THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 THE COLLECTION OF 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 David d* Pittman P«na 
 
 C326.92 
 G75s 
 
FOR USE ONLY IN 
 THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION 
 
 Form No. A-368, Rev. 8/95 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://archive.org/details/narrativeoflifeoOOgrandy 
 
Ancestor's 
 
 XiP c Anthony 
 
ANCESTOR'S CALX, 
 
 With a Reprint of the Slave Narrative: 
 Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy; Late a Slave 
 
 In the United States of America 
 
 (1843 London, England Edition) 
 
 By 
 
 Eric Anthony Sheppard 
 
 Published by: 
 Tech-Rep Associates, Inc. 
 
 P.O. Box 8046 
 Elkridge, Maryland 21075 
 
Copyright © 2003 by Eric Anthony Sheppard 
 Second Paperback Printing 2003 
 
 Edited by Jadi Keambiroiro 
 Original cover design by Eric Oliver 
 
 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or 
 part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including 
 photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval 
 system, without written permission from the publisher. All inquiries 
 should be addressed to Tech-Rep Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 8046, 
 Elkridge, Maryland 21075, (410) 796-3165. 
 
 Printed in the United States of America 
 
 ISBN 0-9727529-0-0 
 
 Library of Congress Control Number: 200310921 1 
 
 -2- 
 

 Special Thanks: 
 
 would like to take the opportunity to thank the Creator of 
 us all for allowing me to share this information. I also want 
 to thank my wife, Lisa, for her support and encouragement in 
 writing this book. Through all the long hours of research and 
 travel, you supported my efforts and helped to keep me 
 focused. In countless ways you have contributed directly to 
 the publishing efforts of this book. I appreciate you and all 
 that you have done. We are not finished, and it's only just 
 begun. I love you! 
 
-4- 
 
Contents 
 
 ntroduction 8 
 
 lhapter 1: The Passion Within 11 
 
 Chapter 2: Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandv; Late a 
 
 Slave in the United States of America . 19 
 
 hapter 3: The Slave Narrative Commentary 74 
 
 Chapter 4: Beyond the Narrative 83 
 
 hapter 5: People, Places and Things 90 
 
 Chapter 6: Relatives and Relations 100 
 
 Chapter 7: Labor Pioneers 105 
 
 Chapter 8: Reach Back and Move Forward 109 
 
 Chapter 9: Our Turn 112 
 
 Appendix A: General Index to Marriages (Chesapeake, VA) 
 Appendix B: General Index to Marriages (Chesapeake, VA) 
 Appendix C: General Index to Marriages (Camden, NC) 
 Appendix D: Male Index to Marriages (City of Norfolk, VA) 
 
-6 
 
ANCESTOR'S CAM, 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 It is wonderful when a project becomes a mission ir 
 your life. That is exactly what has happened for me ir 
 writing this book. I have been purchasing books or 
 writing novels and screenplays for at least fifteen years 
 Something in me just kept revisiting this faint passior 
 as time went by. Well, the passion has blossomed intc 
 commitment. 
 
 I have committed my time and energy to go along with 
 the talents and skills given to me by Yahweh (God) tc 
 write this book and continue forward the legacy of one 
 of my ancestors, Moses Grandy. A faint passion o 
 mine to some day write a book or screenplay has now 
 turned into a burning desire to finish this project anc 
 search for additional stories within my own ancestry. 
 
 I wish that I could attribute this burning desire to write 
 to an exceptional learned talent of mine. That howevei 
 is not the case. I believe this is a gift from the Almighty 
 Creator, not only to allow me to exercise my creative 
 skills, but to also fulfill a mission that started over twc 
 hundred years ago. 
 
 About six years ago I began on a journey of self- 
 identification. My quest was not to change my name tc 
 a more afro-centric one, but to research my ancestry anc 
 determine my heritage. I was blessed to discover many 
 relatives and friends that before this point in my life '. 
 
 8- 
 
did not know. During my research I found information 
 on one of my ancestors that immediately gave me the 
 answer to one of my missions in life. Moses Grandy's 
 quest for freedom of his relatives was a continual 
 process. I plan to continue this process. Consequently, 
 the once faint passion to write this book is now the 
 burning flame of freedom for me. 
 
 This book is dedicated to my ancestors and the people 
 that helped in various ways to support my efforts. 
 Without the many sacrifices and shear determination of 
 Moses Grandy, this book would not be possible. The 
 University of North Carolina Libraries at Chapel Hill 
 should also be commended for their vision to provide 
 electronic versions of many slave narratives in their 
 
 Documenting the American South" Collection. 
 
 I appreciate the assistance given to me by many 
 individuals that work at the local, state and federal 
 institutions which house vital statistics records that 
 bring the untold past to the present. This experience 
 has changed my life and those of my descendants 
 forever. It is my desire that this book also serve as a 
 beacon of encouragement for others to research their 
 ancestry and uncover the wonderful stories of historical 
 significance for our present and future generations. 
 
 Eric Anthony Sheppard 
 
10- 
 
Chapter 1 
 THE PASSION WITHIN 
 
 In almost every phase of life from childhood to 
 adulthood there are moments of truth. The question is, 
 "how do we deal with these moments of truth?" Do we 
 face them head on and make adjustments in our lives or 
 do we ignore them and do nothing? I have decided to 
 meet the challenges and search for the truth of my past. 
 
 I do not believe for one minute that I alone was totally 
 responsible for corning to this point in my life. My 
 ancestors have left the spirit of their courage, talents, 
 ingenuity, and faith for me to carry forward and make 
 this world a better place to live. 
 
 All of us have a responsibility to explore our purpose 
 for living. Our purpose should make a positive 
 contribution to our families and the society in which we 
 live. I strongly believe that knowing your ancestral past 
 can help improve your chances for making a positive 
 contribution to the world. I came to this conclusion by 
 examining my own life experiences and observing the 
 lives of others. 
 
 I sincerely hope that the information that I share in this 
 book serves as a catalyst to heal the hurt and pain of 
 some individuals, as well as this country, by 
 
 11 
 
researching our American history that has the tree- 
 rotted roots of slavery in its past. 
 
 During my research I came upon a quote by a R.D.W. 
 Conner that states, "No people who are indifferent to 
 their past need hope to make their future great". If we 
 as descendents of African- American ancestry ever hope 
 to achieve greatness as a people, we must embrace our 
 past that includes the positive and negative aspects of 
 our history. 
 
 My journey to arrive at this point in my life is no 
 chance happening, accident, or mistake. The passion to 
 research and write this book may have been a direct 
 result of the trails blazed by my ancestors many 
 centuries ago. My research guided me to an ancestor's 
 narrative that was written in 1843. That ancestor, Moses 
 Grandy, left a legacy of information and history. My 
 desire is to carry the torch during my generation and 
 past it on to my descendents and relatives. 
 
 I started researching my family ancestry soon after the 
 events of the Million Man March in October 1995. The 
 experience of participating in such a momentous event 
 and being associated with black people of such different 
 schools of thought was one of those moments of truth I 
 described earlier. After that experience, I felt as though 
 I did not belong with any of those schools of thought. I 
 had my own ideas and wanted to express them. 
 
 12- 
 
The Million Man March was a historically significant 
 event in American history. The magnitude of the 
 cooperation expressed by those that helped to plan and 
 organized the event was amazing in itself. I shall be 
 forever grateful to have participated in that event 
 because it allowed me to examine myself and determine 
 where I fit in the world picture. 
 
 I knew instinctively how some fellow marchers did not 
 think I measured up to some of the Afro-centric, 
 religious, and fraternal organizational methodologies 
 that were present during the planning efforts. To be 
 truthful, there were times that I thought I did not 
 measure up. I have come to learn however that all of 
 those emotions were necessary in order for me to get to 
 the point of researching my own ancestry. 
 
 Discovering the narrative written by Moses Grandy 
 was truly a liberating experience for me. Through his 
 Narrative, I discovered my ancestors were as much a 
 part of the struggle for freedom as anyone else. All of 
 us have a right to claim and continue the legacy of our 
 forefathers in whatever capacity allowed. 
 
 Regardless of your station in life, we all have a roll to 
 play in making the society and country we live in better. 
 After reading the Moses Grandy slave narrative in 
 Chapter Two, I sincerely hope that many who read this 
 book come to the same conclusion. 
 
 13- 
 
All of us should have a Million Man March event in 
 their life. What is yours? What is the significant 
 emotional event in your life that stimulates your 
 passion for searching for the truth in your life? I had to 
 look back in order to move forward. 
 
 I wanted to know something about my father's 
 relatives since I basically grew up mostly interacting 
 with my mother's family. I did know my paternal 
 grandmother (Elnora Grandy Sheppard) and I had the 
 opportunity to share some quality time with her in my 
 youth. But, with the exception of her sister, Mary 
 Grandy Jackson, and a few cousins, I did not know the 
 rest of the Grandy family living in Baltimore, Maryland 
 and around the country. 
 
 The concept of this book is not to outline the genealogy 
 of the Grandy family, but to demonstrate the relevancy 
 of African-American history in the United States and 
 break the yoke of guilt and shame felt by descendents of 
 slaves in America when confronted with our past. 
 
 After reading the slave narrative, I could never be 
 ashamed or feel guilty of my ancestors' past. The 
 Grandys were blessed by Moses Grandy to have been 
 left a documented trail of reference for future 
 generations. The Grandys were but one-fourth of the 
 ancestral linage. The blessing was passed on to any of 
 my ancestors that endured the horrors of slavery. 
 
 -14 
 
I can trace my great-great grandfather, Edmond 1 
 Grandy, to the location and community in which most 
 of the slave narrative's story takes place. A system 
 existed in that era of American history to destroy the 
 ancestral knowledge and records of my blood relations. 
 I will not allow the practices of slave owners to define 
 my heritage. If they tried to take my heritage away 
 from me, it would be foolish to let them have an ounce 
 of validity in the research process I use to re-establish 
 my heritage or choose my ancestry. 
 
 Therefore, I consider all the slaves and their relatives 
 from the Courthouse Township area of Camden 
 County, North Carolina my ancestors and/ or relatives. 
 There are some things not found in documents, but can 
 be located in your soul. I am inspired and called by my 
 ancestors to continue the progress made by Moses 
 Grandy 160 years ago through my research efforts and 
 by writing this book. 
 
 As a passion and mission for my life, I have decided to 
 research the Grandy family links originating from 
 Camden, North Carolina and other descendants of 
 families mentioned in the narrative. This is no small 
 task, and one that may take generations to accomplish. 
 But just as the torch has been passed to me, the 
 ancestors will call others to carry on the work that was 
 started decades ago. 
 
 1 My great-great grandfather's first name has been legally recorded as both 
 "Edmond" and "Edmund". For this book, I have used the "Edmond" spelling. 
 
 -15- 
 
In Chapter 2, is the original 1843 version of the slave 
 narrative I read from the Documenting the American 
 South Collection digitization format located at the 
 University of North Carolina Libraries at Chapel Hill. 
 During my research, I also came across an 1844 version 
 of the narrative printed in Boston, Massachusetts that is 
 part of the Eisenhower Rare Book Collection at Johns 
 Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. There are 
 some slight differences in the 1844 version that I will 
 elaborate on more thoroughly in Chapter 3. 
 
 This story, without a doubt, has touched my life in a 
 positive way. After reading the narrative, my feelings 
 have covered the full spectrum of human emotions. I 
 felt honored to have an ancestor that left an important 
 American history document that is available for us to 
 read and study in this generation and beyond. 
 
 I felt anger at those persons who used their authority 
 and resources to commit crimes of horrific acts against 
 enslaved persons. Yet, there is a proud feeling I get 
 every time I think of how Moses Grandy was so 
 thoroughly committed to obtaining the freedom for his 
 family and his relatives. He did not give up his dream 
 of rescuing as many family members as he could during 
 his lifetime. 
 
 When I read how industrious Moses Grandy was with 
 the restrictions of slavery surrounding him, I feel like 
 most people of today have a long way to go. We 
 
 16- 
 
accomplish so little with the relative freedom we now 
 enjoy. I believe that Moses is one of the many unsung 
 heroes of the slavery era. 
 
 I strongly encourage all of us, regardless of our ethnic 
 origin, to tell our ancestral stories to the world. They 
 deserve to have their deeds and sacrifices recognized as 
 well as those persons with more familiar names we 
 have become accustomed to hearing and studying in 
 our history over the years. 
 
 It is our responsibility to make their legacies a living 
 
 reality. I indeed hope that this book will enlighten 
 
 many and provide a measure of healing history and 
 
 i truth for those individuals willing to seek freedom for 
 
 i themselves. 
 
 17 
 
-18- 
 
Chapter 2 
 
 Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandv: Late 
 a Slave in the United States of America 
 
 (1843 London, England Edition) 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 ABOUT a fortnight ago, the subject of the following 
 brief Memoir came to me, bearing with him a letter 
 from a dear friend and distinguished abolitionist in the 
 United States, from which the following, is an extract: 
 "I seize my pen in haste to gratify a most worthy 
 coloured friend of mine, by giving him a letter of 
 introduction to you, as he intends sailing this week 
 (August 8 th , 1842,) for Liverpool and London, via New 
 Orleans. His name is Moses Grandy. He knows what it 
 is to have been a slave, and what are the tender mercies 
 of the southern slave-drivers. His history is not only 
 authentic, but most extraordinary, and full of thrilling 
 interest. Could it published; it would make a deep 
 sensation in every quarter. He was compelled to buy 
 his freedom three times over! He paid for it 1850 dollars 
 (nearly £400 sterling). He has since bought his wife, 
 and one or two of his children; and before going, to 
 England will first go to New Orleans, to purchase some 
 of his other children if he can find them, who are still in 
 captivity. His benevolence, affection, kindness of heart, 
 and elasticity of spirit are truly remarkable. He has a 
 good head, a fine countenance, and a great spirit, 
 
 -19- 
 
notwithstanding his education has been obtained in the 
 horrible school of slavery. Just get him to tell you his 
 narrative, and if you happen to have an Anti-slavery 
 Meeting, let him tell his tale to a British audience/' In 
 the letter of another highly esteemed friend, he is 
 spoken of as " unsurpassed for faithfulness and 
 perseverance/' In the letter of a third, as "a worthy and 
 respectable man/ 7 On examining a book containing a 
 list of the donations made him by American friends, in 
 aid of his noble design to rescue from the miseries of 
 slavery his relations, I found the names and certificates 
 of persons of the highest respectability. It will be amply 
 sufficient with those who are acquainted with the 
 abolitionists of the United States, for me to name 
 General Fessenden, and Nathan Winslow, Esq., of 
 Portland, Maine; the Rev. A. A. Phelphs, Ellis Gray 
 Loring, and Samuel E. Sewall, Esqs. of Boston, 
 Massachusetts. Being satisfied, by these indubitable 
 vouches, of Moses Grandy's title to credit, I listened to 
 his artless tale with entire confidence, and with a feeling 
 of interest which all will participate, who peruse the 
 following pages. Considering, his narrative calculated 
 to promote a more extensive knowledge of the 
 workings of American slavery, and that its sale might 
 contribute to the object which engages so entirely the 
 mind of Moses, namely, the redemption of those who 
 are in bonds, belonging to his family, I resolved to 
 commit it to press, as nearly as possible in the language 
 of Moses himself. I have carefully abstained from 
 casting in a single reflection or animadversion of my 
 
 20 
 
own. I leave the touching story of the self-liberated 
 i captive to speak for itself; and the wish of my heart will 
 I be gratified, and my humble effort on his behalf be 
 
 richly rewarded, if this little book be the means of 
 
 obtaining for my coloured brother the assistance which 
 ihe seeks, or of increasing the zeal of those who are 
 
 associated for the purpose of " breaking every yoke, and 
 
 setting the oppressed free." 
 
 George Thompson 
 
 9, Blandford-Place, Regent's Park, 
 
 October 18*, 1842 
 
 -21- 
 
LIFE OF MOSES GRANDY. 
 
 MY name is Moses Grandy. I was born in Camden 
 County, North Carolina. I believe I am fifty-six years 
 old. Slaves seldom know exactly how old they are: 
 Neither they nor their masters set down the time of a 
 birth: The slaves, because they are not allowed to write 
 or read, and the masters, because they only care to 
 know what slaves belong to them. 
 
