Slavery in a data set

[Linda D 0]

I've asked this in another topic and got some great advice.

 

If anyone has had experience in customizing a data set to reflect American slavery, I'd be grateful for any helpful hints. Any type of suggestions are welcome, given I'm just learning this.

 

I've started my data set with the genealogy related to the famous slave Harriet Tubman (so far only about 80 people). I see how you can add unrelated people. I've added one unrelated name to learn how this all works. I'm experimenting with creating tags specific to these types relationships. I created a tag "enslaved" to be used with some in those related to Tubman and that has worked somewhat so far. I haven't decided if it's best or possible to incorporate the same tag for a slave owner or to develop another for that type of event detail (i.e, Principal enslaved PO or Principal owned PO).

 

I know this can be sticky. Some slaves were owned by one person but enslaved (or hired out to be serve as a slave) by another person although still legally owned by the first. So if you have any experience in this, I'd be one happy puppy.

 

Anyhow, thanks in advance for any advice. Be gentle, I'm a novice.

 

 

Linda

[Pierce.Reid 0]

I've asked this in another topic and got some great advice.

 

If anyone has had experience in customizing a data set to reflect American slavery, I'd be grateful for any helpful hints. Any type of suggestions are welcome, given I'm just learning this.

 

I've started my data set with the genealogy related to the famous slave Harriet Tubman (so far only about 80 people). I see how you can add unrelated people. I've added one unrelated name to learn how this all works. I'm experimenting with creating tags specific to these types relationships. I created a tag "enslaved" to be used with some in those related to Tubman and that has worked somewhat so far. I haven't decided if it's best or possible to incorporate the same tag for a slave owner or to develop another for that type of event detail (i.e, Principal enslaved PO or Principal owned PO).

 

I know this can be sticky. Some slaves were owned by one person but enslaved (or hired out to be serve as a slave) by another person although still legally owned by the first. So if you have any experience in this, I'd be one happy puppy.

 

Anyhow, thanks in advance for any advice. Be gentle, I'm a novice.

 

 

Linda

Linda,

I have not encountered any slave individuals in my data, so I have no experience in what conditions you might want to report.

 

However, a good starting point is to decide how you want the text to read. Write out exactly what you want your report to say. That includes deciding which individuals you want the information reported for. Decide which data elements might change from one tag occurrence to the next. The key individuals and maybe the date are obvious ones, and maybe the location. These have codes that are used in the sentence syntax. Other variable information can be built into sections of the memo field, and/or you can use the memo field to add any additional text that is of interest.

 

Note that if you want to report slave information in several different ways, you can define several tag types to get what you want.

 

Once you know how your want your text to read, you can replace the parts you want to be changeable with appropriate variable codes. That may be beyond your present knowledge, but if you give examples of what you want, you will get suggestions from the list on just what you need.

 

Then you will be using more of the power of TMG to produce the reports that you want.

 

Pierce

[Linda D 0]

Thank you so much!

 

I was starting to think of the sentence structures, since I've been learning how to edit those. And I just tried one just to see how it works. And as a result, what is nice, is that like the other related names, one can now click on the slaveowner's name and go to his detail and his family tree. That's going to be very helpful to the purpose of this chart. Now, I just have to think more about the sentences. And as you indicated, it may have to be more than one tag.

 

So, you've given me lots to mull over. Thanks!

 

 

Linda

[Michael Hannah 0]

I have not encountered this in my data (yet?) but agree with Pierce to focus on what you want to record and how you want it to output. I can think of two standard tag types that might be used as beginning templates for constructing new custom tags. Perhaps the military tag types for entering and leaving military service as ideas for tag types for entering slavery and maybe being emancipated? And then maybe some modification to an occupation or employment tag types for tag types to define who the person was owned by or worked under?

 

Hope this gives you ideas,

[Linda D 0]

Hi Michael,

 

Yes, that certainly gives me ideas, especially about being emancipated. Some in this group fled to freedom, others may have been freed in other ways, so that's a wonderful idea! And the suggestions on the types of tags to use as modified.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Linda

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

I've asked this in another topic and got some great advice.

