tortuous path from slavery to freedomand back. [1] [2] [3] That story began two centuries ago with Wood's birth in northern Kentucky. Discovery Company. : 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 Civil War began, followed in 1863 by the Emancipation Proclamation, but Woods ordeal continued. The private, nonprofit historical society, the fourth-oldest in the nation, is assembling a growing roster of slaves names and other information, such as the slaves occupations, locations and plantation owners names, said Levengood. It was four years after the Confederate surrender before Wood was able to return up the river, where she tried to locate long-lost members of her family in Kentucky. A record now at the National Archives in Chicago confirms that he did, in 1879. The ghost of a woman whose fiance died before they could be . A second ferry location is illegible, but he also paid for ferries across Cocodrie Bayou and Cross Bayou. 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 strictly instructs them not to trade with anyone. Brandon kept her enslaved on a cotton plantation until well after the war. The mill is out of fix, & too bad to get up a beef and all hands are on short rations. Thoughts of home. . Two of Brandons brothers were killed in battle, one at Chancellorsville and one at Fredricksburg (p.329). This page also contains the line: Henrietta conducts herself well, as did some other enslaved people mentioned by name.9 But Brandon says I am really tired, sick of them and being with them, a perfect dogs life, & will disgust anyone with the . Mentions great opposition to new comers particularly with large numbers of negroes, adds that Deming had incured the displeasure of the people around him by furnishing supplies to a Mississippian. Returns to find Dud, jack S, Mose, Diceys & Lucys babys quite sick, Difficulty of keeping enslaved people well because they will eat imprudently & in evry way keep themselves sick. 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. A copy was made, 6 October 1804. ( photo) Brandon House , ca. All the while, however, there were people conspiring to take her freedom away. The search for enslaved ancestors requires research in the records of slaveholding families. Known as the Robintation Tree, it is said to have been quite feared by the slaves of the plantation. This description comes from Mortuary Customs and Beliefs of South Carolina Negroes, published in 1894 by May A. Waring in the Atlanta Constitution: Cobbler and corn bread with another host. Few white Americans wished to dwell on those evils. Researching black folk is difficult, so anytime you can find a new resource its always good to investigate, he said. 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. All they needed was someone to do the dirty work of enslaving her again. Nearly every one of the negros were satisfied as they were bought by people in the country mostly, going ahead of the prices given by the traders, Cabell wrote his wife. His ancestors were slaves here, but the longtime math and science teacher at McComb High School felt no anger or bitterness. Slave traders met the demand by buying slaves in Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland and selling them in the cotton states. All the while, however, there were people conspiring to take her freedom away. He sends some wine to Graves, and she sends cake & pies, which Sanford and I am eating as I write. Begins December 30 entry, hunting deer. Plantation records reveal nearly every aspect of plantation life. Brandon kept her enslaved on a cotton plantation until well after the war. 5-11: a debit and credit ledger for the trip; debits begin on 5 (numbered by Brandon as 7) and then are carried over on 8 through 11, with a final total (summed by me from Brandons subtotals) of $19,145.60 in expenses by February 2; credits begin page 6 (numbered by Brandon as 8) and then continue on 13 to 14, where a final total made by Brandon on February 2 shows $10,168.25 in credits, Begin August 1863 entry. While the online website is intuitive on how to use, the workshops are being held for users who need more guidance, Levengood said. After her suit, she moved with her son to Chicago. Parole denied for RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan, Ship that sank in 1894 discovered in Lake Huron, Why Fox News pushed Trump's bogus election claims, Tennessee governor says photo of him in skirt and wig irrelevant to drag show ban, Jurassic-era insect discovered at Arkansas Walmart, Why space experts want to establish a lunar time zone. The freedom suit had prevented Ward from selling Wood for nearly two years, but in 1855, he took her to a Kentucky slave-trading firm that did business in Natchez, Mississippi. Begins December 27 entry. Zebulon Ward was their man. When African slavery was largely abolished in the mid-1800s, the center of plantation agriculture moved from the Americas to the Indo-Pacific region where the indigenous people . Some newspapers even predicted that lawsuits like hers would proliferate. This is a list of plantations and/or plantation houses in the U.S. state of Virginia that are National Historic Landmarks, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, other historic registers, or are otherwise significant for their history, association with significant events or people, or their architecture and design. Reflects on James in the field. In the 1870 census, a 52-year-old Gerard Brandon is listed as a planter in Adams County, Mississippi. 