Thanks to those of you who were able to join today’s small group session. We discussed an upcoming announcement at Ancestry along with the upcoming webinars for the fall season here and more.
Next, we talked about our the assignment from last session: Get familiar with larger slave markets in your ancestral area. What were the names of the exchanges that supported the system of enslavement? Were any tied to your slaveholding families, if known? Search newspapers, personal papers, census, maps or anything that can help you round out the operation locally. Be prepared to discuss what you found during the exercise.
Search your DNA matches for locations mentioned in the book, the Ledger and the Chain such as Natchez, New Orleans, Spotsylvania, etc.. What did you find?
Next, we did a group exercise: Review the inventory of enslaved from the estate of Isaac Franklin. Working as a team, determine and use a strategy to identify his formerly enslaved in the Freedmen’s Bureau, 1870 U.S. Census, or in other documents. Report back to the group your findings. Additional link: Will of Isaac Franklin, Sumner County, Tennessee (Ancestry).
Links mentioned during this session:
Our next small group will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 8am Pacific/10am Central/11am Eastern.
Next assignment: Attempt to trace enslaved people documented in a probate/succession, manumission, slave manifest, etc. to 1870 or beyond in a location you’re familiar with. The family should not be related to you or groups you research. What was easy? What was a challenge? Share your findings with the group.