 

If anyone has had experience in customizing a data set to reflect American slavery, I'd be grateful for any helpful hints. Any type of suggestions are welcome, given I'm just learning this.

 

I've started my data set with the genealogy related to the famous slave Harriet Tubman (so far only about 80 people). I see how you can add unrelated people. I've added one unrelated name to learn how this all works. I'm experimenting with creating tags specific to these types relationships. I created a tag "enslaved" to be used with some in those related to Tubman and that has worked somewhat so far. I haven't decided if it's best or possible to incorporate the same tag for a slave owner or to develop another for that type of event detail (i.e, Principal enslaved PO or Principal owned PO).

 

I know this can be sticky. Some slaves were owned by one person but enslaved (or hired out to be serve as a slave) by another person although still legally owned by the first. So if you have any experience in this, I'd be one happy puppy.

 

Anyhow, thanks in advance for any advice. Be gentle, I'm a novice.

 

 

Linda

 

 

Linda,

 

I do have ancestors who owned slaves and this is how I have handled it. Slaves have the suffix -slave in their names to make them stand out in the picklist. I only use the owners surname IF the slave used it once he/she was emancipated. I try to follow the slaves through the family's documents until the slave dies, is freed, or sold to another family. My tag is called Slavery. I have the roles Owner, Owners, Slave, Slaves.

 

Owner: [:CR:][:TAB:][W] became the owner of <[R:slave], a slave><[R:slaves], slaves> <[D]> < [L]>. <[M]>

Purchaser: [:CR:][:TAB:][W] bought <a slave, [R:slave]><slaves, [R:slaves]> <from [R:Owner]> <[D]> < [L]>. <[M]> (I use this when I find the slave sell in a bill of sale. Just because someone buys a slave, doesn't mean they are going to be the long term owner.)

Slave: [:CR:][:TAB:][W] became a slave of [R:Purchaser], when he bought him from [R:Owner] <[D]> < [L]>. <[M]>

Slaves: [:CR:][:TAB:][R:slaves] became slaves of [R:Purchaser], when he bought them from [R:Owner] <[D]> < [L]>. <[M]> (When more than one slave is bought)

 

 

I also have slave roles in my deed tags, in my will tags, etc. I have bill of sales for slaves, have seen them deeded to other people, seen them willed to a child or wife.

 

 

FOr an example of how a slave narrative would look, see

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancest...ry/EDDE/p15.htm

 

I have found some of the slaves in the 1870 and 1880 censuses living near their former owners, using the owner's surname. If I do, then the slave would use that surname. Often the bill of sale will give the slave's age, so I will estimate the date of birth from that. The slave records can help you to find other records you still need to look for. Kizziah was given to James' wife in his will, but the next record I have of her is when his son sold her. Obviously there's a record in there where the mother gave or sold Kizziah to Mitchell. I obviously need to do more research on the mother to find that record. Also

[Linda D 0]

Teresa,

 

Wow, that's interesting. And I can see how your method is great for tracking enslaved people as they appear in documents. I will be sure to consider including something like that in ours. I can see how that would be most beneficial. And good luck in your further research of Kizziah.

 

Before reading your post, I was experimenting a little with the use of a tag I created called "emancipation." It's not document-specific like yours, although I see I'll need to add something like yours.

 

This tag was an attempt to identify the method of emancipation or obtaining freedom from a descriptive view rather than a document view. Perhaps I could use this and something like yours in conjunction with each other.

 

So many fled slavery in our area, which is the subject of a lot of research here. So I was thinking of distinguishing between different types of methods of obtaining freedom: i.e., escapes to freedom (such as runaways aka Underground Railroad), manumission, Certificates of Freedom, perhaps transfer into the Union Army of the Civil War and the Civil War Emancipation. We're most interested in flights of freedom, because that's the focus of our research, but of course freedom was obtained in other ways, including via wills. I'm not sure if my tag language is correct, but worked ok with my first test:

 

[P] <was|and [PO] were> emancipated <[M]> <[D]>

 

It came out "She was emancipated by escape to freedom from Cambridge, MD in 1854." I know I still need to work on this.

