New information means more names to remember of those who were enslaved by Frederick and Sarah (Elston) Goss. A Black History Month remembrance.
I’ve just found the will of my 5th great grandfather, Frederick Goss (1766-1833) and the estate inventory of his widow, Sarah (Elston) Goss (1772-1837) in Davidson County, North Carolina. Frederick’s 1833 will includes the following:
“I give & bequeath unto my beloved wife Sarah my negro slaves namely James Catharine & Lett, to her use and benefit during her life time & then the said James & Catherine [no mention of Lett] to be sold by my executors and their proceeds to be divided among my lawful heirs.”
The inventory of Sarah’s estate includes “A list of the sale of the property of Sarah Goss deceased sold the 9th day of June 1837.”
Interspersed between the sale prices of such items as “one stone jug 30 cents,” “candlemold and scissors 5 cents,” and “1 side saddle 9 dollars and 50 cents,” the list also includes:
James a negro boy purchased…
View original post 656 more words
Generations of Nomads 
This is such important work, Kim. What an example for others to help remember what should not have been forgotten. Congratulations on finding as much as you have!
LikeLike
Thanks, Anne. There’s so much more to unearth. The challenging path to finding the story of an enslaved ancestor is largely through the records of their white enslavers. Maybe this will help someone, but even if it doesn’t, it puts names to a handful of people.
LikeLike
I think of it as the latter (put names to real people) plus perhaps inspiring other to do the same. At some point, there could be a different platform for you to share this knowledge. For example, here at Mount Vernon, you now get to learn about George’s enslaved people as the people they were. There bould be something similar near you that would appreciate the information.
My ancestors came from eastern Europe in the 1900s – they were pushed out by progroms. There are no records that exist that I could ever learn from as you have. And anyone who would know more has passed away. I wish I had asked some questions before it became too late.
A.
LikeLike
Fortunately there are many groups and sites collecting information like this, and I’m sharing in those places too. There’s a category of genealogy–reparational genealogy–with white descendants of enslavers collecting this type of information and making it accessible to descendants of the enslaved.
I realize how privileged I am to have access to so much information about many of my ancestors. And we never seem to ask enough questions before it’s too late!
LikeLike
That’s great that you are researching the enslaved of your ancestors. SAY THEIR NAMES. Check out the “State African American Pages” on FamilySearch for more state resources. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Diane! I’ll take a look.
LikeLike
Important post. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike