People enslaved by William Broadus TROTTER and his siblings, Alexander TROTTER and Nancy FISHER TROTTER of (Clarke) MS
This list of people is from the "inventory" of Alexander Trotter's estate when he died. I am listing them as they were written.
one negro woman Mourning
one woman Amy and child Joe
one woman Rachel, Susan, Mary and Mahala
one woman Patience
one woman Cornelia
one woman Charlot, Francis, Rose, Elizabeth, and William
one girl Caroline
one boy Othnial
one woman Ruth
one boy Casey
one negro man William
one negro man Woodson
one man Austin
one negro man Sam
one boy Aaron
one boy Henry
one woman Patsy, Ellen Williby, Chase falby and Gilbert
one woman Amanda
July
Ann and Tom
Deed Book, Volumes III and IV, page 60 -- A true and perfect inventory of the Negroes hired belonging to the estate of Alexander Trotter deceased on the 4th day of January 1854, to wit [on this list the first name is who they were hired out to, then the slaves' names]
John S. Smith, Woodson & Ruth
James Manasco, Austin
Simean Box, Aaron
Wm. B. Trotter, Dave
W.B. Thompson, Authnel
A.G. Horn, Henry
W.A. West, Old Bill and little Bill
S.M. Hamilton, Racehl and Mahala
W.A. West, Patience
R.B. Burton, Cornil, Ruth and Mary
JS? Williford, Francis
Jeconius P. Pool, Susan and Ellin
W.A. West, Rose & Leizer?
Arthur Arrington, Mary
H. Henry Smith, Ellen
H. Henry Smith, Lewis
J.W. Howze, Amy, Joe, Jeff & Washington
J.H. Ogburn, Amanda, July, Tom, Henry
Livinia (?)
Alexander
John Brazier, Mourning
John S. Smith, Patsy, Gilbert & Suckey
W.H. West, Liz
J. T. Lowry, Caroline
J.H. Johnson, Chase
Bird Boyakin, Polly
page 341 -- A true and perfect Inventory of the hire of the Negroes belonging to the Estate of Alexander Trotter deceased for the year AD 1856. [I will only list the slave names]
Woodson & Ruth
Austin
Aaron
Sam
Dave
Henry
Othneal
Old William
Lewis
Little Billy
Rachael
Patience
Caroline, Ruth, Mary
Francis two children & Lizer
Susan & Ellen
Rose
Mary and child
Ellin Amy and four children
Amanda and six children
Mourning
Patsy, Gilbert and Sooky
Lis
Chase
Phalby
Caroline & child Mahala ---------------------
page 343 -- Wm. B. Trotter Guardian Report 1856 [more accounting of hiring out of slaves]
boy George Tom, Dolly and 3 children
Jack
Rachel
Ann
Betsy and two children
Mary
Jane
Fisher
Mary Ann and three children --------------
page 612 -- Estate of Alex Trotter dec'd. [more accounting of hire of slaves, hired out on Jan 1, 1857]
Woodson and Ruth
Austin
Aaron
Sam
Dave
Othneal
Henry
Old Billy
Lewis
Little Billy
Rachel
Patience
Caroline
Ruth and Mary
Francis and child and Eliza
Susan and Ellen
Rose and child
Mary and child
Ellen
Amy, Joe, Jeff, Washington, and Ann
Amanda, July, Tom, Henry
Levenia
Alex.
Jim and Sirus
Mourning
Patsy, Glibert and Sookey
Liz
Chase
Falby
Caroline and 2 children
Mahala
From Probate Court Vol. II -- 1850-1855 p. 64 -- Act. Currant of Wm B. Trotter Guardian of the Minor heirs of Alexander & Faith Trotter showing a full act. of his receits of property and hire of Slaves belonging to said heirs up to 3rd February AD 1851.
Tom & Dolly’s hire in 1849 141.00
Tom & Dolly’s hire in 1850 180.00
Tom & Dolly’s hire in 1851 241.00
This amount received of the wages of George Trotter deceased from the Treasury of the United States in August AD 1850 26.50
This amount of sale of one mulebelonging to George Trotter sold in his lifetime to A McLendon 60.00
This amount of slaes of one gray Pony belonging to George Trotter 32.00
This amount collected of ?? Johnson in AD 1850 50.00
?? $731.00
Page 248-249 Probate Volume ? (1853) -- The annual Report of and account current of Wm B Trotter guardian of the heirs of Alexander Trotter up to the 1st day of Febuary AD 1853, as it Relates to the Property in his hands as such ?. The said guardian charges himself as follows to wit:
To the amount hire of slaves in AD 1849 141 00
To the amount of hire in 1850 180 00
To the amount in “ 1851 240 00
To the amount of hire 1852 459 00
To this amt Received in AD 1850 of George Trotter’s Wages 26 50
Amt of sale of George Trotter’s Mule to Allen McLendon 60 00
Amt of sale of George Trottter’s Pony To Samuel Crosby 32 50
This amt collected of J J Johnston 50 00
All of which has heretofore been Retired $1189 00 -ed into Court.