 

 

But it's clear I should incorporate something like you described. Your approach is smart because it deals with the documentation. And I've learned recently that just because a slaveowner freed a slave in his Will doesn't mean the slave got his or her freedom ultimately, but it's a good indication. I think it's wonderful what you're doing because the clues from your research can also help African Americans doing their search.

 

Btw, your webpage sure looks wonderful!

 

Thanks so much for the help, I will be sure to incorporate it. I've got so much to learn!

 

 

 

Linda

Edited April 10, 2008 by Linda D

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

Linda,

I do have an emancipation tag (from UFT) but I admit I haven't used it yet. I tend to only create tags when I have documentation. If Kizziah were my ancestor, I would be researching her more, and I would probably have her emancipation papers, or the will or deed that freed her. I think I would have one tag, and the roles, so like you said on the PV I could see she was freed, or ran away, or what ever.

 

I haven't yet gotten information that my pages have helped, because I do have so little data on each of the slaves. BUt my hope is as I add data to those family lines and the slaves are mentioned more and more often that someone will recognize Kizziah and the other slaves and we can link our families together making research for those family's much easier.

So just as you find a document that mentions the slaves, don't hesitate to create a new person, and link it to the slave or named slave role in that tag. Eventually you will be able to tell a short story of that slaves life through the documents of your ancestors. You can give that person back the one thing that slavery took away, his or her personage.

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

Teresa,

 

 

[P] <was|and [PO] were> emancipated <[M]> <[D]>

 

It came out "She was emancipated by escape to freedom from Cambridge, MD in 1854." I know I still need to work on this.

 

 

 

 

Linda

 

 

Linda,

 

I would use several roles in this tag:

 

Escaped:

 

[RF:Escaped] escaped from [R:Master] <[D]> <[L]> <and went to [M]>. <[M2]>

 

Use the M1 field for where they ended up if you know. Then use M2 for more information.

 

That would give you something like: Sarah escaped from John Jones in 1854 in Cambridge, MD and went to Canada. Along the way, she stayed at two homes on the famous Underground Railroad. One of those homes is a National Monument to the Underground Railroad. Sarah took her two children Tom and Ethel with her. Tom died along the way.

 

Hope that gives you some more ideas. Roles can be very handy in a tag like this, because they can be made to show on the PV screen which means you'd see Escaped on her Emancipation tag on the Person View.

[Linda D 0]

Teresa,

 

Hey, that's real helpful, because I've not worked with roles much yet. And what you suggested makes sense, especially with my project. Here there were dozens of known escapes, to many places and under a variety of interesting circumstances. And a few returned after emancipation. So I see how what you're suggesting would help with this. And thanks for your advice on not hesitating to add new people in the way you suggested.

 

I'm getting excited about developing this. It's not my family history, but the National Park Service is planning a couple of heritage centers about Tubman and the Underground Railroad, so it may well get used there. So thanks so much for your help.

 

And while slaves may not be a large part of your particular project, it's still significant nonetheless, regardless what amount of information you provide. So often tracking genealogy for African Americans involves research into the histories of slaveowners and their families. So you never know how even just the name Kissiah may help someone. And if not, it still makes an interesting history.

 

 

Linda

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

Linda,

 

The name Keziah is extremely important to me. My 3rd great grandmother was named Keziah after her great grandmother. My daughter is named after her. So yes, I know how important it can be.

[Linda D 0]

And Keziah is a beautiful name!