 The master, Billy Grandy, whose slave I was born, was 
 a hard-drinking man: he sold away many slaves. I 
 remember four sisters and four brothers; my mother 
 had more children, but they were dead or sold away 
 before I can remember. I was the youngest. I remember 
 well my mother often hid us all in the woods, to 
 prevent master selling us. When we wanted water, she 
 sought for it in any hole or puddle formed by falling 
 trees or otherwise: it was often full of tadpoles and 
 insects: she strained it, and gave it round to each of us 
 in the hollow of her hand. For food, she gathered berries 
 in the woods, got potatoes, raw corn, &c. After a time 
 the master would send word to her to come in, 
 promising, he would not sell us. But at length persons 
 came who agreed to give the prices he set on us. His 
 wife, with much to be done, prevailed on him not to sell 
 
 -22- 
 
me; but he sold my brother, who was a little boy. My 
 mother, frantic with grief, resisted their taking her child 
 away: she was beaten and held down : she fainted; and 
 when she came to herself, her boy was gone. She made 
 much outcry, for which the master tied her up to a 
 peach tree in the yard, and flogged her. 
 
 Another of my brothers was sold to Mr. Tyler, Dewan's 
 Neck, Pasquotank County; this man very much ill- 
 treated many coloured boys. One very cold day he sent 
 my brother out, naked and hungry, to find a yoke of 
 steers: the boy returned without finding them, when his 
 master flogged him, and sent him out again; a white 
 lady who lived near, gave him food, and advised him to 
 try again: he did so, but it seems again without success. 
 He piled up a heap of leaves, and laid himself down in 
 them, and died there. He was found through a flock of 
 turkey buzzards hovering over him; these birds had 
 pulled his eyes out. 
 
 My young master and I used to play together; there was 
 but two days' difference in our ages. My old master 
 always said he would give me to him. When he died, all 
 the coloured people were divided amongst his children, 
 and I fell to young master; his name was James Grandy. 
 I was then about eight years old. When I became old 
 enough to be taken away from my mother and put to 
 field-work, I was hired out for the year, by auction, at 
 the Court House, every January; this is the common 
 practice with respect to slaves belonging to persons 
 
 -23- 
 
who are under age. This continued till my master and 
 myself were twenty-one years old. 
 
 The first who hired me was Mr. Kemp, who used me 
 pretty Well; he gave me plenty to eat and sufficient 
 clothing. 
 
 The next was old Jemmy Coates, a severe man. Because 
 I could not learn his way of hilling corn, he flogged me 
 naked with a severe whip made of a very tough sapling; 
 this lapped round me at each stroke, the point of it at 
 last entered my belly and broke off; leaving an inch and 
 a-half outside. I was not aware of it until on going to 
 work again it hurt my side very much, when on looking 
 down I saw it sticking, out of my body: I pulled it out 
 and the blood spouted after it. The wound festered, and 
 discharged very much at the time, and hurt me for 
 years after. 
 
 In being hired out, sometimes the slave gets a good 
 home, and sometimes a bad one: when he gets a good 
 one, he dreads to see January come; when he has a bad 
 one, the year seems five times as long as it is. 
 
 I was next with Mr. Enoch Sawyer of Camden county: 
 my business was to keep ferry, and do other odd work. 
 It was cruel living; we had not near enough of either 
 victuals or clothes; I was half-starved for half my time. I 
 have often ground the husks of Indian corn over again 
 in a hand-mill, for the chance of getting something to 
 eat out of it, which the former grinding had left. In 
 
 -24- 
 
severe frosts, I was compelled to go into the fields and 
 woods to work, with my naked feet cracked and 
 bleeding from extreme cold: to warm them, I used to 
 rouse an ox or hog, and stand on the place where it had 
 lain. I was at that place three years, and very long years 
 they seemed to me. The trick by which he kept me so 
 long was this: — the Court House was but a mile off; on 
 hiring day, he prevented me from going till he went 
 himself and bid for me. On the last occasion, he was 
 detained for a little while by other business, so I ran as 
 quickly as I could, and got hired before he came up. 
 
 Mr. George Furley was my next master; he employed 
 me as a car-boy in the Dismal swamp; I had to drive 
 lumber, &. I had plenty to eat and plenty of clothes. I 
 was so overjoyed at the change, that I then thought I 
 would not have left the place to go to heaven. 
 
 Next year I was hired by Mr. John Micheau of the same 
 county, who married my young mistress, one of the 
 daughters of Mr. Grandy, and sister to my present 
 owner. This master gave us very few clothes, and but 
 little to eat; I was almost naked. One day he came into 
 the field, and asked why no more work was done. The 
 older people were afraid of him; so I said that the 
 reason was, we were so hungry, we could not work. He 
 went home and told the mistress to give us plenty to 
 eat, and at dinner time we had plenty. We came out 
 shouting for joy, and went to work with delight. From 
 that time, we had food enough, and he soon found that 
 he had a great deal more work done. The field was 
 
 -25- 
 
quite alive with the people striving who should do 
 most. 
 
 He hired me for another year. He was a great gambler; 
 He kept me up five nights together, without sleep night 
 or day, to wait on the gambling table. I was standing in 
 the corner of the room, nodding for want of sleep, 
 
 when he took up the shovel, and beat me with it: he 
 dislocated my shoulder, and sprained my wrist, and 
 broke the shovel over me. I ran away, and got another 
 person to hire me. 
 
 This person was Mr. Richard Furley, who after that 
 hired me at the Court House every year, till my master 
 came of age. He gave me a pass to work for myself, ; so 
 I obtained work by the piece where I could, and paid 
 him out of my earnings what we had agreed on; I 
 maintained myself on the rest, and saved what I could. 
 In this way I was not liable to be flogged and ill-used. 
 He paid seventy, eighty, or ninety dollars a year for me, 
 and I paid him twenty or thirty dollars a year more than 
 that. 
 
 When my master came of age, he took all his coloured 
 people to himself. Seeing that I was industrious and 
 persevering, and had obtained plenty of work, he made 
 me pay him almost twice as much as I had paid Mr. 
 Furley. At that time, the English blockaded the 
 Chesapeake, which made it necessary to send 
 merchandize from Norfolk to Elizabeth city by the 
 
 -26- 
 
Grand Canal, so that it might get to sea by Pamlico 
 Sound and Ocracock Inlet, I took some canal boats on 
 shares; Mr. Grice, who married my other young 
 mistress, was the owner of them. I gave him one-half of 
 all I received for freight: out of the other half, I had to 
 victual and man the boats, and all over that expense 
 was my own profit. 
 
 Some time before this, my brother Benjamin returned 
 from the West Indies, where he had been two years 
 with his master's vessel. I was very glad to hear of it, 
 and got leave to go see him. While I was sitting with his 
 wife and him, his wife's master came and asked him to 
 fetch a can of water: he did so, and carried it into the 
 store. While I was waiting for him and wondering at his 
 being so long away, I heard the heavy blows of a 
 hammer: after a little while I was alarmed, and went to 
 see what was going on. I looked into the store, and saw 
 my brother lying on his back on the floor, and Mr. 
 Williams, who had bought him, driving staples over his 
 wrists and ankles; an iron bar was afterwards put across 
 his breast, which was also held down by staples. 
 
 I asked what he had been doing, and was told that he 
 had done nothing amiss, but that his master had failed, 
 and he was sold towards paying the debts. He lay in 
 that state all that night; next day he was taken to jail, 
 and I never saw him again. This is the usual treatment 
 under such circumstances. I had to go by my mother's 
 next morning, but I feared to tell her what had 
 happened to my brother: I got a boy to go and tell her. 
 
 -27- 
 
She was blind and very old, and was living in a little 
 hut, in the woods, after the usual manner of old worn- 
 out slaves: she was unable to go to my brother before he 
 was taken away, and grieved after him greatly. 
 
 It was some time after this, that I married a slave 
 belonging to Mr. Enoch Sawyer, who had been so hard 
 a master to me. I left her at home, (that is, at his house,) 
 one Thursday morning, when we had been married 
 about eight months. She was well, and seemed likely to 
 be so: we were nicely getting together our little 
 necessaries. On the Friday, as I was at work as usual 
 with the boats, I heard a noise behind me, on the road 
 which ran by the side of the canal: I turned to look, and 
 saw a gang of slaves coming. When they came up to me, 
 one of them cried out, "Moses, my dear!" I wondered 
 who among them should know me, and found it was 
 my wife. She cried out to me, "I am gone." I was struck 
 with consternation. Mr. Rogerson was with them, on his 
 horse, armed with pistols. I said to him, "for God's sake, 
 have you bought my wife?" He said he had; when I 
 asked him what she had done; he said she had done 
 nothing, but that her master wanted money. He drew 
 out a pistol, and said that if I went near the waggon on 
 which she was, he would shoot me. I asked for leave to 
 shake hands with her, which he refused, but said I 
 might stand at a distance and talk with her. My heart 
 was so full, that I could say very little. I asked leave to 
 give her a dram: he told Mr. Burgess, the man who was 
 with him, to get down and carry it to her. I gave her the 
 
 -28- 
 
little money I had in my pocket, and bid her farewell. I 
 i have never seen or heard of her from that day to this. I 
 i loved her as I loved my life. 
 
 Mr. Grice found that I served him faithfully. He and my 
 young mistress, his wife, advised me as I was getting 
 money fast, to try to buy myself. By their advice, I asked 
 I my master what he would take for me. He wanted 800 
 dollars, and when I said that was too much, he replied, 
 he could get 1000 for me any minute. Mr. Grice 
 afterwards went with me to him: he said to him, that I 
 (had already been more profitable to him than any five 
 others of his negroes, and reminded him that we had 
 Ibeen playfellows; in this way he got him to consent to 
 itake 600 dollars for me. I then went heartily to work, 
 and whenever I paid him for my time, I paid him 
 something also towards my freedom, for which he gave 
 me receipts. When I made him the last payment of the 
 600 dollars for my freedom, he tore up all the receipts: I 
 told him he ought not to have done so; he replied it did 
 not signify, for as soon as court-day came, he should 
 give me my free papers. On Monday, in court week, I 
 went to him; he was playing at billiards, and would not 
 go with me, but told me to come again the next day: the 
 next day he did the same, and so on daily. I went to his 
 sister, Mrs. Grice, and told her I feared that he did not 
 mean to give them to me; she said she feared so too, and 
 sent for him. He was a very wicked young man; he 
 came, and cursed her, and went out of the house. Mr. 
 Grice was from home; on his return, he went to my 
 
 29 
 
master and told him he ought to give me my free 
 papers; that I had paid for myself, and it was court 
 week, so that there was no excuse. He promised he 
 would, instead of which he rode away, and kept away 
 till court was over. Before the next court came, he sold 
 me to Mr. Trewitt for 600 dollars. 
 
 The way in which Mr. Trewitt came to buy me, was this. 
 I had left the boats, and had gone with a schooner 
 collecting lumber in Albemarle Sound for the 
 merchants. Coming to Elizabeth City, I found a new 
 store had been opened by Mr. Grice, which Mr. Sutton 
 was keeping: the latter gentleman was glad to see me, 
 and was desirous that I should return to my old 
 employment with the canal boats, as lumber was in 
 great demand at Norfolk. I did so, and sold some 
 cargoes to Mr. Moses Myers of Norfolk. As I was 
 waiting, at the door of his store for settlement, he came 
 up with Mr. Trewitt, whom I did not then know. Mr. 
 Myers said to Mr. Trewitt, "here is a captain doing 
 business for you." Mr. Trewitt then asked me who had 
 chartered the boats, and to whom I belonged. I told him 
 Mr. Sutton had chartered me, and that I had belonged 
 to Mr. James Grandy, but had bought myself. He said 
 he would buy me; on which Mr. Myers told him he 
 could not, as I had already bought myself, and further 
 said, I was one of their old war captains, and had never 
 lost a single thing of the property entrusted to me. Mr. 
 Trewitt said, he would buy me, and would see about it 
 as soon as he got to Elizabeth City. I thought no more 
 
 -30 
 
about it. On my return voyage, I delivered a cargo at 
 Elizabeth City for Mr. Trewitt. I had been at Mr. Grice's, 
 the owner of the boats, and on my going away from 
 him to meet Mr. Trewitt for settlement, he said he 
 would go with me, as he wanted money. Opposite the 
 Custom House we met Mr. Trewitt, who said, "Well, 
 captain, I have bought you." Mr. Grice said, "Let us 
 have no nonsense; go and settle with him." Angry 
 words passed between them, one saying he had bought 
 me and the other denying that he had, or could, as I had 
 bought myself already. We all went to Mr. Grice's 
 dwelling house; there Mr. Trewitt settled with me about 
 the freight, and then, jumping up, said, "Now I will 
 show you, Mr. Grice, whether I am a liar or not." He 
 fetched the bill of sale; on reading it, Mr. Grice's colour 
 changed, and he sent for Mrs. Grice. When she read it, 
 she began to cry; seeing that, I began to cry too. She sent 
 me to her brother, who was at Mr. Wood's boarding 
 house. He was playing at billiards. I said to him, 
 "Master James, have you sold me?" He said "No." I said, 
 he had; when he turned round and went into another 
 room, crying; I followed him. All the gentlemen 
 followed us, saying, "Captain Grandy, what is the 
 matter?" I told them Master James had sold me again. 
 They asked him why he had done it: he said it was 
 because people had jeered him, by saying I had more 
 sense than he had. They would not suffer him to remain 
 in the boarding house, but turned him out, there and 
 then, with all his trunks and boxes. Mrs. Grice, his 
 sister, sued him in my name for my liberty, but he 
 
 31- 
 
gained the cause: the court maintained that I, and all I 
 could do, belonged to him, and that he had a right to do 
 as he pleased with me and all my earnings, as his own 
 property, until he had taken me to the Court House, 
 and given me my free papers, and until, besides that, I 
 had been a year and a day in the Northern States to gain 
 my residence. 
 
 So I was forced to go to Mr. Trewitt. He agreed that, if I 
 would pay him the same wages as I paid my late 
 master, and the 600 dollars he gave for me, he would 
 give me my free papers. He bought two canal boats; and 
 taking me out of Mr. Grice's employment, set me to 
 work them on the same terms as I did for my former 
 master. I was two years and a half in earning the 600 
 dollars to pay for myself the second time. Just when I 
 had completed the payment, he failed. Oh Christmas 
 eve he gave me a letter to take to Mr. Mews, at 
 Newbegun Creek. I was rather unwilling to take it, 
 wishing to go to my wife; I told him, too, I was going to 
 his office to settle with him. He offered to give me two 
 dollars to take the letter, and said he would settle when 
 I came back: then Mr. Shaw came from another room, 
 and said his vessel was ready loaded, but he had 
 nobody he could trust with his goods; he offered me 
 five dollars to take the vessel down, and deliver the 
 goods to Mr. Knox, who also was at Newbegun Creek. 
 The wind was fair, and the hands on board, so I agreed: 
 it being Christmas eve, I was glad of something to carry 
 to my wife. I ran the vessel down to the mouth of the 
 
 -32- 
 
Ireek, and anchored: when the moon rose, I went up 
 he river. I reached the wharf, and commenced taking 
 nit the goods that night, and delivered them all safely 
 o Mr. Knox next morning. I then took the letter to Mr. 
 views, who read it, and looking up at me said, "Well, 
 fou belong to me." I thought he was joking, and said, 
 How? What way?" He said, "Don't you recollect when 
 frewitt chartered Wilson Sawyer's brig to the West 
 ndies?" I said, I did. He told me Trewitt then came to 
 um to borrow 600 dollars, which he would not lend 
 except he had a mortgage on me: Trewitt was to take it 
 lp at a certain time, but never did. I asked him, whether 
 le really took the mortgage on me? He replied that "he 
 :ertainly thought Trewitt would have taken up the 
 nortgage, but he had failed, and was not worth a cent, 
 md he, Mews, must have his money." I asked him 
 vhether he had not helped me and my young mistress 
 n the Court House, when Master James fooled me 
 before? He said he did help me all he could, and that he 
 hould not have taken a mortgage on me, but that he 
 bought Trewitt would take it up. Trewitt must have 
 eceived some of the last payments from me, after he 
 lad given the mortgage, and knew he should fail; for 
 he mortgage was given two months before this time. 
 
