In my ancestors’ wills, enslaved human beings are listed as property, bequeathed to wives and children alongside money, land, livestock, tools, and beds. The first document I turned up along these lines, more than a decade ago, was signed January 15, 1816, by my fifth great-grandfather, Davis McGee, an ancestor through my father’s mother’s dad. Davis was born in Somerset, Maryland in 1846, married Penelope Shockley, migrated to the middle of Georgia at some point before or after their union, and died there in 1817.
Ancestors who Enslaved People
Ancestors who Enslaved People
Ancestors who Enslaved People
In my ancestors’ wills, enslaved human beings are listed as property, bequeathed to wives and children alongside money, land, livestock, tools, and beds. The first document I turned up along these lines, more than a decade ago, was signed January 15, 1816, by my fifth great-grandfather, Davis McGee, an ancestor through my father’s mother’s dad. Davis was born in Somerset, Maryland in 1846, married Penelope Shockley, migrated to the middle of Georgia at some point before or after their union, and died there in 1817.