 

 

 

Linda

[darius 0]

hello my name is darius mosley im looking for my family slave master im wondering did they live close to each other in the 1870 census if I find who slave them what do I do from there my great great is samuel mosely he only appear in the 1900 census then nother thing is my great great great grandmother lydia gibson her married henry gibson

and shes appear in the 1870 census in 1880 census not 1900 cannot find nothing on here I do not know when she died im trying to find her maid name but one thing I great great grand mother lydia gibson and henry gibson had son name silas gibson but under her is much older black men name silas banks I think that could be her parents im not sure if they are not how can find my acester listed under her master ? where do look for that ifmortion how can find who my acestar parents are ? they were slaves did not have names they were from georgia monoe georgia macon georgia what I do next after find out who slave my family where do go from there like my cousin maggie mosley who grandfather was jim mosley where he did not list who hes parents were he was born later 1880s and he married rebeeca woolfolk they were from georgia im going through some brake walls please help me

[darius 0]

nother thing did all african american have freedmans bank records ? cannot find my familys member they were not slaves in 1870 census cannot no suppraiseing iformition how can you find maid names for acestry if they married as slaves can not be find out ?

[darius 0]

did slaves live near there former owners in the 1870 census?

[Jim Byram 0]

Darius,

 

A better place to get started might be:

http://www.afrigeneas.com/

 

Jim

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

hello my name is darius mosley im looking for my family slave master im wondering did they live close to each other in the 1870 census if I find who slave them what do I do from there my great great is samuel mosely he only appear in the 1900 census then nother thing is my great great great grandmother lydia gibson her married henry gibson

and shes appear in the 1870 census in 1880 census not 1900 cannot find nothing on here I do not know when she died im trying to find her maid name but one thing I great great grand mother lydia gibson and henry gibson had son name silas gibson but under her is much older black men name silas banks I think that could be her parents im not sure if they are not how can find my acester listed under her master ? where do look for that ifmortion how can find who my acestar parents are ? they were slaves did not have names they were from georgia monoe georgia macon georgia what I do next after find out who slave my family where do go from there like my cousin maggie mosley who grandfather was jim mosley where he did not list who hes parents were he was born later 1880s and he married rebeeca woolfolk they were from georgia im going through some brake walls please help me

 

 

Darius,

 

Do you have any idea who the master might have been? I would start with the last name of the slave in 1870 and find all the men of the right age that are white. THen I would begin to check wills, deeds and probates for these men until I found mention of your ancestor. Most are listed by first name and approximate age.

Let's start with Samuel Mosely. Since he first appears on the 1900 census, we have to figure out where was he in 1870 and 1880. Many slaves lived with their masters as house servants after emancipation. Especially if they were older. Imagine if you will, being 45, uneducated and suddenly "free" to do what you want. You have no money, so how do you buy or rent a house. You have no skills, except for what your master allowed you to learn. You don't read or write. So the master offers you pennies on the dollar to stay and work for him or "allows" you to stay with him if you will work for free. Basically you are now a "freed" slave.

 

So it's not unusual to find slaves living with their masters in 1870 and 1880. Don't assume if they live with a white family, that this was the masters though. Former slaves would work for a home for their families. You are going to have to spend some time in wills and deeds to find papers on your slave ancestors.

 

It is hard work, and can be very frustrating. Since slaves were property, they are found as transactions in wills, deeds, bills of sales, etc. If you can find the master, following his family will help you a lot. YOu can find who inherited your ancestors, who bought and sold your ancestor, where, etc.

 

I wish you luck. I did find a Samuel Mosley, born in 1854 in KY that was working for the railroad in Grayson County, KY in 1870.

 

Rootsweb has a lot of African American Research lists where I am sure you can find someone who can help you better than we can here.

 

I'd start by sending an email to AFRICANAMER-GEN-L-request@rootsweb.com put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line of your email. You will get a reply saying you are on the list. Then you can send an email to AFRICANAMER-GEN-L@rootsweb.com and it will post to the list. Others can read your email and answer your questions. They will be much more advanced in their research methods than we are here, and can point you to other specific lists to ask questions on.

[normanbr 0]

im going through some brake walls please help me

 

Darius

 

The devastating failure of a financial institution, Freedman's Bank,

designed to help former slaves, has now yielded the greatest repository of

lineage-linked African American records known to exist.