To this amt of Hire of slaves for the year AD 1853 Not due until January 1854 559 50 $1748 50
Wm B Trotter, guardian ? Credit (?) as follows, to wit,
By this amt as shown by Return herewith submitted $1465 75 Wm B Trotter, guardian of the heirs of Alexander Trotter, dec’d ?
by this amt Paid Out for the use of the property in his hands heretofore Returned into Court 21 73
By this amt of Midwifery Fees Paid for slaves in 1852 7 00
By this amt of guardian fees from 1st May 1847 to 1st Febuary 1853, five years and nine months at 250, per annum $1437 00 (bottom line cut off in photocopying)
The state of Mississippi Clarke County, Probate Court Febuary Term AD 1853
This day in open Court Personally appeared Wm B Trotter who being (first) duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith that the above (account) & Report is true to the best of his knowledge and belief, sworn to and subscribed in open Court this the 7t day of Febuary AD 1853
Joahn R Eatman Clerk Wm B Trotter Received Examined audited and allowed,
AG Harrell Judge Probate Court ???
February Term AD 1852 -- page 185 -- In the matters of the Estate of Nancy F Trotter deceased, we the commissioners appointed to apprais and divide the personal estate belonging to the Estate of Nancy F Trotter according to law, the warrant to us directed, did meet at the house of William B Trotter in the County of Clark of the State of Mississippi on the first day of January AD 1852; an after being duly sworn according to Law a certificate of our oath being hereunto attached, did proceed to divide the slaves belonging to the said estate of the said Nancy F Trotter deceased, as follows, and to value the same to wit.
In lot No. 1 we place the following names No. Name of Slave Valued at $ Cts
1 Big George valued at 750 00
2 Mary Ann valued at 400 00
3 Rachall Ann valued at 500 00
4 Mary Jane valued at 500 00
5 Little George valued at 400 00
6 Anderson valued at 300 00
7 Becky valued at 250 00
8 Betsy valued at 600 00
9 Jack valued at 400 00
10 Fisher valued at 300 00
11 William infant valued at 100 00
$ 4500 00
In lot No. 2 we place the following names (No) (to wit) (to wit) valued at $ Cts
1 Jim valued at 600 00
2 Mariah valued at 600 00
3 Malinda valued at 400 00
4 McLendon valued at 200 00
5 Lucy infant valued at 100 00
6 Susan valued at 600 00
7 Bill valued at 400 00
8 Joe? valued at 100 00
9 Lucinda valued at 600 00
10 Amy valued at 600 00
11 Silva valued at 300 00
$ 4500 00
In lot No. 3 we placed the following No. Name Slave To wit $ Cts
From Probate Court Minutes Volume 7 1860-1867 p. 212-213 -- Esatate of W B Trotter decd (deceased)
This day comes on to be heard the Motion to correct the appraisment of W B Trotter decd by striking out Rhoada and Handy Slaves valued at $850 And it appearing to the Court that said Trotter conveyed in his lifetime by deed the said Slaves to his daughter Allice Trotter. It is therefore ordered by this Court that said Slaves be stricken from said Inventory and the amount corrected by $850 their appraised value which is done in open Court.
SOURCE: sfhutch@earthlink.com
Bridging the Gap
In August of 2010 I traveled from relatively cool and mossy Seattle to the humid, cricket-buzzing heat of southeastern Mississippi for a family reunion I will never forget.
I am white, and this was a black family reunion. No, I was not marrying into the family . These were my cousins. My great-great grandfather, William Trotter, was the father – and slaveholder – of Henry Trotter, the man whose descendants were gathering from across the country.
This was obviously not your typical reunion situation, and deserves a little background to put it in context. Several years earlier, inspired by my involvement with descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings (Thomas and Martha Jefferson are my 6X great-grandparents), I co-founded a racial reconciliation program called Coming to the Table, which brings together descendants of slaves and slaveholders who are committed to dialogue and healing. The name was inspired by a line from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous March on Washington speech – “I have a dream that one day… the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
The remarkable people I met through Coming to the Table and the hopeful nature of our relationships inspired me to want to search for other “linked descendants,” people to whom I was “related by slavery.” It felt like a small but meaningful attempt to foster some healing of the racial dysfunction we Americans have inherited from our history of slavery.
William Trotter seemed like a logical starting point for my quest. I knew that he’d lived in Clarke County, Mississippi, had enslaved around 40 people, and that he’d self-published a disturbing 200-page defense of slavery just before the Civil War. Dave Pettee, a Coming to the Table friend and cousin, helped me tremendously with research, going so far as to meet me in Mississippi to see what records we might find in the county courthouse. Dave is a skilled genealogist, and had done exactly this kind of research before.