 Ay head seemed to turn round and round; I was quite 
 iut of my senses; I went away towards the woods; Mr. 
 /lews sent his waiter after me, to persuade me to go 
 »ack: at first I refused, but afterwards went. He told me 
 tie would give me another chance to buy myself, and I 
 
 -33- 
 
certainly should have my freedom this time. He saic 
 Mr. Enoch Sawyer wanted to buy me to be his overseei 
 in the Swamp. I replied, I would never try again to bu} 
 myself, and that they had already got 1200 dollars frorr 
 me. My wife, (this was my second (It will be observec 
 that the narrator married a second wife, without having 
 heard of the decease of the first. To explain this fact, it h 
 necessary to state, that the frequent occurrence of cases 
 where husbands and wives, members of Christiar 
 societies, were finally separated by sale, led the 
 ministers, some years ago, to deliberate on the subject 
 they decided that such a separation might be 
 considered as the death of the parties to each other, anc 
 they therefore agreed to consider subsequent marriages 
 not immoral. The practice is general. It is scarcel) 
 necessary to remark that a more unequivocal anc 
 impressive proof of the heinous nature of the systen 
 could hardly exist. It breaks up the fondest connexions 
 it tears up the holiest attachments, and induces the 
 ministers of religion, as much as in them lies, to garble 
 the divine law to suit its own infernal exigencies.) wife 
 belonged to Mr. Sawyer: he told me that her mastei 
 would not allow me to go to see her, if I would no 
 consent to what he now preposed: for any colourec 
 person going on the grounds of a white man after bein^ 
 warned of, is liable to be flogged or even shot. I thuj 
 found myself forced to go, although no coloured mar 
 wishes to live at the house where his wife lives, for he 
 has to endure the continual misery of seeing her floggec 
 
 34 
 
 i 
 
j and abused, without daring to say a word in her 
 defence. 
 
 ( 
 
 ii In the service of Mr. Sawyer, I got into a fair way of 
 
 j buying myself again; for I undertook the lightering of 
 
 jthe shingles or boards out of the Dismal Swamp, and 
 
 i hired hands to assist me. But my master had become 
 
 -security for his two sons-in-law at Norfolk, who failed; 
 
 rin consequence of which, he sold eighteen coloured 
 
 i people, his share of the Swamp, and two plantations. I 
 
 I was one of the slaves he kept, and after that had to 
 
 i^work in the corn-field the same as the rest. The overseer 
 
 >was a bad one, his name was Brooks. The horn was 
 
 blown at sunrise; the coloured people had then to 
 
 f march before the overseer to the field, He on horseback. 
 
 j We had to work, even in long, summer days, till twelve 
 
 [o'clock, before we tasted a morsel; men, women, and 
 
 i children all being served alike. At noon the cart 
 
 .appeared with our breakfast. It was in large trays, and 
 
 [was set on the ground. There was bread, of which a 
 
 apiece was cut off for each person; then there was small 
 
 i hominy boiled, (that is, Indian corn, ground in the 
 
 (hand-mill) and besides this, two herrings for each of the 
 
 imen and women, and one for each of the children. Our 
 
 idrink was the water in the ditches, whatever might be 
 
 its state; if the ditches were dry, water was brought to 
 
 i us by boys. The salt fish made us always thirsty, but no 
 
 other drink than water was ever allowed. However 
 
 i thirsty a slave may be, he is not allowed to leave his 
 
 employment for a moment to get water; he can only 
 
 35 
 
have it when the hands in working have reached the 
 ditch at the end of the rows. The overseer stood with his 
 watch in his hand, to give us just an hour; when he said 
 "rise," we had to rise and go to work again. The women 
 who had children laid them down by the hedge-row, 
 and gave them straws and other trifles to play with: 
 here they were in danger from snakes. I have seen a 
 large snake found coiled round the neck and face of a 
 child, when its mother went to suckle it at dinner time. 
 The hands work in a line, by the side of each other; the 
 overseer puts the swiftest hands in the fore row, and all 
 must keep up with them. One black man is kept on 
 purpose to whip the others in the field; if he does not 
 flog with sufficient severity, he is flogged himself: he 
 whips severely, to keep the whip from his own back. If 
 a man has a wife in the same field with himself; he 
 chooses a row by the side of hers, that with extreme 
 labour he may, if possible, help her. But he will not be 
 in the same field if he can help it; for with his hardest 
 labour, he often cannot save her from being flogged, 
 and he is obliged to stand by and see it; he is always 
 liable to see her taken home at night, stripped naked, 
 and whipped before all the men. On the estate I am 
 speaking of, those women who had sucking children 
 suffered much from their breasts becoming full of milk, 
 the infants being left at home; they therefore could not 
 keep up with the other hands: I seen the overseer beat 
 them with raw hide, so that blood and milk flew 
 mingled from their breasts. A woman who gives offence 
 in the field, and is large in the family way, is compelled 
 
 36- 
 
to lie down over a hole made to receive her, and is then 
 flogged with the whip, or beaten with a paddle, which 
 has holes in it; at every hole comes a blister. One of my 
 
 I sisters was so severely punished in this way, that labour 
 was brought on, and the child was born in the field. 
 This very overseer, Mr. Brooks, killed in this manner a 
 girl named Mary: her father and mother were in the 
 
 i field at the time. He also killed a boy about twelve years 
 old. He had no punishment, or even trial, for either. 
 
 There was no dinner till dark, when he gave the order 
 to knock off and go home. The meal then was the same 
 as in the morning) except that we had meat twice a- 
 week. 
 
 On very few estates are the coloured people provided 
 j with any bedding; the best masters give only a blanket; 
 j this master gave none. A board, which the slave might 
 j pick up anywhere on the estate, was all he had to lie on. 
 
 If he wished to procure bedding, he could only do so by 
 i working at nights. For warmth, therefore, the negroes 
 
 generally sleep near a large fire, whether in the kitchen, 
 } or in their log, huts; their legs are often in this way 
 
 blistered and greatly swelled, and sometimes badly 
 
 burnt: they suffer severely from this cause. 
 
 When the water-mill did not supply meal enough, we 
 had to grind with the hand-mill. The night was 
 employed in this work, without any thing being taken 
 from the labour of the day. We had to take turn at it, 
 
 37 
 
women as well as men; enough was to be ground to 
 serve for the following day. 
 
 I was eight months in the field. My master, Mr. Sawyer, 
 agreed to allow me eight dollars a month, while so 
 employed, towards buying myself: it will be seen he did 
 not give me even that. When I first went to work in the 
 corn field, I had paid him 230 dollars towards this third 
 buying of my freedom. I told him one night, I could not 
 stand his field work any longer; he asked, why; I said I 
 was almost starved to death, and had long been 
 unaccustomed to this severe labour. He wanted to 
 know why I could not stand it as well as the rest. I told 
 him, he knew well I had not been used to it for a long 
 time; that his overseer was the worst that had ever been 
 on the plantation, and that I could not stand it. He said 
 he would direct Mr. Brooks to give each of us a pint of 
 meal or corn every evening, which we might bake, and 
 which would serve us next morning, till our breakfast 
 came at noon. The black people were much rejoiced that 
 I got this additional allowance for them. But I was not 
 satisfied; I wanted liberty. 
 
 One Sunday morning, as Master was sitting in his 
 porch, I went to him and offered to give him the 230 
 dollars I had already paid him, if, beside them, he, 
 would take for my freedom the 600 dollars he had given 
 for me. He drove me away, saying, I had no way to get 
 the money. I sat down for a time, and went to him 
 again: I repeated my offer to procure the 600 dollars, 
 and he again said, I could not. He called his wife out of 
 
 -38- 
 
(the room to the porch, and said to her, "Don't you think 
 Moses has taken to getting drunk?" She asked me if it 
 was so; I denied it, when she inquired what was the 
 matter. Master replied, "Don't you think he wants me to 
 (sell him?" She said, "Moses, we would not take any 
 i money for you. Captain Cormack put a thousand 
 -dollars for you on the supper table last Friday night, 
 fand Mr. Sawyer would not touch it: he wants you to be 
 ^overseer in the Dismal Swamp." I replied, "Captain 
 ICormack never said anything to me about buying me: I 
 would cut my throat from ear to ear rather than go to 
 'him. I know what made him say so; he is courting Miss 
 IPatsey, and he did it to make himself look big". Mistress 
 ^laughed and turned away, and slammed to the door: 
 'Master shook himself with laughing, and put the paper 
 Jhe was reading before his face, knowing that I spoke the 
 tauth. Captain Cormack was an old man who went on 
 fcrutches: Miss Patsey was the finest of master's 
 ^daughters. Master drove me away from him again. 
 i 
 
 jOn Monday morning, Mr. Brooks, the overseer, blew 
 the horn as usual for all to go to the field. I refused to 
 go. I went to master and told him that if he would give 
 «me a paper, I would go and fetch the 600 dollars; he 
 Ithen gave me a paper, stating that he was willing to 
 take that sum for my freedom; so I hired an old horse 
 J and started for Norfolk; fifty miles off. 
 j 
 
 iVVhen I reached Deep Creek, I went to the house of 
 Captain Edward Minner. He was very glad to see me, 
 for in former days I had done much business for him: he 
 
 -39- 
 
said how sorry he had been to hear that I was at field- 
 work. He inquired where I was going. I said to Norfolk, 
 to get some of the merchants to let me have money to 
 buy myself. He replied, "What did I always say to you? 
 Was it not, that I would let you have the money at any 
 time, if you would only tell me when you could be 
 sold?" He called Mrs. Minner into the room, and told 
 her I could be sold for my freedom: she was rejoiced to 
 hear it. He said, "Put up your horse at Mr. Western's 
 Tavern, for you need go no farther; I have plenty of old 
 rusty dollars, and no man shall put his hand on your 
 collar again to say you are a slave. Come and stay with 
 me to-night, and in the morning I will get Mr. Garrett's 
 horse, and go with you." 
 
 Next morning we set off, and found master at Major 
 Farrance's, at the cross canal, where I knew he was to be 
 that day, to sell his share of the canal. When I saw him 
 he told me to go forward home, for he would not sell 
 me. I felt sick and sadly disappointed. Captain Minner 
 stepped up to him and shewed him the paper he had 
 given me, saying, "Mr. Sawyer, is not this your 
 handwriting?" He replied, "Mistress said, the last word 
 when I came away, I was not to sell him, but send him 
 home again." Captain Minner said, "Mind, gentlemen, I 
 do not want him for a slave; I want to buy him for 
 freedom. He will repay me the money, and I shall not 
 charge him a cent of interest for it. I would not have a 
 coloured person to drag me down to hell, for all the 
 money in the world." A gentleman who was by said it 
 
 40 
 
was a shame I should be so treated; I had bought myself 
 so often that Mr. Sawyer ought to let me go. The very 
 worst man as an overseer over the persons employed in 
 digging the canal, Mr. Wiley M'Pherson, was there: he 
 was never known to speak in favour of a coloured 
 person; even he said that Mr. Sawyer ought to let me 
 go, as I had been sold so often. At length Mr. Sawyer 
 consented I should go for 650 dollars and would take no 
 less. I wished Captain Minner to give the extra 50 
 dollars, and not to stand about it. I believe it was what 
 M'Pherson said that induced my master to let me go: for 
 he was well known for his great severity to coloured 
 people, so that after even he had said so, master could 
 not stand out. The Lord must have opened M'Pherson's 
 heart to say it. 
 
 I have said this M'Pherson was an overseer where 
 
 slaves were employed in cutting canals. The labour 
 
 there is very severe. The ground is often very boggy: the 
 
 i negroes are up to the middle or much deeper in mud 
 
 and water, cutting away roots and baling out mud: if 
 
 they can keep their heads above water, they work on. 
 
 They lodge in huts, or as they are called camps, made of 
 
 shingles or boards. They lie down in the mud which has 
 
 adhered to them, making a great fire to dry themselves, 
 
 and keep off the cold. No bedding whatever is allowed 
 
 t them; it is only by work done over his task, that any of 
 
 | them can get a blanket. They are paid nothing except for 
 
 * this overwork. Their masters come once a month to 
 
 receive the money for their labour: then perhaps some 
 
 41 
 
few very good masters will give them two dollars each, 
 some others one dollar, some a pound of tobacco, and 
 some nothing at all. The food is more abundant than 
 that of field slaves; indeed it is the best allowance in 
 America: it consists of a peck of meal, and six pounds of 
 pork per week; the pork is commonly not good, it is 
 damaged, and is bought as cheap as possible at 
 auctions. 
 
 M'Pherson gave the same task to each slave; of course 
 the weak ones often failed to do it. I have often seen him 
 tie up persons and flog them in the morning, only 
 because they were unable to get the previous day's task 
 done: after they were flogged, pork or beef brine was 
 put on their bleeding backs, to increase the pain; he 
 sitting by resting himself, and seeing it done. After 
 being thus flogged and pickled, the sufferers often 
 remained tied up all day, the feet just touching the 
 ground, the legs tied, and pieces of wood put between 
 the legs. All the motion allowed was a slight turn of the 
 neck. Thus exposed and helpless, the yellow flies and 
 musquitoes in great numbers would settle on the 
 bleeding and smarting back, and put the sufferer to 
 extreme torture. This continued all day, for they were 
 not taken down till night. In flogging, he would 
 sometimes tie the slave's shirt over his head, that he 
 might not flinch when the blow was coming: sometimes 
 he would increase his misery, by blustering and calling 
 out that he was coming to flog again, which he did or 
 did not, as happened. I have seen him flog slaves with 
 
 -42- 
 
his own hands, till their entrails were visible; and I have 
 seen the sufferers dead when they were taken down. He 
 never was called to account in any way for it. 
 
 It is not uncommon for flies to blow the sores made by 
 flogging. In that case, we get a strong weed growing in 
 those parts, called the Oak of Jerusalem; we boil it at 
 night, and wash the sores with the liquor, which is 
 extremely bitter: on this, the creepers or maggots come 
 out. To relieve them in some degree after severe 
 flogging, their fellow-slaves rub their backs with part of 
 their little allowance of fat meat. 
 
 For fear the slaves should run away, while unable to 
 work from flogging, He kept them chained till they 
 could work again. This man had from 500 to 700 men 
 under his control. When out of other employment, I 
 sometimes worked under him, and saw his doings. I 
 believe it was the word of this man which gained my 
 freedom. He is dead, but there are yet others like him 
 on public works. 
 
 When the great kindness of Captain Minner had set me 
 clear of Mr. Enoch Sawyer, I went to my old occupation 
 of working the canal boats. These I took on shares as 
 before, After a time, I was disabled for a year from 
 following this employment by a severe attack of 
 rheumatism, caught by frequent exposure to severe 
 weather. I was anxious however to be earning 
 something towards the repayment of Captain Minner, 
 lest any accident unforeseen by him or me, should even 
 
 -43- 
 
yet deprive me of the liberty for which I so longed, and 
 for which I had suffered so much. I therefore had 
 myself carried in a lighter up a cross canal in the Dismal 
 Swamp, and to the other side of Drummond's Lake. I 
 was left on the shore and there I built myself a little hut, 
 and had provisions brought to me as opportunity 
 served. Here, among, snakes, bears, and panthers, 
 whenever my strength was sufficient, I cut down a 
 juniper tree, and converted it into cooper's timber. The 
 camp, like those commonly set up for negroes, was 
 entirely open on one side; on that side a fire is lighted at 
 night, and the person sleeping puts his feet towards it. 
 One night I was awoke by some large animal smelling 
 my face, and snuffing strongly; I felt its cold muzzle. I 
 suddenly thrust out my arms, and shouted with all my 
 might; it was frightened and made off. I do not know 
 whether it was a bear or a panther, but it seemed as tall 
 as a large calf. I slept of course no more that night. I put 
 my trust in the Lord, and continued on the spot; I was 
 never attacked again. 
 
