Archive for the ‘Introduction & Personal’ Category
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
On Saturday August 8th the Terry family will tour Wessyngton Plantation as part of their bi-annual family reunion. The group will tour the Wessyngton slave cemetery, the Washington family cemetery, the grounds around the mansion and a restored slave cabin. Members of the National Black Arts Festival from Atlanta will also attend the reunion festivities. Following the tour the group will dine at the Tennessee National Guard Armory. I will also autograph copies of my new book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom. The Terrys descend from Dick Terry 1818-1879 and Aggy Washington Terry born 1824. Today there are more than 1,000 Terry family members.
Terry Family Tree
Tags: Aggy Washington Terry, August 8th, Dick Terry, National Black Arts Festival, Slave Cabin, Slave Cemetery, Terry Family Reunion, Washington family
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, July 12th, 2009
In 1860 Wessyngton Plantation was the largest tobacco plantation in the United States. The Washington family also held the largest number of enslaved African Americans (274) in the state of Tennessee. 187 of them were held on what was called the “Home Place” near the Wessyngton mansion. Eighty-seven others were held on a part of the plantation known was the “Dortch Place.”
Tags: African American Family Life in Slavery, Antebellum Plantation, Dortch Place, Emancipation, Emancipation Proclamation, Home Place, Slave Cabin, Slave Cemetery, Slave Family, Slave Housing, Slave Surnames, Slave Women, Tennessee Plantations, Tennessee slavery, Tobacco, tobacco plantation, Washington family
Posted in Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Wessyngton Runaways and Rebels
Enslaved African Americans used various forms of resistance against the institution of slavery. Some used passive forms of resistance such as pretending to be ill, secretly destroying tools, and work slow downs. Others used more drastic measures such as physical violence toward their enslavers and running away. Several men from Wessyngton Plantation escaped and made it to free territory. One slave Davy, ran away four times and was preparing to cross the Ohio River and go north to Canada when he was recaptured.
Tags: Big Dipper, Free Territory, North Star, Plantation Rebels, runaway slaves, Runaways and Rebels, slave rebellion, Slave Resistance
Posted in Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Book Signing at Missouri History Museum
My presentation at the Missouri History Museum was followed by a book signing, which was well attended. I enjoyed meeting the members of the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society who sponsored the event.
Tags: DNA Research, family history, family tree, Genealogical Research, Genealogy & DNA
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Friday, June 5th, 2009
St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society
On May 23rd I gave a presentation about my book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom to the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society at the Missouri History Museum. I made many new friends among avid genealogical researchers. I had a great time in St. Louis and look forward to visiting again.
Tags: African American History, African American slavery, DNA Research, family history, family tree, Genealogical Research, Plantation Life, Washington family
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Washington Family Tree
One of the most exciting things about genealogical research is meeting new family members. In conducting research for more than thirty years I’ve found hundreds of relatives. I created this tree which spans ten generations and includes more than 600 names of descendants from my great-great-grandparents Emanuel and Henny Washington. I have genealogical information on all the families that came from Wessyngton including: Washington, Blow, Gardner, Terry, White, Williams, Lewis, Scott, Green and many others.
Tags: Family Crest, family history, Family Reunion, family tree, Genealogy & DNA
Posted in Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | 2 Comments »
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Gardner Family Tour at Wessyngton Plantation
In 2008 the Gardners celebrated their 75th annual family reunion. As part of the reunion festivities I led them on a tour of Wessyngton Plantation. The tour included the Wessyngton mansion, Washington family cemetery, slave cemetery and a restored slave cabin. The Gardner earliest ancestors, Aaron Gardner, his wife Betty and their three sons, Daniel, George and Jackson came to Wessyngton in the late 1830s. There are more African Americans in Robertson County, Tennessee with the Gardner surname than any other family.
Tags: Family Reunions, family tree, Gardner family, Gardner Family Reunion, Slave Cabin, Slave Cemetery, Surnames, Wessyngton mansion, Wessyngton Tour
Posted in Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life | 2 Comments »
Monday, May 18th, 2009
Baker at the Hermitage
On May 17th a dedication ceremony was held at The Hermitage, the plantation owned by President Andrew Jackson, in honor of 60 African Americans who had been enslaved on the Ingleside and Cleveland Hall Plantations. Both plantations were owned by nephews of Rachel Jackson and had ties to the enslaved population at The Hermitage.
As reported by the Associated Press, a memorial sculpture of seven oak trees in the shape of the Little Dipper was laid out among a circle of thirty boulders. The piece by Lee Benson is named “Our Peace, Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Slaves fleeing to the North would follow the North Star, one of the stars in the Little Dipper.
Following the ceremony I gave a presentation and did a book signing. It was a very special and meaningful event.
Tags: Andrew Jackson, Civil War, Cleveland Hall, Enslaved Memorial, Hermitage, Ingleside, Rachel Jackson, Tulip Grove
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Monday, May 18th, 2009
My half-hour television interview with John Seigenthaler Sr, A Word on Words, is available as a free downloadable Podcast.
http://www.wnpt.org/productions/wow/
Mr. Seigenthaler asked me many in-depth thought-provoking questions. At the end, he said, “I learned more from your book than I learned from reading my friend Alex Haley’s book called Roots.” I hope you enjoy the interview. Leave a comment with your reaction.
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, African American History, Black History Month, book review, Civil War, DNA Research, Emancipation, family history, family tree, Genealogy & DNA, George Washington, John F. Baker Jr., John Siegenthaler, plantation slavery, Reconstruction, Roots, Simon & Schuster, Tennessee slavery, Washington family, Wessyngton Plantation, WNPT, Word On Words
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | No Comments »
