NCCHATHA-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: [NCCHATHA] Freedmen and Slaves
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 22:04:18 EST

Hello,

Someone wanted information about slave owners and slaves, and I think the
surname was McKnight. I am not sure which county listing it was on, so
forgive me if it is a repeat for several of you.

I was cleaning up my files and saving to a zip disk when I came across this
one. I have not gone to the links provided in the newsletter. I have
nothing to do with the links, and I cannot help anyone more than just
providing you with the address for the sites.

Even though the main subject is about Brazoria Co. Texas, I think the other
links might be of help outside of Texas. I thought it was worth sending in
hopes of helping someone.

I think having to research ancestors that were slaves, or if you were adopted
out, would have to be two of the hardest researches to conduct. So when I
get frustrated or against a brick wall, I think of those that have more
obstacles to overcome, and it makes my wall seem more like a fence.

Barbara
* * *
EVERTON'S FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLINE
Slavery in Brazoria County

Those who are tracing their slave ancestors may initially be
discouraged by the paucity of "normal" records available for
research. Slave census schedules often fail to name individuals, for
example. And yet there are still many resources available to help
genealogists trace their slave ancestors.

An excellent online example of the depth and breadth of research
material available is "The Enslaved People of Patton Plantation",
prepared in precise detail by Cary Cordova and published on the World
Wide Web by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

This fascinating and helpful website provides data resolved from tax
rolls, deeds, probate minutes, personal narratives, bonds, censuses
and other sources to document the slaves that worked on the Patton
Plantation and their lives.

Among the most interesting features are the lists of freedmen and
slaves, each of which is arranged alphabetically, and each of which
provides reference documentation of the individual in the records
used for this project. The family who owned the plantation is also
remembered through a short summary of the pertinent Patton
generations.

If your own ancestry runs through Brazoria County, Texas, you will
definitely want to visit this website. And if you have slaves in your
family's past you will want to check it out to learn what records may
be available for your own research, and how you can use them to
reconstruct the history of your family.

Resources:

The Enslaved People of Patton Plantation
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/varner/slavery/index.htm

AfriGeneas
http://www.afrigeneas.com/

The Freedmen's Bureau Online
http://www.freedmensbureau.com/index.ht

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