 I recovered, and went to the canal boats again. By the 
 end of three years from the time he laid down the 
 money, I entirely repaid my very kind and excellent 
 friend. During this time he made no claim whatever on 
 my services; I was altogether on the footing of a free 
 man, as far as a coloured man can there be free. 
 
 When, at length, I had repaid Captain Minner, and had 
 got my free papers, so that my freedom was quite 
 secure, my feelings were greatly excited. I felt to myself 
 
 -44- 
 
so light, that I almost thought I could fly, and in my 
 sleep I was always dreaming of flying over woods and 
 rivers. My gait was so altered by my gladness, that 
 people often stopped me, saying, "Grandy, what is the 
 matter?" I excused myself as well as I could; but many 
 perceived the reason, and said, "Oh ! he is so pleased 
 with having got his freedom." Slavery will teach any 
 man to be glad when he gets freedom. 
 
 My good master, Captain Minner, sent me to 
 Providence, in Rhode Island, to stay a year and a day in 
 order to gain my residence. But I stayed only two 
 months. Mr. Howard's vessel came there laden with 
 corn. I longed much to see my master and mistress for 
 the kindness they had done me, and so went home in 
 the schooner. On my arrival, I did not stop at my own 
 house, except to ask my wife at the door how she and 
 the children were in health, but went up the town to see 
 Captain and Mrs. Minner. They were very glad to see 
 me, and consulted with me about my way of getting a 
 living. I wished to go on board the New York and 
 Philadelphia Packets, but feared I should be troubled 
 for my freedom. Captain Minner thought I might 
 venture, and I therefore engaged myself. I continued in 
 that employment till his death, which happened about a 
 year after my return from Providence. Then I returned 
 to Boston; for, while he lived, I knew I could rely on his 
 protection; but when I lost my friend, I thought it best 
 to go wholly to the Northern States. 
 
 45 
 
At Boston I went to work at sawing wood, sawing with 
 the whip-saw, labouring in the coal yards, loading and 
 unloading vessels, &c. After labouring in this way for a 
 few months, I went a voyage to St. John's in Porto Rico, 
 with Captain Cobb, in the schooner, New Packet. On the 
 return voyage, the vessel got ashore on Cape Cod: we 
 left her, after doing in vain what we could to right her; 
 she was afterwards recovered. I went several other 
 voyages, and particularly two to the Mediterranean. 
 The last was to the East Indies, in the ship James Murray, 
 Captain Woodbury; owner, Mr. Gray. My entire savings 
 up to the period of my return from this voyage 
 amounted to 300 dollars; I sent it to Virginia, and 
 bought my wife. She came to me at Boston. I dared not 
 go myself to fetch her, lest I should be again deprived of 
 my liberty, as often happens to free coloured people. 
 
 At the time called the time of the Insurrection, about 
 eight years ago, when the whites said the coloured 
 people were going to rise, and shot, hanged, and 
 otherwise destroyed many of them, Mrs. Minner 
 thought she saw me in the street, and fainted there. The 
 soldiers were seizing all the blacks they could find, and 
 she knew if I were there, I should be sure to suffer with 
 the rest. She was mistaken; I was not there. 
 
 My son's master at Norfolk sent a letter to me at Boston 
 to say, that if I could raise 450 dollars, I might have his 
 freedom; he was then fifteen years old. I had again 
 saved 300 dollars. I knew the master was a drinking 
 man, and I was therefore very anxious to get my son out 
 
 -46- 
 
of his hands. I went to Norfolk running the risk of my 
 liberty, and took my 300 dollars with me, to make the 
 best bargain I could. Many gentlemen, my friends, in 
 Boston, advised me not to go myself: but I was anxious 
 to get my boy's freedom, and I knew that nobody in 
 Virginia had any cause of complaint against me; so, 
 notwithstanding their advice, I determined to go. 
 
 When the vessel arrived there, they said it was against 
 the law for me to go ashore. The mayor of the city said, I 
 had been among the cursed Yankees too long. He asked 
 me whether I did not know, that it was unlawful for me 
 to land; to which I replied, that I did not know it, for I 
 could neither read nor write. The merchants for whom I 
 had formerly done business came on board, and said 
 they cared for neither the mare (mayor) nor the horse, 
 and insisted that I should go ashore. I told the mayor 
 the business on which I came, and he gave me leave to 
 stay nine days, telling me that if I were not gone in that 
 time, he would sell me for the good of the State. 
 
 I offered my boy's master the 300 dollars: he counted 
 the money, but put it back to me, refusing to take less 
 than 450 dollars. I went on board, to return to Boston. 
 We met with head winds, and put back three times to 
 Norfolk, anchoring each time Just opposite the jail. The 
 nine days had expired, and I feared the mayor would 
 find me on board and sell me. I could see the jail full of 
 coloured people, and even the whipping post, at which 
 they were constantly enduring the lash. While we were 
 lying there by the jail, two vessels came from Eastern 
 
 -47- 
 
Shore, Virginia, laden with cattle and coloured people. 
 The cattle were lowing for their calves, and the men and 
 women were crying for their husbands, wives, or 
 children. The cries and groans were terrible, 
 notwithstanding there was a whipper on board each 
 vessel, trying to compel the poor creatures to keep 
 silence. These vessels lay close to ours. 
 
 I had been a long time away from such scenes; the sight 
 affected me very much, and added greatly to my fears. 
 
 One day, I saw a boat coming from the shore with white 
 men in it. I thought they were officers coming to take 
 me; and such was my horror of slavery, that I twice ran 
 to the ship's waist, to jump overboard into the strong 
 ebb-tide then running, to drown myself: but a strong 
 impression on my mind restrained me each time. 
 
 Once more we got under way for New York; but 
 meeting again with head winds, we ran into Maurice's 
 River, in Delaware Bay. New Jersey, in which that place 
 lies, is not a slave state. So I said to the captain, "Let me 
 have a boat, and set me on the free land once-more, 
 then I will travel home overland; for 1 will not run the 
 risk of going back to Virginia any more." The captain 
 said there was no danger, but I exclaimed, "No! no! 
 captain, I will not try it; put my feet on free land once 
 again, and I shall be safe." When I once more touched 
 the free land, the burthen of my mind was removed: if 
 two ton weight had been taken of me, the relief would 
 not have seemed so great. 
 
 -48- 
 
From Maurice's Creek I traveled to Philadelphia, and at 
 that place had a letter written to my wife at Boston, 
 thanking God that I was on free land again. On arriving 
 at Boston, I borrowed 160 dollars of a friend, and going 
 to New York I obtained the help of Mr. John Williams to 
 send the 450 dollars to Norfolk: thus, at length, I bought 
 my son's freedom. I met him at New York, and brought 
 him on to Boston. 
 
 Six others of my children, three boys and three girls, 
 were sold to New Orleans. Two of these daughters have 
 bought their own freedom. The eldest of them, 
 Catherine, was sold three times after she was taken 
 away from Virginia: the first time was by auction. Her 
 last master but one was a Frenchman: she worked in his 
 sugar-cane and cotton fields. Another Frenchman 
 inquired for a girl on whom he could depend, to wait 
 on his wife, who was in a consumption. Her master 
 offered him my daughter; they went into the field to see 
 her, and the bargain was struck. Her new master gave 
 her up to his sick wife, on whom she waited till her 
 death. As she had waited exceedingly well on his wife, 
 her master offered her a chance of buying her freedom. 
 She objected to his terms as too high; for he required her 
 to pay him four dollars a week out of her earnings, and 
 1200 dollars for her freedom. He said he could get more 
 for her, and told her she might get plenty of washing at 
 a dollar a dozen; at last she agreed. She lived near the 
 river side, and obtained plenty of work. So anxious was 
 she to obtain her freedom, that she worked nearly all 
 
 -49 
 
her time, days and nights, and Sundays. She found, 
 however, she gained nothing by working on Sundays, 
 and therefore left it off. She paid her master punctually 
 her weekly hire and also something towards her 
 freedom, for which he gave her receipts. A good 
 stewardess was wanted for a steam boat on the 
 Mississippi; she was hired for the place at thirty dollars 
 a-month, which is the usual salary: she also had liberty 
 to sell apples and oranges on board; and commonly, the 
 passengers give from twenty-five cents to a dollar, to a 
 stewardess who attends them Well. Her entire 
 incoming, wages and all, amounted to about sixty 
 dollars a-month. She remained at this employment till 
 she had paid the entire sum of 1200 dollars for her 
 freedom. 
 
 As soon as she obtained her free papers, she left the 
 steam-boat, thinking she could find her sister Charlotte. 
 Her two first trials were unsuccessful: but On the third 
 attempt she found her at work in the cane-field. She 
 shewed her sister's master her own free papers, and told 
 him how she had bought herself: he said, that if her 
 sister would pay him as much as she paid her master, 
 she might go too. They agreed, and he gave her a pass. 
 The two sisters went on board a steam-boat, and 
 worked together for the wages of one, till they had 
 saved the entire 1200 dollars for the freedom of the 
 second sister. The husband of Charlotte was dead: her 
 children were left behind in the cotton and cane-fields; 
 their master refuses to take less than 2400 dollars for 
 
 50- 
 
J them: their names and ages are as follows: Zeno, about 
 v fifteen; Antoinette, about thirteen; Joseph, about eleven; 
 v and Josephine about ten years old. 
 
 B 
 
 1 Of my other children, I only know that one, a girl 
 j named Betsy, is a little way from Norfolk in Virginia. 
 i Her master, Mr. William Dixon, is willing to sell her for 
 500 dollars. 
 
 ] I do not know where any of my other four children are, 
 
 , nor whether they be dead or alive. It will be very 
 
 j difficult to find them out; for the names of slaves are 
 
 I commonly changed with every change of master: they 
 
 . usually bear the name of the master to whom they 
 
 belong at the time. They have no family name of their 
 
 own by which they can be traced. Owing to this 
 
 i circumstance, and their ignorance of reading and 
 
 writing, to which they are compelled by law, all trace 
 
 | between parents and their children who are separated 
 
 < from them in childhood, is lost in a few years. When, 
 
 therefore, a child is sold away from its mother, she feels 
 
 that she is parting from it for ever: there is little 
 
 likelihood of her ever knowing what of good or evil 
 
 befals it. The way of finding out a friend or relative, 
 
 who has been sold away for any length of time, or to 
 
 any great distance, is to trace him, if possible, to one 
 
 master after another; or if that cannot be done, to 
 
 inquire about the neighbourhood where he is supposed 
 
 to be, until some one is found who can tell that such a 
 
 person belonged to such or such a master: and the 
 
 person supposed to be the one sought for, may perhaps 
 
 -51- 
 
remember the names of the persons to whom his father 
 and mother belonged. There is little to be learnt from 
 his appearance, for so many years may have passed 
 away, that he may have grown out of the memory of his 
 parents, or his nearest relations. There are thus no 
 lasting family ties to bind relations together, not even 
 the nearest, and this aggravates their distress when they 
 are sold from each other. I have little hope of finding 
 my four children again. 
 
 I have lived at Boston ever since I bought my freedom, 
 except during the last year, which I have spent at 
 Portland, in the state of Maine. 
 
 I have yet said nothing of my father. He was often sold 
 through the failure of his successive owners. When I 
 was a little boy, he was sold away from us to a distance: 
 he was then so far off, that he could not come to see us 
 oftener than once a year. After that, he was sold to go 
 still further away, and then he could not come at all. I 
 do not know what has become of him. 
 
 When my mother became old, she was sent to live in a 
 little lonely log-hut in the woods. Aged and worn out 
 slaves, whether men or women, are commonly so 
 treated. No care is taken of them, except, perhaps, that a 
 little ground is cleared about the hut, on which the old 
 slave, if able, may raise a little corn. As far as the owner 
 is concerned, they live or die as it happens; is is just the 
 same thing as turning out an old horse. Their children 
 or other near relations, if living in the neighbourhood, 
 
 -52- 
 
take it by turns to go at night, with a supply saved out 
 of their own scanty allowance of food, as well as to cut 
 wood and fetch water for them: this is done entirely 
 through the good feelings of the slaves, and not through 
 the masters' taking care that it is done. On these night- 
 visits, the aged inmate of the hut is often found crying, 
 on account of sufferings from disease or extreme 
 weakness, or from want of food and water in the course 
 of the day: many a time, when I have drawn near to my 
 mother's hut, I have heard her grieving and crying on 
 these accounts: she was old and blind too, and so 
 unable to help herself. She was not treated worse than 
 others: it is the general practice. Some few good masters 
 do not treat their old slaves so: they employ them in 
 doing light jobs about the house and garden. 
 
 My eldest sister is in Elizabeth City. She has five 
 children, who, of course, are slaves. Her master is 
 willing to sell her for 100 dollars: she is growing old. 
 One of her children, a young man, cannot be bought 
 under 900 dollars. 
 
 My sister Tamar, who belonged to the same master with 
 myself, had children very fast. Her husband had hard 
 owners, and lived at a distance. When a woman who 
 has many children belongs to an owner who is under 
 age, as ours was, it is customary to put her and the 
 children out yearly to the person who will maintain 
 them for the least money, the person taking them 
 having the benefit of whatever work the woman can do. 
 But my sister was put to herself in the woods. She had a 
 
 -53- 
 
bit of ground cleared, and was left to hire herself out to 
 labour. On the ground she raised corn and flax; and 
 obtained a peck of corn, some herrings, or a piece of 
 meat for a day's work among the neighbouring owners. 
 In this way she brought up her children. Her husband 
 could help her but little. As soon as each of the children 
 became big enough, it was sold away from her. 
 
 After parting thus with five, she was sold along with 
 the sixth, (about a year and a half old,) to the 
 speculators; these are persons who buy slaves in 
 Carolina and Virginia, to sell them in Georgia and New 
 Orleans. After travelling with them more than 100 
 miles, she made her escape, but could not obtain her 
 child to take it with her. On her journey homeward, she 
 traveled by night, and hid herself in thick woods by 
 day. She was in great danger on the road, but in three 
 weeks reached the woods near us. There she had to I 
 keep herself concealed; I, my mother, and her husband 
 knew where she was: she lived in a den she made for 
 herself. She sometimes ventured down to my mother's 
 hut, where she was hid in a hollow under the floor. Her 
 husband lived twenty-five miles off: he would 
 sometimes set off after his day's work was done, spend 
 part of the night with her, and get back to work before 
 next sunrise: sometimes he would spend Sunday with 
 her. We all supplied her with such provisions as we 
 could save. It was necessary to be very careful in 
 visiting her; we tied pieces of wood or bundles of rags 
 to our feet that no track might be made. 
 
 -54 
 
In the wood she had three children born; one of them 
 died. She had not recovered from the birth of the 
 youngest, when she was discovered and taken to the 
 house of her old master. She was afterwards sold to 
 Culpepper, who used her very cruelly. He was beating 
 her dreadfully, and the blood was streaming from her 
 head and back, one day when I happened to go to his 
 house. I was greatly grieved, and asked his leave to find 
 a person to buy her: instead of answering me, he struck 
 at me with an axe, and I was obliged to get away as fast 
 as I could. Soon after, he failed, and she was offered for 
 sale in Norfolk; there Mr. Johnson bought her and her 
 two children, out of friendship for me: he treated her 
 exceedingly well, and she served him faithfully: but it 
 was not long before she was claimed by a person, to 
 whom Culpepper had mortgaged her before he sold her 
 to Johnson. This person sold her to Long, of Elizabeth 
 City, where again she was very badly treated. After a 
 time, Long sold her to go to Georgia: she was very in at 
 the time, and was taken away in a cart. I hear from her 
 sometimes, and am very anxious to purchase her 
 freedom, if ever I should be able. Two of her children 
 are now in North Carolina, and are longing to obtain 
 their freedom. 
 
 I know nothing of the others, nor am I likely ever to 
 hear of them again. 
 
 The treatment of slaves is mildest near the borders, 
 where the free and slave states join: it becomes more 
 severe, the further we go from the free states. It is more 
 
 -55- 
 
severe in the west and south than where I lived. The 
 sale of slaves most frequently takes place from the 
 milder to the severer parts: in that directtion, there is 
 great traffic in slaves, which is carried on by the 
 speculators. On the frontier between the slave and free 
 states there is a guard; no coloured person can go over a 
 ferry without a pass. By these regulations, and the great 
 numbers of patrols, escape is made very difficult. 
 
