Mam-ma's Southern Family

In order to help the descendants of the enslaved, I try to transcribe and post the names of the enslaved when I find them. This division was posted to the inventories and appraisements in Rankin County by the assigned commissioners.  To John B. Thomas: Susan, William & Sam                          $950.00 To Isaiah Halcomb & Elizabeth his wife: Edmund & Silva      $1000.00 To Redwine Pierce & Mary his wife: Dangerfield                $300.00 To Stephen Thomas: Sally, Chimy, & Alfred                          $1175.00 To Eliza Cook, wife of Alvin Cook: Stepen, Polly & child Nancy      $950.00 To William Thomas: Dave                          ...

Saying the names of the enslaved brings them to life. As I find these people in my ancestor’s records, I shall bring them to the light and say their names. They are an important part of the history of my ancestor’s lives and their livelihood. I am currently studying the life of Jemima Porter who married Daniel Coor around 1784 in North Carolina. [1] Fast forward, she died sometime before 18 February 1839, when George Madison Barnes began settling her estate. He, with sureties Samuel T. Scott and W. K. Perkins, posted the bond of twenty thousand dollars, which indicates an estate of large value. [2]   Bond, George M. Barnes, Jemima Coor Estate On the same day, the following men were ordered to appraise her estate: Edwin R. Brown, Moses Norman, Chas. J. Hendry, Andrew J. Cassity and Samuel H Aby. Aby, Brown, and Norman swore and signed the authorization for the appraisal. [3] E. R. Brown, P. H. Aby, and MD Norman performed the appraisal and issued the following list of the perso...

This past week I attended the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI for short) that was originally scheduled for three days of instruction at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) but because of Covid-19, was scheduled online. This gave me the opportunity to attend. Check out their website for next year’s courses. Just $50 can reserve you spot! I took Track IB: Methods & Strategies for Slavery Era Research , coordinated by Dr. Shelley Murphy. We had these wonderful instructors: Nicka Sewell-Smith “Systems to Track and Document Enslaved Populations.” Excel or Google Sheets is your friend in keeping track of all of the data about the enslaved and enslavers, plus keeping track of DNA matches. “No Stone Unturned: Case Studies in Identifying the Last Slaveholder.” Surnames are not always an indicator of last enslaver. It was seeing her success stories. “Case Studies in Gray: Identifying Shared Ancestries Thru DNA.” Lots more use of online DNA sites a...