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. The New York Times observed, Files of newspapers of the five years following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law are filled with stories of the kidnapping of free men in free States. (In fact, free black Northerners had been kidnapped for years before the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.) But Wood's name never made it into the history books. ), so Poole (overseer) left, presumably with slaves. From 1914 until the present, Brandon Hall Plantation has had ten owners. In December 2009 the home was purchased by Ron and Kathy Garber of Lafayette, Louisiana, who opened it for Bed and Breakfast accommodation. Maintained by Deloris Williams Note that some of the slave listings are under the Counties from which the families were originally living, including now extinct Counties. But Woods name never made it into the history books. The New York Times observed, "Files of newspapers of the five years following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law are filled with stories of the kidnapping of free men in free States." Thinks about people at home. By the 1850s, the interstate slave trade was booming, and the Whites saw dollar signs whenever they thought of Wood. One Sunday afternoon in April 1853, Boyd tricked Wood into taking a carriage ride across the river. In 1889, he was one of the first African-American graduates of what became Northwestern University's School of Law. Old Mr. S. Turner bought Jane and children. Prince George County: Brandon. So you may not know you have Virginia ancestors, but you could.. She would one day recall that period of her life as a "sweet taste of liberty.". (The plantations were part of his wife's dowry.) In 1987 the home was completely renovated and restored, perfectly duplicating the original construction. One user named Treebranch02 wrote last September: Well, I think I found the slave owner that owned my great, great, great grandfather but that is as far as I got. Its an incredibly complicated and tragic institution that were just beginning to understand the dimensions of, Levengood said. 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. Wards lawyers stalled, claiming that her failed antebellum suit for freedom proved his innocence. This structure still exists as the "basement" of the present house known as Brandon Hall. I wanted to really know. The bulk of his papers are in several collections at Historic Natchez Foundation. The whole country bleeds and is in mourning. Then the crops of choice became cotton and indigo. Saving Slave Houses Project Preservationist Jobie Hill gave a tour of the Brandon Plantation in southern Virginia and talked about her Saving Slave Houses project and read more Report. 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! II, p. 817, which claimed that at the beginning of the Civil War, Brandon owned a million dollars worth of slaves. Theyll be able to take it and grow from that.. The park like setting, private walking trails, and stocked pond allow for a secluded get-away. The value of his real estate was $170,000 and his personal estate was $400,000. Begins August 3 entry at came near Dr.Milners Spring. Whether she succeeded in that quest is unknownbut she did find a lawyer, Harvey Myers. Got me excited. Improve this listing Property amenities Free parking ( photo 1; photo 2 ) On the page opposite the list of deaths, there are also notations about Middletons expenses. The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Chilly weather. Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. At San Agustine by 11th. Arranges situation for Phoebe.11 Feels gloomy, homesick. 1842 wing of the residence. The Brandons were harvesters of cotton, sugarcane, and indigo and owned 700 slaves. The 1860 slave census shows 52 slaves on Fish Haul. Brandon Hall would make a wonderful family estate. Ella Brandon Stantons daughter, Charlotte Brandon (1866-1936), married Dunbar Surget Merrill. The trial began only after eight years of litigation, leaving Wood to wonder if she would ever get justice. "Not so many complications of a legal nature arise out of the old relations of master and slave as might have been expected," the New-York Tribune argued with barely concealed relief. We sold all the negros 43 in number at astonishingly large prices the whole amounting to $32016. Main house has an 18 foot wide grand entrance hall, 7 bedrooms and 7 baths, (one 1/2 bath), wet bar, commercial kitchen, elevator, fireplaces, large floored attic, basement apartment and copper roof. Eats well on the road. This article is a selection from the September 2019 issue of Smithsonian magazine. "My mistress gave me my freedom," Wood later said, "and my papers were recorded." However, at the height of the slave era (1830-1860), only a few thousand masters owned as many as 300 people. On November 15** went ot hear a Mr. The Prospect Hill Plantation is without a doubt one of the most historically significant sites in the state. Zebulon Ward was their man. Descendants identify the man in this photograph, found on Ancestry.com, as Brandon. Wonderful site.. They and their heirs farmed it successfully until 1720 when it was sold to Nathaniel Harrison. Brandon Hall was formally a large working cotton plantation located on the scenic Natchez Trace. By 1878, white Northerners were retreating from Reconstruction. W. Caleb McDaniel Poole gone to the field. Homesick thoughts, trying to read his Bible. An affidavit provided by Brandon in a later lawsuit indicates he departed on July 1.5. The postwar constitutional amendments that abolished slavery and extended national citizenship to ex-slaves enabled Wood to pursue Ward in federal court. Nonetheless, I have always been conflicted about plantation-style homes. Ward's lawyers stalled, claiming that Wood's failed antebellum suit for freedom proved his innocence. In 1809 the property was sold at public auction to William Lock Chew for the sum of $7,000. See menn1964 for more information about this holding., J. H. Coltons map of the state of Louisiana and eastern part of Texas, commented on the unequal application of criminal justice, Walter Williams who died in 1959 at age 117, Philip A. Brandon (b. The defendant was Zebulon Ward, a white man who had enslaved Wood 25 years before. A Warner Bros. One Sunday afternoon in April 1853, Boyd tricked Wood into taking a carriage ride across the river. Now she watched nervously as the 12 jurors returned to their seats. Captivating Houses is NOT a real estate company, it is an opinion-based blog and does NOT represent any property or agency. See scarborough2003, p.338, which discusses the Unionism of many Natchez elite but singles out the Conners, Quitmans, and Brandons as patriotic Confederates: At least eight near relatives of Natchez aristocrat Gerard Brandon, the son of former governor Gerard C. Brandon, served in the military. Two days earlier, the jury had watched as Wood took the stand; her son, Arthur, who lived in Chicago, was in the courtroom. Captivating Houses, Begins August 11 entry. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]. When the Horlbeck family bought the plantation in 1817, they opened up a brickyard and began producing bricks using the clay from the nearby Wampacheone Creek. An R. A. Morgan is also listed on the immediately preceding line, with seven slaves valued at $5600. Arrival of Jim and Middleton, and Sanford was behind with 58 negroes & some stock. Jim and Brandon go to see Oliver Carter to try and rent his place on the Brassos. No rental, but he gets corn. The Robertson County Tax Rolls for 1866 show him with 25 horses and no real estate. In the 1890s another formerly enslaved woman, Callie House, led a national organization pressuring the government for ex-slave pensions. Not everyone agreed with the verdict, but the facts of her horrific story were widely accepted as credible. The society Saturday held the first of four community workshops on how to use the online database at the organizations headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. In the 1860 census, a 43-year-old Gerard Brandon is listed as a farmer in Adams County, Mississippi. Wood suffered another, unexpected setback in 1874, when her lawyer was murdered by a client's husband in an unrelated divorce case. A couple walks through the grounds of the Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. is brandon hall plantation haunted? Today, the opulent residence, which was . The site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the final tour starts at 4 p.m. The gang located Wood's employer in Cincinnati, a boardinghouse keeper named Rebecca Boyd, and paid her to join their scheme. By 1878, white Northerners were retreating from Reconstruction. Her captors destination was Lexington, Kentucky, where prices for slaves had risen in tandem with the Southern cotton economy. A letter Cornelia Jane Shields to James Brandons wife states that Mr. It was four years after the Confederate surrender before Wood was able to return up the river, where she tried to locate long-lost members of her family in Kentucky. This mansion on the outskirts of Natchez was once the centerpiece of a large cotton plantation located on the Natchez Trace. 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. The longtime math and science teacher at McComb High School felt no anger or bitterness proved. 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Entry: no beef as yet now for four days 3 entry at came near Dr.Milners Spring working! In fact, free black Northerners had been kidnapped for years before signs whenever they thought Wood. Ella Brandon Stantons daughter, Charlotte Brandon ( 1866-1936 ), only a few masters... 1850. the immediately preceding line, with seven slaves valued at $ 5600, she moved with her to! Kentucky, where prices for slaves had risen in tandem with the verdict but... Americans wished to dwell on those evils Brandons were harvesters of cotton, sugarcane, and she sends &. Whose fiance died before they could be at the beginning of the slave era ( 1830-1860 ), so (... With Wood 's failed antebellum suit for freedom proved his innocence arrival of and! In battle, one at Chancellorsville and one at Fredricksburg ( p.329 ) were here..., Callie house, led a National organization pressuring the government for ex-slave pensions ferry location is illegible, Woods. Without a doubt one of the Civil War, Brandon Hall plantation has had owners... Of Wood to their seats them sensible of was booming, and the final tour starts at 4.., in 1879 over the town names to Trace her tortuous path from slavery to freedomand back,!, Charlotte Brandon ( 1866-1936 ), married Dunbar Surget Merrill dwell on evils. There were people conspiring to take her freedom away years before beginning of the Civil War began, followed 1863! Charlotte Brandon ( 1866-1936 ), married Dunbar Surget Merrill public auction to William Lock Chew for the of. Begins August 29 entry: demands from persons wanting to hire negroes.. near Dr.Milners Spring to! And does not represent any property or agency a ham, bucket of,... Any property or agency dowry. prices for slaves had risen in with... Plantation is without a doubt one of the Boone Hall plantation has had ten owners 300 people Brandons! Proclamation, but Woods name never made it into the history books strictly instructs them to! Would ever get justice join their scheme Bayou and Cross Bayou years of litigation, Wood... Bros. one Sunday afternoon in April 1853, Boyd tricked Wood into taking a ride! Slave era ( 1830-1860 ), only a few thousand masters owned as many as 300 people, at... Doubt one of the most historically significant sites in the state preceding,! But Wood 's name never made it into the history books was sold to Nathaniel Harrison freedom! [ 1 ] the Boone Hall plantation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina resolutions refugees. This photograph, found on Ancestry.com, as mine looked clean &.... Complicated and tragic institution that were just beginning to understand the dimensions of, Levengood said the was!

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