 Formerly slaves were allowed to have religious 
 meetings of their own; but after the insurrection which I 
 spoke of before, they were forbidden to meet even for 
 worship. Often they are flogged, if they are found 
 singing or praying at home. They may go to the places 
 of worship used by the whites; but they like their own 
 meetings better. My wife's brother Isaac was a coloured 
 preacher. A number of slaves went privately into the 
 wood to hold meetings; when they were found out, they 
 were flogged, and each was forced to tell who else was 
 there. Three were shot, two of whom were killed, and 
 the other was badly wounded. For preaching to them, 
 Isaac was flogged, and his back pickled; when he was 
 nearly well, he was flogged and pickled again, and so 
 on for some months; then his back was suffered to get 
 well, and he was sold. A little while before this, his wife 
 was sold away with an infant at her breast; and of his 
 six children, four had been sold away by one at a time. 
 On the way with his buyers he dropped down dead; his 
 heart was broken. 
 
 -56- 
 
Having thus narrated what has happened to myself, my 
 relatives, and near friends, I will add a few matters 
 about slaves and coloured persons in general. 
 
 Slaves are under fear in every word they speak. If in 
 their master's kitchen they let slip an expression of 
 discontent, or a wish for freedom, it is often reported to 
 the master or mistress by the children of the family, 
 who may be playing about: severe flogging is often the 
 consequence. 
 
 I have already said that it is forbidden by law to teach 
 coloured persons to read or write. A few well disposed 
 white young persons, of the families to which the slaves 
 belonged, have ventured to teach them, but they dare 
 not let it be known they have done so. 
 
 The proprietors get new land cleared in this way. They 
 first "dead" a piece of ground in the woods adjoining 
 the plantation. By "deading" is meant killing the trees, 
 by cutting a nick all round each, quite through the bark. 
 Out of this ground each coloured person has a piece as 
 large as he can tend after his other work is done: the 
 women have pieces in like manner. The slave works at 
 night, cutting down the timber and clearing the ground; 
 after it is cleared, he has it for his own use for two or 
 three years, as may be agreed on. As these new 
 clearings lie between the woods and the old cultivated 
 land, the squirrels and racoons first come at the crops 
 on them, and thus those on the planters' land are saved 
 from much waste. When the negro has had the land for 
 
 -57- 
 
the specified time, and it has become fit for the plough, 
 the master takes it, and he is removed to another new 
 piece. It is no uncommon thing for the land to be taken 
 from him before the time is out, if it has sooner become 
 fit for the plough. When the crop is gathered, the master 
 comes to see how much there is of it; he then gives the 
 negro an order to sell that quantity; without that order, 
 no storekeeper dare buy it. The slave lays out the 
 money in something tidy, to go to meeting in, and 
 something to take to his wife. 
 
 The evidence of a black man, or of ever so many black 
 men, stands for nothing against that of one white; in 
 consequence of this, the free negroes are liable to great 
 cruelties. They have had their dwellings entered, their 
 bedding and furniture destroyed, themselves, their 
 wives, and children beaten; some have even been taken, 
 with their wives, into the woods, and tied up, flogged, 
 and left there. There is nothing which a white man may 
 not do against a black one, if he only takes care that no 
 other white man can give evidence against him. 
 
 A law has lately been passed in New Orleans, 
 prohibiting any free coloured person from going there. 
 
 The coasting packets of the ports on the Atlantic, 
 commonly have coloured cooks. When a vessel goes 
 from New York or Boston to a port in the slave-holding 
 estates, the black cook is usually put in jail till the vessel 
 sails again. 
 
 -58- 
 
No coloured person can travel without a pass. If he 
 cannot show it, he may be flogged by any body; in such 
 a case, he often is seized and flogged by the patrols, all 
 through the slave states there are patrols; they are so 
 numerous that they cannot easily be escaped. 
 
 The only time when a man can visit his wife, when they 
 are on different estates, is Saturday evening and 
 Sunday. If they be very near to each other, he may 
 sometimes see her on Wednesday evening. He must 
 always return to his work by sunrise; if he fail to do so, 
 he is flogged. When he has got together all the little 
 things he can for his wife and children, and has walked 
 many miles to see them, he may find that they have all 
 been sold away, some in one direction, and some in 
 another. 
 
 He gives up all hope of seeing them again, but he dare 
 not utter a word of complaint. 
 
 It often happens that when a slave wishes to visit his 
 wife on another plantation, his own master is busy or 
 from home, and therefore he cannot get a pass. He 
 ventures without it. If there be any little spite against 
 his wife, or himself, he maybe asked for it when he 
 arrives; and not having it, he may be beaten with thirty- 
 nine stripes, and sent away. On his return he may be 
 seized by the patrol, and flogged again for the same 
 reason, and he will not wonder if he is again seized and 
 beaten for the third time. 
 
 59- 
 
If a negro has given offence to the patrol, even by so 
 innocent a matter as dressing tidily to go to a place of 
 worship, he will be seized by one of them, and another 
 will tear up his pass: while one is flogging him, the 
 others will look another way; so when he or his master 
 make complaint of his having been beaten without 
 cause, and he points out the person who did it, the 
 others will swear they saw no one beat him. His oath, 
 being that of a black man, would stand for nothing, but 
 he may not even be sworn; and in such a case his 
 tormentors are safe, for they were the only whites 
 present. 
 
 In all the slave states there are men who make a trade of 
 whipping negroes: they ride about inquiring for jobs of 
 persons who keep no overseer; if there is a negro to be 
 whipped, whether man or woman, this man is 
 employed when he calls, and does it immediately; his 
 fee is half a dollar. Widows and other females having 
 negroes, get them whipped in this way. Many 
 mistresses will insist on the slave who has been flogged, 
 begging pardon for her fault on her knees, and thanking 
 her for the correction. 
 
 A white man who lived near me in Camden county, 
 Thomas Evidge, followed this business. He was also 
 sworn-whipper at the Court House. A law was passed 
 that any white man detected in stealing should be 
 whipped. Mr. Dozier frequently missed hogs, and 
 flogged many of his negroes on suspicion of stealing 
 them: when he could not in his suspicions fix on any 
 
 -60- 
 
one in particular, he flogged them all round, saying that 
 he was sure of having punished the right one. Being one 
 day shooting in his woods, he heard the report of 
 another gun, and shortly after met David Evidge, the 
 nephew of the whipper, with one of his hogs on his 
 back which had just been shot: David was sent to 
 prison, convicted of the theft, and sentenced to be 
 flogged. His uncle, who vapoured about greatly in 
 flogging slaves, and taunted them with unfeeling 
 speeches while he did it, could not bear the thought of 
 flogging his nephew, and hired a man to do it. The 
 person pitched on, chanced to be a sailor; he laid it well 
 on the thief: pleased enough were the coloured people 
 to see a white back for the first time subjected to the 
 lash. 
 
 Another man of the same business, George Wilkins, did 
 no greater credit to the trade. Mr. Carnie, on Western 
 Branch, Virginia, often missed corn from his barn. 
 Wilkins, the whipper, was very officious in pointing out 
 this slave and that, as very likely to be the thief: with 
 nothing against them but his insinuations, some were 
 severely punished, being flogged by this very Wilkins; 
 and others, at his instigation, were sold away. One night 
 Mr. Carnie, unknown to his coloured people, set a steel 
 trap in the barn. Some of the negroes, passing the barn 
 before morning, saw Wilkins standing there, but were 
 not aware he was caught. They called the master, that 
 he might seize the thief before he could escape: he came 
 and teased Wilkins during the night; in the morning he 
 
 -61 
 
exposed him to the view of the neighbours, and then set 
 him at liberty without further punishment. 
 
 The very severe punishments to which slaves are 
 subjected for trifling offences or none at all, their 
 continued liability to all kinds of in usage without a 
 chance of redress, and the agonizing feelings they 
 endure at being separated from the dearest connexions, 
 drive many of them to desperation, and they abscond. 
 They hide themselves in the woods, where they remain 
 for months, and in some cases for years. When caught, 
 they are flogged with extreme severity, their backs are 
 pickled and the flogging repeated as before described. 
 After months of this torture the back is allowed to heal, 
 and the slave is sold away. Especially is this done when 
 the slave has attempted to reach a free state. 
 
 In violent thunder-storms, when the whites have got 
 between feather beds to be safe from the lightning, I 
 have often seen negroes, the aged as well as others, go 
 out, and lifting up their hands, thank God that 
 judgment was coming at last. So cruelly are many of 
 them used, that judgment, they think, would be a 
 happy release from their horrible slavery. 
 
 The proprietors, though they live in luxury, generally 
 die in debt: their negroes are so hardly treated, that no 
 profit is made by their labour. Many of them are great 
 gamblers. At the death of a proprietor, it commonly 
 happens that his coloured people are sold towards 
 paying his debts. So it must and will be with the 
 
 -62- 
 
j masters, while slavery continues: when freedom is 
 established, I believe they will begin to prosper greatly. 
 
 < Before I close this narrative, I ought to express my 
 grateful thanks to the many friends in the Northern 
 
 i States, who have encouraged and assisted me: I shall 
 never forget to speak of their kindness, and to pray for 
 their prosperity. I am delighted to say, that not only to 
 myself, but to very many other coloured 66 persons, 
 
 I they have lent a benevolent helping hand. Last year, 
 gentlemen whom I know bought no less than ten 
 families from slavery, and this year they are pursuing 
 the same good work. But for these numerous and heavy 
 claims on their means and their kindness, I should have 
 
 i had no need to appeal to the generosity of the British 
 public; they would gladly have helped me to redeem all 
 my children and relations. 
 
 When I first went to the Northern States, which is about 
 i ten years ago, although I was free as to the law, I was 
 made to feel severely the difference between persons of 
 different colours. No black man was admitted to the 
 same seats in churches with the whites, nor to the inside 
 of public conveyances, nor into street coaches or cabs: 
 we had to be content with the decks of steam-boats in 
 all weathers, night and day, — not even our wives or 
 children being allowed to go below, however it might 
 rain, or snow, or freeze; in various other ways, we were 
 treated as though we were of a race of men below the 
 whites. But the abolitionists boldly stood up for us, and 
 through them things are much changed for the better. 
 
 -63- 
 
Now, we may sit in any part of many places of worship, 
 and are even asked into the pews of respectable white 
 families; many public conveyances now make no 
 distinction between white and black. We begin to feel 
 that we are really on the same footing as our fellow 
 citizens. They see we can and do conduct ourselves 
 with propriety, and they are now admitting us in many 
 cases to the same standing with themselves. 
 
 During the struggles which have procured for us this 
 justice from our fellow-citizens, we have been in the 
 habit of looking in public places for some well-known 
 abolitionists, and if none that we knew were there, we 
 addressed any person dressed as a Quaker; these classes 
 always took our part against ill usage, and we have to 
 thank them for many a contest in our behalf. 
 
 We were greatly delighted by the zealous efforts and 
 powerful eloquence in our cause of Mr. George 
 Thompson, who came from our English friends to aid | 
 our suffering brethren. He was hated and mobbed by 
 bad men amongst the whites; they put his life in great 
 danger, and threatened destruction to all who sheltered 
 him. We prayed for him, and did all we could to defend 
 him. The Lord preserved him, and thankful were we 
 when he escaped from our country with his life. At that 
 time, and ever since, we have had a host of American 
 friends, who have laboured for the cause night and day; 
 they have nobly stood up for the rights and honour of 
 the coloured man; but they did so at first in the midst of 
 scorn and danger. Now, thank God, the case is very 
 
 -64- 
 
different Mr. William Lloyd Garrison, who was hunted 
 for his life by a mob in the streets of Boston has lately 
 seen chairman of a large meeting in favour of abolition, 
 rield in Fanueil Hall, the celebrated public hall of 
 Boston, called "the Cradle of Liberty." 
 
 [ am glad to say also, that numbers of my coloured 
 brethren now escape from slavery; some by purchasing 
 heir freedom, others by quitting, through many 
 dangers and hardships, the land of bondage. The latter 
 suffer many privations in their attempts to reach the 
 Tee states. They hide themselves during the day in the 
 woods and swamps; at night they travel, crossing rivers 
 oy swimming, or by boats they may chance to meet 
 with, and passing over hills and meadows which they 
 do not know; in these dangerous journeys they are 
 guided by the north-star, for they only know that the 
 and of freedom is in the north. They subsist on such 
 wild fruit as they can gather, and as they are often very 
 ong on their way, they reach the free states almost like 
 skeletons. On their arrival, they have no friends but 
 such as pity those who have been in bondage, the 
 lumber of which, I am happy to say, is increasing; but if 
 hey can meet with a man in a broadbrimmed hat and 
 Quaker coat, they speak to him without fear-relying on 
 lim as a friend. At each place the escaped slave inquires 
 or an abolitionist or a Quaker, and these friends of the 
 :oloured man help them on their journey northwards, 
 intil they are out of the reach of danger. 
 
 -65 
 
Our untiring friends, the abolitionists, once obtained a 
 law that no coloured person should be seized as a slave 
 within the free states; this law would have been of great 
 service to us, by ridding us of all anxiety about oui 
 freedom while we remained there; but I am sorry to say, 
 that it has lately been repealed, and that now, as before, 
 any coloured person who is said to be a slave, may be 
 seized in the free states and carried away, no matter 
 how long he may have resided there, as also may his 
 children and their children, although they all may have 
 been born there. I hope this law will soon be altered 
 again. At present, many escaped slaves are forwarded 
 by their friends to Canada where, under British rule, 
 they are quite safe. There is a body of ten thousand of 
 them in Upper Canada; they are known for their good 
 order, and loyalty to the British government; during the 
 late troubles, they could always be relied on for the 
 defence of the British possessions, against the lawless 
 Americans who attempted to invade them. 
 
 As to the settlement of Liberia on the coast of Africa, the 
 free coloured people of America do not willingly go to 
 it. America is their home: if their forefathers lived in 
 Africa, they themselves know nothing of that country 
 None but free coloured people are taken there: if they 
 would take slaves, they might have plenty of colonists. 
 Slaves will go any where for freedom. 
 
 We look very much to Great Britain and Ireland for 
 help. Whenever we hear of the British or Irish people 
 doing good to black men, we are delighted, and run to 
 
 -66- 
 
tell each other the news. Our kind friends, the 
 abolitionists, are very much encouraged when they hear 
 of meetings and speeches in England in our cause. The 
 first of August, the day when the slaves in the West 
 j Indies were made free, is always kept as a day of 
 rejoicing by the American coloured free people. 
 
 I do hope and believe that the cause of freedom to the 
 blacks is becoming stronger and stronger every day. I 
 pray for the time to come when freedom shall be 
 established all over the world. Then will men love as 
 brethren; they will delight to do good to one another; 
 j and they will thankfully worship the Father of all. 
 
 And now I have only to repeat my hearty thanks to all 
 who have done any thing towards obtaining liberty for 
 my coloured brethren, and especially to express my 
 gratitude to those who have helped me to procure for 
 myself, my wife, and some of my children, the blessing 
 of freedom, ~ a blessing of which none can know the 
 \ value but he who has been a slave. Whatever profit may 
 be obtained by the sale of this book, and all donations 
 with which I may be favoured, will be faithfully 
 employed in redeeming my remaining children and 
 relatives from the dreadful condition of slavery. Mr. 
 Scoble, the Secretary of the British and Foreign Anti- 
 slavery Society, has kindly agreed to take charge of 
 whatever money I may be able to raise; and any 
 i reference may be made to Mr. Rouse at the office of the 
 i above Society, 27, New Broad Street, London; or to Mr. 
 R. D. Webb, 160, Great Brunswick Street, Dublin. 
 
 -67- 
 
DUBLIN, PRINTED BY WEBB AND CHAPMAN, 
 GREAT BRUNSWICK-ST. 
 
