Archive for 2009
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
1785 Land Grant to Moses Winters
{Deed}
Stories of the founding of Wessyngton Plantation have been passed down through generations of the Washington family. These stories were corroborated by deeds and other documents I found in the Washington Family Papers in the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville. In this deed, we learn that Moses Winters was granted 640 acres of land for military service in the Revolutionary War. Joseph Washington later bought this land which became part of the Wessyngton estate.
Tags:Caleb Winters, Caleb's Creek, Joseph Washington, Land grant, Moses Winters, Revolutionary War, Washington family, Wessyngton Plantation, Winters family
Posted in Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Uncategorized | Comments Closed
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
Baker-Presents-His-Book-to-Mrs-Cooper
While in Atlanta for a presentation and book signing at Auburn Research Library for the National Black Arts Festival in February I had the honor of presenting Mrs. Ann Nixon Cooper a copy of my book; The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom. I also had Mrs. Cooper to sign a copy of the book for me on the page she was pictured on. Mrs. Cooper is now 107 years old.
Tags:Ann Nixon Cooper, Auburn Research Library, John Baker, National Black Arts Festival, Wessyngton Plantation
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | Comments Closed
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Native American Arrowheads found at Wessyngton
Based on arrowheads found on Wessyngton Plantation, Native Americans lived in the area thousands of years ago. Arrowheads and other Native American artifacts have been found at Wessyngton by farmers plowing the fields for many years.
During the Cherokee removal known as the Trail of Tears during the 1830s, hundreds of Native Americans passed through Robertson County, Tennessee. Descendants of the Washington family and African Americans who lived at Wessyngton told their descendants that Native Americans came to the Wessyngton mansion to get food and water enroute to Port Royal. They were marched from Port Royal to Hopkinsville, Kentucky where they spent the winter of 1838-39. From Hopkinsville they were forced on to the reservations in Oklahoma.
Tags:Arrowheads, Cherokee, Cherokee Removals, Hopkinsville Kentucky, Indian Artifacts, Indians, Native Americans, Port Royal Tennessee, Trail of Tears, Washington family, Wessyngton Plantation
Posted in Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | Comments Closed
Friday, May 1st, 2009
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5373517&nav=menu374_9
On March 31st I was honored to have Tuwanda Coleman interview me for the Plus Side of Nashville about the release of my book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom. I really enjoyed being on the show. Mrs. Coleman asked how my research started more than thirty years ago, how I got a book deal with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster and my future plans.
Tags:Ann Nixon Cooper, Atria Books, Barack Obama, black history, DNA Testing, family tree, Genealogy & DNA, News Channel 5, Plus, Plus Side of Nashville, President Obama, Roots, Simon & Schuster, Slavery, Tennessee history, Tuwanda Coleman, Wessyngton Plantation
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | Comments Closed
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Joseph Washington's Money Purse
{Money Purse}.
Joseph Washington came to Tennessee from Virginia as did many young men after the Revolutionary War. He carried this money purse with him. When he was twenty-six, he left his parents in Virginia, bringing several slaves and all his wordly possessions. His sister and one of his brothers came to Tennessee later.
The money purse in now in the possession of Joseph’s great-great-great-grandson, Stanley Frazer Rose.
Tags:Founder, Joseph Washington, Revolutionary War, Settler, Slavery, Slaves, Southampton County Virginia, Tennessee Land Grant, Wessyngton
Posted in Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Research, Uncategorized | Comments Closed
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Covered Bridge near Wessyngton
For many years local residents have claimed that the old covered bridge between Wessyngton and Washington Hall was haunted. It was said that you could hear horses walking across the brigde and hear voices when no one was near it. In researching the history of Wessyngton I found a photo of the original bridge taken in the late 1800s.
Tags:Adams Tennessee, Bell Witch, cedar hill, Cedar Hill Tennessee, covered bridge, ghosts, haunted bridge, Washington family, Washington Hall
Posted in Interviews, Research | Comments Closed
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Your Tennessee Social Studies Textbook
My story began when I was in the seventh grade. While flipping through my social studies textbook I spotted a photograph of four former slaves, entitled “Black Tennesseans.” For some reason I kept being drawn to the photo and would look at it each time I went to class. Soon afterwards my grandmother told me that the two people seated in the photograph were her paternal grandparents, Emanuel and Henny Washington, who were enslaved on Wessyngton Plantation. That discovery led me on a thirty year journey of researching my family and all the others connected to the plantation.
Would you share a story of how your research began with others? Please send a short e-mail telling me about it. Also please let me know if I could post the story on my blog. I would not post your name or e-mail address. Thank you. john@johnbakerbooks.com
Tags:Ancestors, Emanuel Washington, George Augustine Washington, Henny Washington, John Baker, Social Studies, The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation, Your Tennessee
Posted in Introduction & Personal | Comments Closed
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Emanuel Washington Portrait by Howard Weeden
During the late 1890s and early 1900s the Washington family commissioned [Maria] Howard Weeden to paint the portraits of several African Americans who were once enslaved on Wessyngton Plantation. One of them was of my great-great-grandfather Emanuel Washington. During the Civil War Emanuel ran away with Union soldiers. He and his family returned to Wessyngton after the war. Emanuel was famous for telling ghost stories to all the children on the plantation. He was born at Wessyngton April 23, 1824 and died there in 1907. His portrait remains in the Washington family.
Tags:Adams, Bell Witch, cedar hill, Emanuel Washington, ghosts, Howard Weeden, portrait, story telling, Weeden Museum
Posted in Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Plantation Life | Comments Closed
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
Winters Cave on Wessyngton
One of Robertson County Tennessee’s earliest settlers, Caleb Winters spent his first winter in a cave located on Wessyngton. Caleb was said to be an excellent hunter and lived on wild game. A creek running near the cave was called Caleb’s Creek in his honor. Winters later built a cabin across the creek from the entrance to the cave. The property was sold to Joseph Washington and remained in the Washington family until 1983.
Tags:cabin, Caleb Winters, Caleb's Creek, cave, hunting
Posted in Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Research | Comments Closed
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
On April 21st, author John F. Baker Jr. delivered a presentation on his new book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom to the Greenbrier Historical Society. The program was well received and attended by nearly 40 historical society members and friends.
Baker with friends at Greenbrier Historical Society
Tags:family history, Genealogy & DNA, Greenbrier, history, Plantation Life
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews | Comments Closed