02/04/2022
So a lot of you know that I am a family Genealogist. I have gone back several generations on my maternal and paternal trees. After, being successful with my history, I decided to start my brother and sister's paternal tree. On their paternal grandmother's branch, I was able to find their fourth great-grandmother, Eliza, that was born during slavery. Her surname was that of a wealthy family that the town they lived in was named after. And yes, they owned slaves! I was able to find documentation on Eliza, but all after 1860. There is documented connection between Eliza and the slave owners through census records after the Civil War, when she, her husband, and children lived and worked on the land owned by that same family. My most recent find is fascinating, one of the slave owners (same family) has a slave listed on his will, with the name none other than Eliza!! Tracing African American history is possible, it does take some more time and patience. If there is anyone tracing their family roots and needs some tips, please let me know.