 -68- 
 
Author's Note: There was a second printing of the 
 narrative in Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1844. 
 The title of the book is Narrative of the Life of Moses 
 Grandy, Formerly A Slave in the United States of 
 America. A gentleman named Oliver Johnson was the 
 publisher. The purpose of the book was to be "sold for 
 the benefit of his relations still in slavery ". It also 
 provides the sums of money Moses spent to redeem 
 himself and relatives from slavery. As of January 19, 
 1844, Moses Grandy had spent $3,060 to redeem 
 himself, wife, son, grandchild, and redeem his 
 kidnapped son. He was also trying to buy the freedom 
 of one of his sisters in Elizabeth City, NC for the sum of 
 $100.00. 
 
 To give you an idea of how much that would be in 
 current year dollars, I contacted the Bureau of Labor 
 Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor to get the 
 formula and assistance for calculating this effort. The 
 United States City Average Consumer Price Index for 
 May 2003 was 549.7. The sum of money Moses Grandy 
 ; paid for the redemption of his family is equivalent to us 
 spending $52,565.06 in today's economy. I would 
 speculate that the majority of us living in this modern 
 day era of wealth in the United States of America would 
 find this one accomplishment by Moses Grandy alone 
 worthy of recognition and honor. 
 
 69- 
 
Just think, if you had to buy your relatives and you 
 needed to come up with $52, 000.00! Could you do so? 
 I do not think it would be easy for most of us. Nor do I 
 think many U.S. citizens would be able to accomplish 
 this noble cause in today's economy without major 
 financial adjustments. 
 
 This is a simple comparison of the two different 
 historical eras to measure the impact of what Moses 
 Grandy did in his day. As we look for role models of 
 future generations, let us make sure we have recognized 
 and honored the unsung role models of the past. 
 
 70 
 
The old Courthouse/ Jail Museum in Camden County. 
 
 A. display recognizing Moses Grandy on the second 
 loor of the old Courthouse Jail/ Museum. 
 
 -71 
 
^^™ , , ggm jmh ftmUl 
 
 CAMDEN COUNTY JAIL 
 
 BUILT 1910 - RESTORED 1986 
 
 NATT0W& REGISTER OF 
 
 HISTORIC PLACES 
 
 HAQUE PRESENTS! Vt 
 
 CAMDEN COUNTY 
 
 HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
 
 The historic Camden County Jail/ Museum 
 Built 1910 - Restored 1986 
 
 72 
 
-73- 
 
Chapter 3 
 THE SLAVE NARRATIVE COMMENTARY 
 
 Now that you have read the narrative, I hope that it 
 touched you in a way that makes you re-evaluate your 
 outlook on slavery and America's slave history. The 
 affects of slavery on the descendants of slaves are more 
 personal to me now. American slavery has been 
 skimmed over in our history books and public school 
 systems. If the history books do not tell the truth in a 
 manner that satisfies your need for a complete and 
 accurate accounting of your past, then it is up to us to 
 research and write the books. 
 
 My objective in this chapter is to provide some 
 interesting points of information on some of the 
 individuals and places mentioned in the narrative, and 
 some of my relatives still living in Camden, North 
 Carolina. 
 
 Some of the names mentioned in the Introduction 
 chapter of the narrative should be household names in 
 our communities, with the recognition and honor 
 bestowed to individuals and organizations that 
 contributed so greatly to the process of liberating 
 human beings from the agonizing horrors of slavery. 
 Why are they not household names? Maybe that is a 
 
 74- 
 
question for all the so-called Talented 10 th of the 
 African-American community. I won't wait for the 
 answer. 
 
 I do not believe that Moses Grandy or some of the 
 other more recognizable names of freedom fighters in 
 this era of American history were the only participants 
 in the quest for freedom. We should research the 
 history of our own relatives and ancestors to include the 
 rich history and legacy of these pioneers of labor that 
 literally built this country. Their stories must be told in 
 order to honor them and prevent such atrocities from 
 ever touching the shores of this country again. 
 
 It is our responsibility as Americans to uncover the 
 facts and identify the fiction in our slave history. We 
 must give our future generations a true picture of the 
 courage, sacrifices, and faith displayed by our ancestors, 
 both black and white, that endured the hardships of this 
 turbulent society. I am a firm believer that the truth 
 will set us free. 
 
 I have a theory that history can be used as a positive 
 force of information to heal us and become a truly 
 united nation. No longer shall we be indifferent to our 
 past, as if we would like it to be cast off into space. The 
 research for this book opened my eyes to many 
 historical facts that I did not know before pursuing this 
 effort. 
 
 75- 
 
The stories of others can provide the medicine 
 necessary to heal this nation and should be brought to 
 the forefront of our consciousness for its redemptive 
 values. The events of September 11, 2001, further 
 illustrate the urgency of the need to heal our nation. 
 Together we suffered the pains of the deaths of so many 
 innocent people. I have never witnessed the coming 
 together of Americans on such a large scale as a result 
 of that one catastrophic event. Like 9/11, we as a nation 
 must also share the pain and triumphs of our slavery 
 history. 
 
 I had been looking into the Grandy side of my family 
 history for about a year, and in December 2000 I 
 decided to take my family to Elizabeth City, North 
 Carolina and visit my mother-in-law, as we have done 
 on many occasions. However, this particular time I 
 remembered that my father told me he was born in a 
 place called Fentress, Virginia (now Chesapeake, 
 Virginia) which is on the way to Elizabeth City. I had 
 never been there, but I was given some information 
 from a cousin in Baltimore that I could use to eventually 
 contact other cousins in Chesapeake. 
 
 One of my cousins in Chesapeake, whose last name is 
 Grandy, was very cooperative and gave me information 
 on other relatives living in the area. I asked him where 
 was the family cemetery so I could get genealogy 
 information from the headstones. He told me that older 
 
 -76 
 
family members were not buried in Chesapeake, 
 Virginia, but in the church cemetery in North Carolina. 
 
 Of course this was news to me because at that point I 
 did not know there was a North Carolina connection for 
 the Grandys. I asked him what was the name of the 
 church and in what town was it was located. He 
 replied, "New Sawyer's Creek Baptist Church in 
 Camden, North Carolina." Later that day after arriving 
 in Elizabeth City, I asked my mother-in-law for 
 directions to the church. 
 
 I decided to visit New Sawyers Creek Baptist Church 
 the next day, which was Sunday. I was able to attend 
 service and introduced myself to the congregation. 
 After service, I met a few of the members who showed 
 me some of the graves where my relatives were buried 
 and suggested that I talk to the church mother who is 
 the oldest living female member of the church. 
 
 I wrote on the church program the dates of birth and 
 death (1827-1906) of my great-great grandfather, 
 Edmond Grandy. He was born around the same year 
 Moses Grandy got his free papers. I then returned to 
 meet the church mother, Mrs. Golena Hughes. It was a 
 blessing to meet someone who was, at that time, ninety 
 years old and whose memory was still crystal clear. The 
 first thing she did was to inform me that we were 
 indeed related. 
 
 -77 
 
On subsequent visits to the North Carolina she took 
 me on a tour of Camden and the town of Belcross. She 
 showed me some interesting sites that included the 
 yard in which she and my grandmother played in as 
 children when my grandmother would visit them from 
 Fentress, Virginia. I was excited and encouraged by all 
 the new information I was receiving. At that time, my 
 objective was to go back as far as I could on the Grandy 
 research and hoped that it would lead to tracing my 
 African ancestry to a particular country in Africa. 
 
 Once I returned home, I continued looking for leads 
 for my research. Months later I did a word search on 
 the computer for a place I had seen on a North Carolina 
 map called Grandy, North Carolina, thinking that might 
 be a link to the family research I was doing. Well, I did 
 not get what I wanted on the word search for Grandy, 
 North Carolina. Instead, I got exactly what I needed 
 from the word search on the computer. 
 
 -78- 
 
Headstone and grave of Edmond Grandy, my great- 
 great grandfather, June 4, 1827- April 28, 1906. 
 
 New Sawyer's Creek Missionary Baptist Church of 
 Camden, North Carolina founded in 1866. 
 
 -79- 
 
In March 2001, I came upon the electronic edition of 
 the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 Libraries, "Documenting the American South" 
 Collection, "Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, 
 Late a Slave in the United States of America" . 
 
 I visited the campus library and was able to read from 
 one of the original books published in 1843 that resides 
 in the University's collection. Touching that wealth of 
 information written and published in a document 
 almost 160 years ago gave me a sense of being directly 
 linked to the people in the past that worked so 
 diligently and at great risk to make this book a reality. 
 
 My Grandy genealogy research is not complete, nor is 
 the mission that Moses Grandy undertook from the 
 beginning completed. He got it started and I am 
 continuing the effort. Hopefully, this chapter has 
 provided insight into the journey I have traveled thus 
 far in my research. I do not want to make this journey 
 by myself. We owe our ancestors the respect of finding 
 them. The timing is now and they are calling us. 
 
 However, let me emphasize and clearly state that this 
 book is not a scientific or technical project on genealogy 
 research. This book is about real people and their 
 struggles to find freedom and liberty. There is no 
 amount of research I can do that would let me know 
 how our enslaved ancestors felt within their souls. I can 
 only imagine the kind of suffering that took place that 
 
 -80 
 
would endear them to embrace the thought of being 
 struck by lightning as a blessing from God to deliver 
 them from slavery. 
 
 These treasures of our oral and documented history 
 should be embraced as legacies of the African- American 
 story and the story of all America. Moses Grandy was 
 blessed to have his story documented for generations of 
 people to study and learn. 
 
 I am sure many similar stories have been told and 
 passed down through families without the benefit of 
 having them documented. They are all our ancestors 
 regardless of how we feel and it's time they are treated 
 as such. This book is one way in which the process 
 begins with my family and me. 
 
 -81 
 
-82 
 
Chapter 4 
 BEYOND THE NARRATIVE 
 
 Although my research on the Grandy side of my 
 family is far from complete, I believe devoting a chapter 
 on some interesting highlights I discovered relative to 
 Moses and the narrative would be fascinating reading. 
 
 I know many of you want to know what became of 
 Moses Grandy. Well, the truth is I have not uncovered 
 that critical piece of this most intriguing puzzle yet. 
 But, I am sure that through the efforts of researchers, 
 scholars, and his relatives, we will make every effort to 
 make the puzzle complete. 
 
 I have listed what I consider some of the most 
 interesting discoveries on this genealogical journey to 
 this point. I could list many more but my intention for 
 writing this book is to share some of the information I 
 researched and encourage others to get started on their 
 own research. 
 
 1. Moses Grandy had a son named Thomas F. 
 Grandy. In August 1842 they signed up as 
 seamen to board a ship from Boston. Thomas 
 was fifteen years old at the time, which makes 
 him the same age as my great-great grandfather 
 
 83 
 
Edmond Grandy. Edmond named one of his 
 sons Thomas. My great grandfather was named 
 Thomas and so was my grandmother's brother. 
 This could be a coincidence but it may not be. 
 Many slaves would keep the same given names 
 in the family if at all possible to provide a way of 
 tracing lost relatives if they were sold off to 
 other plantations. 
 
 2. Moses Grandy was married twice to women 
 who were owned by Enoch Sawyer. I have met 
 some of the African-American Sawyers of 
 Camden County and hope they will share the 
 stories and information from their history. 
 
 3. Willie McPherson of Camden County died in 
 December 1835 at the Eagle Hotel in Norfolk, 
 Virginia. He was considered one of the 
 wealthiest men in Camden County at the time of 
 his death. 
 
 4. The commissioners authorized the original 
 Camden County Courthouse for construction in 
 1782. The original courthouse was replaced in 
 1847 with the current structure. The courthouse 
 was a central location for activities in the county 
 in those days. 
 
 In the narrative, Moses said the courthouse was 
 about a mile from where he was so he could get 
 
 84- 
 
there before Enoch Sawyer could hire him as a 
 young man. The Federal census lists that area as 
 the Camden County Courthouse Township. My 
 ancestors were born and buried in the same 
 township. 
 
 5. Enoch Sawyer was the older brother of Lemuel 
 Sawyer who was a member of Congress 
 representing the state of North Carolina. The 
 Autobiography of Lemuel Sawyer corroborates 
 some of the geographical and personal 
 references in the Moses Grandy slave narrative. 
 
 6. The 1844 Boston edition of the slave narrative 
 listed the sums of money he spent to redeem 
 himself and family members from slavery. For 
 his own freedom he paid $1,850. For his wife he 
 paid $300, his son $450, grandchild $400, and $60 
 to redeem his kidnapped son. I asked the Bureau 
 of Labor and Statistics for assistance in 
 calculating how much money would that would 
 be in today's dollars. Taking into account the 
 consumer price index (CPI) from 1830 and May 
 2003, the total amount Moses paid in today's 
 dollars would be $52,565.06. 
 
 7. The Great Dismal Swamp Canal was started in 
 1793 and built by slave labor in very harsh 
 conditions, as elaborated by Moses in the 
 narrative. The important and significant role the 
 
 -85 
 
canal played when the British proceeded with a 
 blockade of the Atlantic Ocean is a critical 
 moment in our history. The canal enabled 
 military to move supplies between Norfolk and 
 Elizabeth City and contributed to the security of 
 this nation. 
 
 8. I visited the African Meeting House in Boston, 
 Massachusetts where Moses attended meetings 
 and met with some of the Anti-Slavery Society 
 members of that day. The Boston City Directory 
 of the 1830's listed Moses Grandy and his 
 addresses. 
 
 9. The Old Camden County Jail, that is located next 
 to the courthouse, has been restored and the 
 second floor is now a museum. While visiting 
 there in August 2002, 1 observed an exhibit they 
 have for Moses Grandy. It was a single page 
 document that made reference to his narrative. 
 
 10. The University of Montreal in Canada published 
 a French edition of the slave narrative in 1976. 
 
 By highlighting these ten interesting facts, it does not 
 mean that I have finished my quest for tracing my 
 Grandy roots. It is only a snapshot in time of my 
 progress to date. I look forward to sharing the full 
 scope of my continuing research in public speaking 
 engagements and/ or additional writing projects. 
 
 86 
 
DBS « n8» 
 
 « « « » ^ I -* * 4 ■* J * 1 "* * * * * * * * * * * "♦ 1 X'ia 
 
 f. T j, f. * ' * * * ■ * 4 ' » » * * ■ « • * • « « « * « .* * 
 
 ♦ j i J i i 2 4 4 <*««."1* 1 * I ^ ' * ' * * * *i 
 
 rhe current Camden County Courthouse, circa 1857. The 
 :ourthouse is currently under construction renovations. 
 
 -87- 
 
Historical sign on Route 158 in Camden County recognizing 
 Lemuel Sawyer, a member of the U.S. Congress and author 
 of "Blackbeard, a Comedy" in 1824. He was also the brother 
 of Enoch Sawyer, former slave master of Moses Grandy. 
 
 88- 
 
89- 
 
Chapter 5 
 PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS 
 
 There are so many significant pieces of historical 
 information that I discovered from reading and 
 researching the narrative. I will only address the topics 
 in this chapter that I believe provide a basis for 
 continuation of my genealogy research, or topics that 
 seem to have historically relevant issues that could 
 result in potentially value added information for 
 embracing our unique and proud African-American 
 heritage. 
 
 I think it is also important to discuss some of the 
 individuals mentioned in the narrative. I have collected 
 information about some of these individuals from 
 various public database sources that help shed light on 
 the culture at that time and provide lessons that may be 
 of some relevance in our society today. 
 
 Undertaking this journey has been both rewarding and 
 exciting. I have gotten so much pleasure out of meeting 
 people, visiting places, and learning new things about 
 my ancestry that I have become an advocate of 
 researching our family histories and hope to see more of 
 us pursue this type of research. Reading about my 
 
 90- 
 
research journey may provide hints or ideas on 
 conducting your own family research. 
 
 Although I still have a tremendous amount of Grandy 
 ancestral research to accomplish, I believe what I have 
 already completed can help others get started. The key 
 word here is "started". Once you decide that genealogy 
 research is something you want to do, by all means get 
 the ball rolling with yourself or other relatives that can 
 help in the process. Partners can always try to keep 
 each other motivated to reach their desired goals. 
 
 More often than not, it seems as though the best place 
 to start is at the beginning. In this case I am going to 
 follow that rule of thumb and start with the cover page 
 of the narrative. 
 
