One of the talks I give is entitled, "Researching Formerly-Enslaved Ancestors - It Takes a Village!" The entire focus of the presentation is to share the different types of documentation, in existence, of the lives of the formerly-enslaved, and to encourage descendants of slave/property owners to become actively engaged and involved in sharing information, that may be in their possession and/or research notes, which would help to illuminate the lives and circumstances of once-owned human
property.
Today, while doing a search for something else, I ran across this site for Andrew Jackson's Hermitage Plantation, in Nashville, Tennessee. While perusing the site, it occurred to me (almost instantly) that THIS is a great example of the work that can be done to research, and then SHARE and EXPOSE the names and lives of our formerly-enslaved ancestors. The staff of this presidential property has taken the time to SAY THE NAMES and share the stories of many of the property's enslaved individuals. Here's just one example:
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https://thehermitage.com/learn/mansion-grounds/slavery/
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Not only are the names of the formerly-enslaved given on the site, but also there is a page showing the occupations and family groups of the people who lived and worked at the Hermitage! Yes, I said family groups!!!! (Click the link.)
The Hermitage property still has three slave cabins standing, one of which was the cabin of Alfred Jackson, a formerly-enslaved man who continued to live there until his death in 1901.
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Photo from The Hermitage web site:
https://thehermitage.com/learn/mansion-grounds/garden-grounds/slave-sites
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There is so much on this informative web site, I can't even begin to tell it all, especially since I stopped, shortly after finding it, to write this post! Not only have the stories of these formerly-enslaved people been brought to the light, but the staff at Hermitage have also created a digital archive to allow us to further examine the types of over 800,000 artifacts they've found, and to share the stories they tell. Wow! /Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery
I believe that, though this is a large scale entity, and of public interest, it is a prime example of what I mean when I say, "It takes a village"! Kudos to the staff at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, and to any and all researchers, archaeologists, historians, and anyone else who had a hand in putting this site together. I wish I'd known about this when I visited Nashville, a few years ago, but I didn't. I will definitely put this on my list of places to visit, if I'm ever in that area, again!
Renate
- The source of all information in this post is from the web site: Andrew Jackson's Hermitage: Home of the People's President https://thehermitage.com/ specifically from the section entitled, "Understanding the Other Families at The Hermitage. https://thehermitage.com/learn/mansion-grounds/slavery/
- The presentation, "Researching Formerly-Enslaved Ancestors - It Takes a Village" was created and is given by genealogist, Renate Yarborough Sanders, and may be scheduled by contacting me at yarsan@aol.com.
Permalink: https://genea-related.blogspot.com/2017/11/one-of-talks-i-give-is-entitled.html
This of particular interest to me for a number of reasons. My 4th ggf was John Rieff. His eldest brother was Henry Rieff who was a partner with William C. Hume in architecture and contracting. They built the original Hermitage in 1818 and 1819. Henry Rieff died in 1824 and another contractor added to the structure in the early 1830's. The home burnt in 1834, with the exception of the dining room wing. I have read that Henry's brother Joseph was instrumental in saving that wing by getting a bucket brigade going with he on roof pouring water. Jospeh and his brother's old partner were in on the rebuilding of the Hermitage and also were architects and builders of Tulip Grove, a home Jackson built for his nephew and namesake, Andrew Jackson Donalson. This is the connection that appears to be the "good one" with Old Hickory. Now, to another ancestor of mine, Alexander Sanders, a half-breed Cherokee who fought as a Captain under Jackson in the War of 1812 and lost a finger in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend when the Creek Indians known as the "Red Sticks" were almost entirely annihilated. The Cherokee were promised that they would not be forced to give up their lands in the eastern U.S. as they had adopted all ways of the white man, houses, roads, schools, stores, etc. Andrew Jackson reneged on his promise and forced the five civilized tribes to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. I've spoken with Cherokees in Oklahoma that hate Jackson so badly that they will not except a $20 bill. What a good day when Harriet Tubman will replace his image. We can't judge our ancestors but when we do genealogy, we soon learn that we are an admixture of people who are on both sides of the line in every conflicting issue. We are the sum of the combinations. We are all 99+% the same genetically. Let us all love one another!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bob, for this informative and inspiring comment! I shared this post with the folks at The Hermitage, so don't be surprised if someone reaches out to you. It certainly sounds like you've done your homework on your ancestors!
ReplyDeleteDo you know if records exist of enslaved labor being used by Reiff and Hume?
Thanks, again, for commenting!
Renate
I think this is a great idea and wish the plantations where my people were enslaved would do likewise!
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