 

The 480,000 Freedman's Bank depositors gave information documenting three

generations of slavery which gives their descendants, an estimated eight to

10 million African Americans, precious clues.

 

Further information about this valuable information and where it may be purchased (in 2001 its cost was $6.50, including postage) can be located at:

 

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/arti...px?article=3508

 

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Library also has those records documented in a compact disk (CD-ROM), Freedman's Bank Records [call number E 185.2 F75 COMP. DISK]. It is a non-circulating library.

 

If you are unable to obtain the CD-ROM for your own use, you can probably make contact with someone on the AFRICANAMER-GEN-L@rootsweb.com, which Teresa referred you to, who lives near the library and who may be able to do some research for you.

 

Good luck in your quest.

 

 

Norman

[Pierce.Reid 0]

im going through some brake walls please help me

 

Darius

 

The devastating failure of a financial institution, Freedman's Bank,

designed to help former slaves, has now yielded the greatest repository of

lineage-linked African American records known to exist.

 

The 480,000 Freedman's Bank depositors gave information documenting three

generations of slavery which gives their descendants, an estimated eight to

10 million African Americans, precious clues.

 

Further information about this valuable information and where it may be purchased (in 2001 its cost was $6.50, including postage) can be located at:

 

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/arti...px?article=3508

 

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Library also has those records documented in a compact disk (CD-ROM), Freedman's Bank Records [call number E 185.2 F75 COMP. DISK]. It is a non-circulating library.

 

If you are unable to obtain the CD-ROM for your own use, you can probably make contact with someone on the AFRICANAMER-GEN-L@rootsweb.com, which Teresa referred you to, who lives near the library and who may be able to do some research for you.

 

Good luck in your quest.

 

 

Norman

 

Another source of Freedman Bank records is at Family Search Labs, at:

http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#

 

Note part way down the left column, under Court and Legal Records. You can get images of the application forms filled out by depositors. Note that this bank seemed to not discriminate on the basis of race. There are many whites, including European immigrants, who had accounts. The information on the application form can be very useful for genealogists.

 

The FamilySearch Labs site is a beta site for prospective enhancements to FamilySearch. Like FamilySearch, it is free. It also has the 1900 census and a spotty collection of other records. We've been lucky to find a number of useful records on our families. If you use this site, send feedback on what you liked and did not like about it to FamilySearch.

 

Pierce

[darius 0]

hello do not think my family members had freedmans bank records seem to sense I startes traceing black records really dont think there alot ifomition on my black acesters nother thing I do not know who slave my family members black is to hard and stressful to trace if some body will help me that has success with it trace african american please help me god bless everybody

[darius 0]

do not think my family members have freed mans record I call georgia said that all black people did not have them do not know who slave my great greeat grandmother lydia I dont know her maid name she married henry gibson they live one place was called monroe georgia in the 1870 census then they move to macon georgia live and the 1870 census they live both places my great great father henry gibson his parents were born and virginia and my great great graND MOTHER LYDIA PARENTS WERE FROM GEORGIA SOME WERE i DONT KNOW BUT LYDIA MY GRAND MOTHER WAS BORN IN GEORGIA SO WAS HER FATHER AND GEORGIA MY GRAND MOTHER WAS BORN AND GEORGIA SO WAS MY GRANDFATHER HENRY GIBSON WAS BORN IN GEORGIA AND LYDIA AND LYDIA MOTHER WAS FROM GEORGIA BUT HENRY GIBSON PARENTS WERE FROM VIRGINIA SOME WERE I dont know who slave I cannot find out enther

Edited June 4, 2008 by darius

[GenerationGoneBy 0]

Bumping this due to questions on the TMG list

[Terry Reigel 0]

Bumping this due to questions on the TMG list

Teresa, what does that mean?

[Jim Byram 0]

It means that she brought the topic to the top of the list by responding to it so that the people in the list discussion could easily locate the topic.

[Terry Reigel 0]

OK, Thanks.