 The narrative was originally published in London, 
 England in 1843. However, there was also a Boston 
 edition that was published in 1844, which had some 
 minor changes. The most notable change to the Boston 
 edition was the last page. The Boston edition deleted 
 the London edition's specific request that any funds 
 obtained from the book sale be used to help Moses 
 Grandy redeem his relatives still held in captivity in the 
 United States. However, the Boston edition did list the 
 amounts of money Moses paid for family members he 
 had redeemed from slavery at that time. 
 
 -91 
 
The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society (now 
 known as Anti-Slavery International) contributed 
 greatly to the freedom fight for slaves then and even 
 today. The individuals that made Moses Grandy's 
 narrative a reality were associated with The British and 
 Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. The names of George 
 Thompson, Charles Gilpin, Thomas Clarkson, Webb 
 and Chapman Printers, John Scoble, and many others 
 from Europe were instrumental in carrying forth the 
 societies significant and heroic efforts to eradicate 
 slavery in the United States. 
 
 Some other notable Americans were mentioned in the 
 narrative introduction. They included such people as 
 William Lloyd Garrison, Nathan Winslow, Samuel 
 Sewall, and many others whose names and memories 
 should be etched in the pages of African-American 
 history books. 
 
 This genealogical journey allowed me to travel and 
 meet relatives in Camden, North Carolina on several 
 occasions to do research. Of course it helped to have a 
 mother-in-law that lived in Elizabeth City, North 
 Carolina, which is a fifteen minutes from the 
 Courthouse Township of Camden, where the majority 
 of the narrative's story takes place. 
 
 I was very fortunate to have two relatives who lived in 
 the area and paved the way for me to get connected in k 
 the community. First, my mother-in law, Dorothy fl 
 
 92 
 
 1 
 
Welch Robinson, grew up in Elizabeth City and 
 attended Elizabeth City State Teachers College (now 
 Elizabeth City State University). Second, the New 
 Sawyer's Creek Baptist Church member my ninety- 
 three year-old cousin, Ms. Golena Hughes, was raised 
 in Camden County and now lives in Elizabeth City. 
 
 Through these two wonderful women, I was able to 
 save valuable time in becoming familiar with the area 
 and meeting the people. 
 
 As it turns out, I seem to be related to many of the 
 black residents still living in the Camden County 
 Courthouse Township. The Register of Deeds Office at 
 the Camden County Courthouse was very helpful in 
 assisting me with researching birth, death, and 
 marriage certificates of my relatives. 
 
 As I searched through many documents in Camden 
 County Courthouse and the North Carolina State 
 Archives in Raleigh, North Carolina, I was astonished 
 to see the many surnames of individuals mentioned in 
 bhe narrative show up on census documents, deeds, 
 wills and other legal documents. It brought on a feeling 
 )f actually traveling back in time to the late 1700s and 
 ?arly 1800s. 
 
 Another source of valuable information became 
 ivailable when I joined the local historical society, 
 rhese organizations can provide valuable information 
 
 93 
 
on the history of the towns and past local residents. I 
 have met many other researchers in various places that 
 provided me with suggestions on conducting my 
 research and who shared some of their experiences. 
 
 These new friendships and memories gained on this 
 journey will be treasured forever. This has indeed been 
 an experience that I encourage, and hopefully through 
 this book, inspire others to take. Some of your family 
 history may be related to mine. We will never know 
 unless you take the journey for yourself. The ancestors 
 are calling us to tell their story. Will you answer the 
 call? 
 
 -94 
 
Mrs. Golena Hughes of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. 
 Cousin Golena was my tour guide for research in Camden 
 County. 
 
 95 
 
Pictures of Willoughby Spence and Lillian Grandy Spence. 
 They raised Cousin Golena Hughes and her siblings in 
 Camden, North Carolina after the death of their mother. 
 
 96- 
 
Ms. Ann Sawyer and staff at the Camden, North 
 Carolina Register of Deeds Office. 
 
 Register of Deeds Office in Camden Courthouse. 
 
 97 
 
The Grandy Primary School located in Camden, (NC). 
 
 The bridge and waterway between Camden, (NC) and 
 Elizabeth City, (NC). 
 
 98 
 
99 
 
Chapter 6 
 RELATIVES AND RELATIONS 
 
 The experience of genealogy research has greatly 
 benefited my immediate family and friends. We have 
 met so many wonderful people within the last few 
 years and we are related to many of them. I consider 
 my research a little beyond the infancy stage. I have 
 traveled from Maryland to Massachusetts, Rhode 
 Island, New York, New Orleans, North Carolina, and 
 Virginia. I have met relatives that have received me, in 
 most cases, with open arms. What a journey! And it's 
 not over. I want all of them to know that I truly 
 appreciate the hospitality shown to me. There is still 
 such a tradition called southern hospitality that is alive 
 and well in the Grandy family. 
 
 We are descendents of slaves and they were survivors 
 of slavery. In the Moses Grandy slave narrative there is 
 a statement on the front page that states, "published 
 and sold for the benefit of his relations still in slavery". 
 What a role model Moses Grandy was and still is today. 
 What courage and vision he had to plant the seeds of 
 freedom for himself, family, relatives, and other slaves 
 during this era. The Grandy relatives that I have come 
 to know during this research have enriched my life 
 experience tremendously. To meet people for the first 
 time that seem as if you've known them for a lifetime 
 
 -100 
 
provides encouragement to me for continuing this 
 journey. I have heard from them the stories of some of 
 my relatives that have passed on and some of them still 
 living that span three centuries. 
 
 In writing this chapter I wanted to mention a few 
 moments in which I met relatives without going into 
 the genealogical details. 
 
 • Many relatives I met at a cookout in Moyock, 
 North Carolina during the summer of 2001. 
 Nothing like an old fashion southern cookout to 
 become acquainted with relatives and the untold 
 stories. 
 
 • I met some relatives in Springfield, 
 Massachusetts after going to Boston and 
 Portland, Maine earlier that same day. Although 
 I arrived to my destination late that evening, I 
 was greeted very warmly by my cousins and 
 given a delicious meal to welcome me. 
 
 • My father and several older cousins from 
 Baltimore, Maryland provided me with insight of 
 how I was related to cousins in Chesapeake and 
 Virginia Beach, Virginia. 
 
 • Relatives in Chesapeake, Virginia and Elizabeth 
 City, North Carolina provided information on 
 history, relatives, and places in Camden, North 
 Carolina that no amount of documentation 
 gathered through genealogical research could 
 come close to providing. I am truly blessed to 
 
 -101- 
 
have had them assist me with insightful 
 information. 
 
 With much gratitude I thank them all for their support 
 and encouragement. 
 
 To enable family members and friends to recognize 
 some of the extended relatives, I have included 
 Appendices A, B, C and D on marriages by people with 
 the surname of Grandy to other families in Norfolk 
 County, Virginia, City of Norfolk, Virginia and Camden 
 County, North Carolina. I hope that this information 
 can be used to bring relatives and extended family and 
 friends together again. 
 
 I do not want to just "build" a family tree, but also to 
 use the lumber from the trees to build a mansion. My 
 hope is that in some way I am continuing the efforts of 
 Moses Grandy in laying a foundation to build upon. 
 
 -102 
 
Jreat-great Aunt Learah Grandy Cartwright, sister of my 
 *reat grandfather, Thomas Grandy. 
 
 103 
 
-104 
 
Chapter 7 
 LABOR PIONEERS 
 
 Through my extensive family research, I have reached 
 a conclusion in my mind about who rightfully deserves 
 the recognition for Labor Day in America; the former 
 African- American slaves. 
 
 Our slave ancestors built a significant portion of this 
 country. That is an undisputed fact. This is a fact that 
 people of African ancestry in this country, including 
 myself, need to take more seriously. If we do not give 
 them the recognition they deserve, then who will? This 
 country may not be proud of its slave history, but we 
 should be proud of those slaves that survived and those 
 that did not survive this horrific time in our country's 
 history. 
 
 We must find positive ways to honor their memory. 
 Today we celebrate Labor Day as a day of rest from our 
 work life. It means much more to me after doing this 
 research on my family. To see headstones of my 
 ancestors from the 1800's in Camden, North Carolina 
 and walk the land where they were held as captives was 
 enough to change my perspective on what Labor Day in 
 America means to me. 
 
 105 
 
The reality of their struggles and spiritual strength 
 becomes clearer for me by visiting the land my 
 ancestors came from. I get a renewed sense of strength, 
 focus, determination, and spirit from being there. Will 
 this small token of recognition impact or change African 
 American social or economic status in America? I do 
 not know. But, we have to start somewhere and do 
 something positive to impact the continuing struggle 
 for total liberation, justice and righteousness. 
 
 The Three Phases of Freedom 
 
 I think there are three phases of freedom that we must 
 go through. The first is Physical freedom. This phase 
 of freedom is the removal of chains and laws that held 
 us in captivity. We have for the most part accomplished 
 this phase. 
 
 The second phase is Mental freedom. This phase deals 
 with the reality and after effects of our slave history. 
 The majority of us are in this phase of freedom. That 
 includes all Americans no matter what their ethnic 
 origin happens to be. 
 
 The third and more challenging phase is Spiritual 
 freedom. An entire book could be written on this topic 
 alone. Most of us have not scratched the surface on this 
 
 106- 
 
phase of freedom. We are part of the continuation 
 process of the labor pioneers that went through the 
 physical phase of freedom. We should embrace our 
 responsibilities of being a part of the process that will 
 one day result in Spiritual liberation. 
 
 107- 
 
108 
 
Chapter 8 
 REACH BACK AND MOVE FORWARD 
 
 Getting in touch with your past may help to enhance 
 your future. This is just a theory of mine. I know 
 sometimes it is painful to revisit our ancestors' slavery 
 past. The fact of the matter is they lived through it and 
 they would want us to remember them. We need to 
 build on what they left for us. I mentioned before that 
 this is not just for Grandy slave descendants, but also 
 for slave descendants around the world. 
 
 In 2003, we are still living in a world where accounts of 
 the human slave trade still exist. The good news is that 
 organizations such as Anti-Slavery International and 
 Free The Slaves continue to carry the banner of doing 
 what they can to eradicate slavery. Their roots can be 
 traced back to the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery 
 Society that helped Moses Grandy and many other 
 slaves in their quest for freedom. 
 
 I have found in my research that many positive stories 
 about black and white families during the American 
 slave era have never gotten the recognition and credit 
 they deserve. Moses Grandy' s story is only one of 
 them. What story in your family's history is waiting for 
 you to bring it to the forefront of the American Society? 
 
 -109 
 
I gave a short speech earlier this year during a Black 
 History Month luncheon. Afterwards, some people 
 wanted to know how they could get started doing their 
 own genealogy research. They also wanted to know 
 what resources are available to help them conduct 
 genealogy research. 
 
 Genealogy research is not my profession, and I am not 
 an expert in this field. But, I must admit I have learned 
 quite a few techniques from the professionals in this 
 area. I find that getting started is one of the most 
 difficult parts of genealogy research. 
 
 How to fit research time in with all the other busy 
 aspects of life was the most difficult part for me. Many 
 of us have families, jobs, financial obligations, and so 
 on. Pick any excuse you have and it would be a good 
 one. What keeps me going is the call of my ancestors 
 wanting all of us to remember them. This is not just 
 something I want to do. It is something that I have to 
 do. 
 
 For me, this type of research is rewarding and 
 fulfilling. I enjoy helping others to discover their past. I 
 also appreciate the dedicated professionals that work at 
 the record preservation places to preserve our past. The 
 records and documents maintained by these individuals 
 are so important to tracing back the events of our past. 
 I salute their efforts and their assistance to researchers. 
 
 -110 
 
Ill 
 
Chapter 9 
 OUR TURN 
 
 The time has come for me to make contributions that 
 capture the healing powers of history. The information 
 gathered from researching history has the power to heal 
 or hurt. I choose healing history. I believe things 
 happen for a reason and my efforts to research and 
 write this book is not an accident. The University of 
 North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries deserves credit 
 for digitizing the slave narratives and other documents 
 of the antebellum era. They invited me to participate in 
 their Documenting The American South 1000 th Document 
 Celebration. 
 
 This event plus many other instances of spiritual 
 awakening moments during this journey allowed me to 
 focus some of my energies in the direction of what 
 history has to tell us that could yield benefits for our 
 future generations. 
 
 Most important to me was the revelation that my 
 ancestry did not start in North Carolina. Nor did it start 
 in the United States. There are thousands of years that 
 seem to be lost in the wind about our history. However, 
 the documents, papers, and oral history have limited 
 lasting power when dealing with the physical and 
 
 112- 
 
material breakdowns of scientific properties associated 
 with living in this earthly environment. 
 
 Our connection to the past must involve the spiritual 
 relationship as stated in Deuteronomy, Chapter 30 of 
 the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament). Some 
 of you may be asking yourself "What does that have to 
 do with me?" My answer is maybe nothing and 
 possibly everything. Is there a connection between the 
 ancient slaves of Egypt and the recent slaves in 
 America? 
 
 I don't know about you, but this question intrigues me. 
 It made me look outside the box of religious traditions, 
 brainwashing doctrines, and finger pointing customs to 
 opening the windows of discovering the truth about my 
 ancestors' history. If there is a connection between the 
 Egyptian and American slave histories, I want to know 
 about it. As a matter of fact I have researched it. 
 
 The discovery of knowledge and history is well worth 
 the effort. It is a new sense of freedom that stirs my 
 soul. Our history does not end with great-great-great 
 grandmother or grandfather. However, if we can 
 research our history to that point, what a proud 
 accomplishment that would be for most of us. 
 
 I may not have all the answers, but I know that I am 
 prepared to ask better questions about my ancestry than 
 before I started this journey. I find myself making 
 
 -113 
 
comments to my family and friends that seem to shed 
 light on the work yet to be done. I make the 
 comparison that technologically in the last century we 
 went from the horse and buggy to the shuttle. 
 
 We need to make that same kind of leap spiritually 
 and historically to ascend to the next level of freedom. 
 This will be the kind of freedom our future generations 
 to come will enjoy, having it better than what we have. 
 Our slave ancestors survived so that we could have 
 better than what they had. We should never forget that 
 or be ashamed of them. 
 
 My work and research is not complete by writing this 
 book. It is just beginning. I cannot devote a full time 
 effort to research my ancestry at this time. Like many of 
 us, I have responsibilities and obligations that must be 
 met on a monthly basis. But, I will give my works and 
 research the time that I can. 
 
 This journey has been so rewarding to this point I 
 wanted to share it with others. There is nothing like 
 your passion connecting with your purpose. If I have to 
 continue to do this in my spare time, I shall. This spare 
 time effort keeps the challenges of my life in balance. In 
 some ways it seems to make my life burdens just a little 
 more lighter. If it can do this for me, maybe this type of 
 history can have a healing effect for someone else. 
 
 114 
 
To keep me energized as I continue these types of 
 projects, I have devised my five "P" principles for 
 encouragement. They are Prophecy, Purpose, Passion, 
 Power, and Prosperity. I will not elaborate on them 
 now, however, I believe it is important to establish your 
 own criteria for self -motivation. 
 
 To back up my words with action, my wife and I have 
 co-founded a non-profit organization called Slave 
 Descendants Freedom Society, Inc. The mission of this 
 organization is to assist individuals and organizations 
 with genealogy research awareness training, developing 
 empowerment initiatives and promoting slave 
 contributions to America recognition programs. 
 
 Our goal is to bring honor, recognition and 
 opportunities for healing to the world by never 
 forgetting our slave history and the descendants of 
 slaves never forgetting their ancestors. If you would 
 like to help in our efforts, please contact us at: 
 
 Slave Descendants Freedom Society, Inc. 
 
 P.O. Box 8046 
 
 Elkridge, Maryland 21075 
 
 Email: info@slavedescendants.org 
 
 Phone: (410) 796-3165/ Fax: (410) 796-2858 
 
 Or visit us at our website: www.slavedescendants.org . 
 
 May the peace and blessings of Yahweh (God) be with 
 you and your family as you journey to find the ancestral 
 treasures in your heritage. 
 
 -115- 
 
-116 
 
APPENDICES A, B, C and D 
 
 General Index to Marriages for: 
 
 Norfolk County, Virginia 
 Camden County, North Carolina 
 
 and 
 
 Male Index to Marriages: 
 City of Norfolk, Virginia 
 
 -117 
 

 APPENDIX A 
 
 General Index to Marriages - 
 
 - Norfolk County 
 
 
 (Female) 
 
 
 July 1, 1850 to December 31, 1935 
 
 Date 
 
 Bride Groom 
 
 1/4/1866 
 
 Margaret Grandy 
 
 Oratto Dosier 
 
 1/29/1874 
 
 Courtney Grandy 
 
 Morris Brown 
 
 4/5/1883 
 
 Christina Grandy 
 
 J. A. Williams 
 
 4/7/1884 
 
 Ida Grandy 
 
 William Chappell 
 
 8/27/1885 
 
 Ellen Grandy 
 
 Samuel Green 
 
 12/24/1885 
 
 Elizabeth Grandy 
 
 Lewis Bland 
 
 8/26/1886 
 
 Victoria Grandy 
 
 Jasper Hopper 
 
 12/16/1886 
 
 Sarah Grandy 
 
 Richard Harris 
 
 6/25/1888 
 
 Mamie Grandy 
 
 Elizah Hill 
 
 5/5/1894 
 
 Sarah Grandy 
 
 John Farmer 
 
 12/19/1894 
 
 Susan Grandy 
 
 Willis Griffin 
 
 3/16/1895 
 
 Estelle Grandy 
 
 William Brock 
 
 7/25/1896 
 
 Mary Grandy 
 
 James Lowh 
 
 11/3/1896 
 
 Anna Grandy 
 
 John Wilson 
 
 10/17/1900 
 
 Lizzie L. Grandy 
 
 David Lamb 
 
 7/1/1901 
 
 Lizzy Grandy 
 
 Issac Martin 
 
 1/4/1904 
 
 Emma Jane Grandy 
 
 George Ferebee 
 
 1/19/1910 
 
 Cora Grandy 
 
 Willie Bryant 
 
 9/8/1910 
 
 Bessie Lee Grandy 
 
 Leroy Smith 
 
 5/24/1911 
 
 Emma Grandy 
 
 Floyd Whitmon 
 
 7/3/1913 
 
 Francis Grandy 
 
 Charlie Gregory 
 
 12/12/1916 LydiaGrandy 
 
 Hamilton Young 
 
 118 
 

 APPENDIX A (continued) 
 
 Date 
 
 Bride 
 
 Groom 
 
 10/7/1919 
 
 Ethel Grandy 
 
 Clarence Carter 
 
 12/8/1919 
 
 Malinda Grandy 
 
 Edward Wynn 
 
 6/20//1920 
 
 Viola Grandy 
 
 Thomas Roni 
 
 1/2/1922 
 
 Hattie Grandy 
 
 John Eyler 
 
 8/21/1922 
 
 Ellen Grandy 
 
 Willie Williams 
 
 9/2/1923 
 
 Mary Grandy 
 
 J. Herman Jackson 
 
 8/30/1926 
 
 Hattie Grandy 
 
 Belton Douglas 
 
 4/8/1928 
 
 Elnora Grandy 
 
 Richard Sheppard 
 
 10/25/1934 
 
 Annie Grandy 
 
 John Harris 
 
 10/29/1934 
 
 Lillie Grandy 
 
 Jessie Jarvis 
 
 Note: Partial data gathered from the Norfolk County 
 
 Courthouse 
 
 in Chesapeake, Virginia 
 
 . 
 
 119 
 
APPENDIX B 
 
 General Index to Marriages - Norfolk County (Male) 
 July 1, 1850 to December 31, 1935 
 
 Date 
 
 11/29/1865 
 
 1/13/1870 
 
 1/18/1877 
 
 5/30/1889 
 
 3/19/1893 
 
 7/22/1899 
 
 1/21/1900 
 
 11/26/1901 
 
 12/24/1903 
 
 3/7/1906 
 
 5/10/1906 
 
 11/22/1909 
 
 12/30/1909 
 
 12/3/1913 
 
 4/29/1915 
 
 11/15/1919 
 
 12/2/1919 
 
 7/11/1920 
 
 10/24/1920 
 
 9/16/1923 
 
 10/11/1924 
 
 6/17/1926 
 
 Groom 
 
 Caleb L. Grandy 
 Stephen Grandy 
 George W. Grandy 
 George Grandy 
 Charles E. Grandy 
 Issac Grandy 
 Mark Grandy 
 Dennis Grandy 
 Emanuel Grandy 
 Alpheus Grandy 
 Henry Grandy 
 John Thomas Grandy 
 Josephus Grandy 
 George Bell Grandy 
 Bill Grandy 
 Alfred Grandy 
 George Grandy 
 George E. Grandy 
 Richard Grandy 
 Charles Grandy 
 Rayfield Grandy 
 Albert Grandy 
 
 Bride 
 
 Burnice Honbury 
 Ida Smith 
 Priscilla Etheridge 
 Medora Gibbs 
 Malissa Jackson 
 Emma Tyler 
 Corianna Howell 
 Lelice Ann Harris 
 Annie Brown 
 Annie Williams 
 Fannie Jones 
 Rosetta Williams 
 Lula Brown 
 Elizabeth Dough 
 Eva Ferebee 
 Annie Perry 
 Mary Tynes 
 Georgia Ferebee 
 Ruth Jackson 
 Emeline Sawyer 
 Carrie Lee Bowe 
 Rebecca Jones 
 
 -120 
 
APPENDIX B (continued) 
 
 Date 
 
 Groom 
 
 9/ 7/ 1932 William Grandy 
 11/20/1932 Joseph Grandy 
 7/19/ 1933 Henry Grandy 
 
 Bride 
 
 Flossie Jones 
 Vivian Lawrence 
 Eliza Eason 
 
 Note: Partial data gathered from the Norfolk County 
 Courthouse in Chesapeake, Virginia. 
 
 121 
 

 APPENDIX C 
 
 
 General Index to Marriages - Camden County, NC 
 
 
 (Mixed Males and Female) 
 
 
 Beginning thru June 30, 1941 
 
 Date 
 
 Groom 
 
 Bride 
 
 7/20/1862 
 
 Abner Grandy 
 
 Jane Morrisette 
 
 8/15/1869 
 
 Abner W. Grandy 
 
 Permelia Trafton 
 
 9/14/1891 
 
 Timothy Bowe 
 
 Alice Grandy 
 
 12/24/1891 
 
 Thomas Dozier 
 
 Angelica Grandy 
 
 11/19/1903 
 
 Ambrose Williams 
 
 Annie Grandy 
 
 3/27/1937 
 
 Bryan Grandy 
 
 Mamie Ferebee 
 
 9/30/1900 
 
 C.L. Grandy 
 
 Mary E. Garrett 
 
 6/29/1898 
 
 C.R. Grandy 
 
 G.L. Bland 
 
 2/13/1881 
 
 Aaron Barco 
 
 Caroline Grandy 
 
 1/12/1888 
 
 Charles Grandy 
 
 Georgianna Jones 
 
 4/25/1872 
 
 Lemuel Walston 
 
 Cherry Grandy 
 
 10/16/1901 
 
 Christopher Grandy 
 
 Alice Polk 
 
 3/17/1882 
 
 John Wilson 
 
 Claricy Grandy 
 
 4/7/1867 
 
 Dempsey Grandy 
 
 Adeline Harrison 
 
 9/24/1937 
 
 Roy Mastraco 
 
 Dollie Grandy 
 
 8/3/1902 
 
 Ed Grandy 
 
 Hager Lamb 
 
 2/18/1872 
 
 Aldustus Perkins 
 
 Eliza Grandy 
 
 6/13/1853 
 
 Isaac Forbes 
 
 Elizabeth Grandy 
 
 1/28/1875 
 
 Jackson Sears 
 
 Florence Grandy 
 
 12/23/1915 
 
 Frank Grandy 
 
 Martha Hunter 
 
 11/16/1848 
 
 G.G Grandy 
 
 Martha Homer 
 
 9/15/1878 
 
 George Grandy 
 
 Angeline Gallop 
 
 122- 
 

 • 
 
 
 
 APPENDIX C (continued) 
 
 Date 
 
 Groom 
 
 Bride 
 
 4/12/1931 
 
 Floyd Gilden 
 
 Hazel Grandy 
 
 10/25/1900 
 
 Will Perkins 
 
 Ida Grandy 
 
 1/7/1904 
 
 Isaac Grandy 
 
 Dora Sawyer 
 
 2/22/1872 
 
 James Grandy 
 
 Harriett Duke 
 
 12/11/1871 
 
 Demsey Lamb 
 
 Jane Grandy 
 
 11/29/1902 
 
 George Sanderlin 
 
 Josephine Grandy 
 
 9/7/1882 
 
 Samuel Williams 
 
 Josephine Grandy 
 
 1/18/1881 
 
 Oscar D. Cartwright 
 
 Leah Grandy 
 
 11/20/1907 
 
 Willie A. Spence 
 
 Lillie M. Grandy 
 
 1/23/1865 
 
 F.R. Jennings 
 
 Lizzie Grandy 
 
 5/11/1858 
 
 M.M. Grandy 
 
 M. Sawyer 
 
 2/2/1888 
 
 Charles Barnard 
 
 Mamie Grandy 
 
 8/7/1882 
 
 Westly Hunter 
 
 Margaret Grandy 
 
 8/11/1937 
 
 Mark C. Grandy 
 
 Bernice Herndon 
 
 12/17/1885 
 
 William Traf ton 
 
 Mary Ellen Grandy 
 
 8/1/1859 
 
 Nathan Grandy 
 
 Mary Taylor 
 
 12/27/1870 
 
 Prince Grandy 
 
 Francis Humphries 
 
 7/30/1905 
 
 William Richardson 
 
 Sarah Grandy 
 
 10/4/1851 
 
 James Barrows 
 
 Sarah Grandy 
 
 5/10/1883 
 
 Wilson Jones 
 
 Sarah Grandy 
 
 2/20/1857 
 
 Thos J. Ether idge 
 
 Sarah P. Grandy 
 
 5/25/1851 
 
 Noah Forbes 
 
 Susan Grandy 
 
 
 -123- 
 
 
APPENDIX C (continued) 
 
 Date 
 
 3/29/1917 
 9/14/1871 
 4/15/1886 
 7/20/1887 
 9/15/1858 
 5/28/1938 
 2/20/1875 
 6/7/1855 
 
 Groom 
 
 I.H.B. Lowe 
 Thomas Grandy 
 Thomas Grandy 
 Thomas Grandy 
 W. Hambury 
 Wiley Grandy 
 Willis Grandy 
 Willis S. Grandy 
 
 Bride 
 
 Susan M. Grandy 
 Casan Cartwright 
 Katie Hughes 
 Mariah Spence 
 Virginia Grandy 
 Mary Griffin 
 Mandy Shears 
 Sarah Lamb 
 
 Note: Partial data gathered from the Camden County 
 Courthouse in Camden, North Carolina. 
 
 -124 
 
APPENDIX D 
 
 Male Index to Marriages - City of Norfolk, VA 
 
 Date 
 
 10/21/1868 
 7/12/1872 
 2/4/1874 
 6/3/1879 
 12/18/1879 
 1/5/1882 
 7/24/1883 
 11/19/1888 
 ■9/12/1889 
 112/16/1901 
 4/8/1903 
 110/4/1904 
 2/20/1905 
 4/30/1905 
 8/20/1907 
 4/26/1911 
 5/19/1911 
 9/18/1912 
 5/29/1913 
 |ll/22/1915 
 5/12/1916 
 1/27/1916 
 L2/4/1916 
 1/27/1920 
 11/11/1920 
 
 Groom 
 
 Cyrus Grandy 
 Charles Grandy 
 John Grandy 
 Albert H. Grandy 
 Charles Grandy 
 Felix G. Grandy 
 Frank L. Grandy 
 Henry Grandy 
 Henry Grandy 
 George Grandy 
 Matthews Grandy 
 Thomas L. Grandy 
 Miles Grandy 
 Willis Grandy 
 C.W. Grandy 
 William J. Grandy 
 Harry M. Grandy 
 John W. Grandy 
 Edward Grandy 
 Cecil Grandy 
 Sam Grandy 
 Alfred Grandy 
 Morris H. Grandy 
 John T. Grandy 
 Robert Grandy 
 
 Bride 
 
 Mary Selden 
 Otelia Braxton 
 Annie Rowland 
 Annie W. Reid 
 Eliza Gordon 
 Mary Cartwright 
 Fanny S. Cook 
 Annie Loach 
 Sarah Ashley 
 Elnora Wilson 
 Amanda Keeling 
 Mary E. Langley 
 Mary Simons 
 Mary Minton 
 Hattie Perkins 
 Helen H. Hudgins 
 Bertha L. Smith 
 Lottie Lambert 
 Jennie Cherry 
 Maggie Saulsberry 
 Mary Johnson 
 Rosa Coplin 
 Mary E. Brown 
 Lurola Brown 
 Josephine Christian 
 
 125 
 
APPENDIX D (continued) 
 
 9/3/1926 
 
 6/27/1929 
 
 6/1/1935 
 
 2/4/1936 
 
 11/23/1936 
 
 12/8/1936 
 
 5/29/1937 
 
 12/27/1938 
 
 10/19/1942 
 
 4/12/1944 
 
 5/21/1946 
 
 8/2/1947 
 
 7/1/1950 
 
 2/12/1951 
 
 12/14/1951 
 
 10/18/1954 
 
 6/24/1955 
 
 3/31/1958 
 
 6/15/1959 
 
 6/28/1977 
 
 11/10/1983 
 
 Robert E. Grandy 
 William B. Grandy 
 Willie E. Grandy 
 William J. Grandy 
 Abbott Grandy 
 George Grandy 
 Jessie Grandy 
 John Grandy 
 John W. Grandy III 
 Melvin Grandy 
 Robert N. Grandy 
 Joseph Grandy 
 Clifford G. Grandy 
 Charles F. Grandy 
 Joseph J. Grandy 
 Henry Grandy 
 Charles C. Grandy 
 Joseph J. Grandy 
 Clinton L. Grandy 
 Joseph Grandy Sr. 
 Cyros W. Grandy 
 
 Anna M. Saunders 
 Selena Jones 
 Alberta Stokley 
 Mary L. Hickman 
 Maggie Jones 
 Cornelia Johnson 
 Josephine Edwards 
 Louise Mclese 
 Anne R. Evans 
 Hattie Champion 
 Jean C. Bell 
 Doris Sykes 
 Ida M. Rogers 
 Miriam W. King 
 Margie McNeil 
 Gladys F. Gallop 
 Sarah F. Sivels 
 Dorothy Williams 
 Audrey McNair 
 Virginia Porter 
 Edith Holcombe 
 
 Note: Partial data gathered from the City of Norfolk 
 courthouse in Norfolk, Virginia. 
 
 -126 
 
127 
 
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 -128 
 
Ancestor's 
 
 About the Author. 
 
 ERIC ANTHONY SHEPPARD was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, 
 and is the third oldest of six children. Upon graduating from high school, Eric 
 entered the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, 
 California. He spent a combined 15 years working for the Department of Defense 
 (DoD) as an active duty airman and later as a civilian employee. One of the high- 
 lights of his DoD career was working on the Stealth Bomber (B-2) Program during 
 its developmental stage. He started doing family genealogy research in 1 996 and 
 is a member of the Afro- American Historical & Genealogical Society. 
 
 Eric earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland. He 
 also holds Associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force and 
 Catonsville (MD) Community College. 
 
 In 2002, Eric, along with his wife, co-founded a non-profit organization called 
 Slave Descendants Freedom Society, Inc. The mission of the organization is to 
 assist individuals and groups with genealogy research training and awareness, 
 develop empowerment initiatives and promote recognition programs for slaves' 
 contributions in building America. 
 
 Eric is the father of two adult children. Eric and his wife Lisa reside in Howard 
 County, Maryland, along with their two youngest children, Malcolm and 
 MacKenzie. 
 
 ISBN: 0-9727529-0-0 $12.95 
 
 90000 
 
 780972"752909 
 
 $12.95 U.S.A. 
 $17.25 Canada 
 
Bridgeport National 
 Bindery, Inc. 
 
 FEB. 2004