Within a few months, I was in contact with three descendants of Henry Trotter. One of these cousins, Gary, was a family historian, and had stumbled upon Henry’s misfiled death certificate – which listed William as Henry’s father – in the Mississippi State Archives. Mamie was, ironically, the housekeeper for the still-standing William Trotter house. Maceo was on the reunion organizing committee, and invited me to attend the next reunion and to be part of a presentation about our shared family history. I was honored to be invited, and eager to meet these new relatives.
Months passed, we exchanged some calls and emails, and at last it was reunion time. Dave joined me in Mississippi again. We arrived a day early for more research in the county courthouse.
On our earlier visit we found documents with names of people enslaved by the Trotter family, but Henry was not among them. This time we looked for Henry, and found him. He was in an inventory of personal property that began with a list of 33 names of enslaved men, women and children:
“one negro woman Mourning appraised at $300
one woman Amy and child Joe $600
one woman Rachel, Susan, Mary and Mahala $1050…”
The sixteenth line read “one boy, Henry $500.”
This brought me to a full stop. My heart racing, I tried to absorb something of the human meaning of this discovery. I had seen slave names in property lists before, and it was always unsettling. This time there was a whole new dimension in the form of living people – Henry’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren – kinfolk I would soon meet.
***
The reunion began Friday night with a reception at a community center outside of Laurel, Mississippi. Dave and I got what felt like a few skeptical looks as we walked across the parking lot and through the doors into the meeting hall. Even though I’d heard that word had gotten around that I was coming, I wasn’t sure if everyone knew who I was, and why I was there.
Lucy, one of the organizers who had encouraged me to come, walked over to greet us warmly right away, and directed us to the registration table where we met Delores, the main reunion organizer.
Delores welcomed me with a big smile and a hug, then immediately pulled out the reunion t-shirt to show me. She had worked with a friend to come up with the design and was eager to see if I would like it. The words "Bridging the Gap" were printed in gold, on a black shirt. Above, a black hand and a white hand reached out toward one another, a burst of light in the center where their fingers touched, the two sides of an incomplete bridge comprising the source of each arm. I was stunned and deeply moved.
After giving Delores some booklets I’d prepared about our shared family history, I settled into meeting people and visiting. I talked with Barbara, a cousin about my age from South Carolina. Barbara was sweet, warm and friendly, and I found myself relaxing more and more as we talked. I also visited with Gene, an outgoing retired Army officer and Trotter family historian from Colorado.
The next morning there was nothing scheduled. Dave and I drove out into the country to see where the William Trotter farm had been. The countryside was tranquil and beautiful, with emerald green pines and rolling, grassy hills. The intense August heat and the buzzing of crickets fueled my imagination, as I tried to conjure up some sense of what life was like on this land so many years ago.
How could such benign beauty be connected to such painful history? Would my new cousins and I be able to transform the legacy of that painful history into something positive?
***
It was time for the banquet. Soon I would share with the group what I had learned about William Trotter, our common ancestor. I could do this only because I had learned from many descendants of people who had been enslaved how meaningful it was for them when white descendants of slaveholders shared this kind of genealogical information and fully acknowledged the history of slavery, rather than avoid or deny it. I had learned that many descendants of slaves feel cut off from their roots due to the genealogical ‘brick wall’ of slavery – no names in census records; no records of births, deaths, or marriages; private slaveholder family and business records rarely accessible.
While some descendants of slaves, understandably, do not want to learn about their family’s connections to slavery and face the pain of that past, I felt it was important to accept the invitation that had been extended to me, and to talk about what I had found. I only hoped that my sharing might provide some small measure of healing and repair.
The evening program began with an opening prayer. I was nervous and found it hard to focus on the program. Suddenly, ahead of schedule, I was called to the microphone.
As I began to talk, fifty solemn faces watched me intently. I let them know that I might get a little emotional as I talked, but that they didn’t need to worry about me or take care of me – this was just part of facing the truth and part of the healing.
I talked about William Trotter and his family for several minutes, referring to notes, pausing too long, feeling awkward and trying not to blow it.
Then came the hardest part – telling them about finding Henry listed as personal property – a boy, valued at $500. The words almost stopped in my throat, but managed to force their way out.
A few minutes later I was done. This was not a time for smiles and applause, and there was no way to know if my offering brought pain or healing, or both. I could only hope.
As I returned to my seat, Gene was called up and took my place at the microphone. He reflected briefly on the Lord’s Prayer, particularly the phrase, “Thy will be done,” by way of encouraging people not to let the information that I had shared trouble them. He went on to talk about the eleven children and 56 grandchildren of Henry and Salina Trotter, including one daughter who died in 1990 at the age of 112, and one granddaughter who bore 22 children.
The final part of the program was an open mike time for anyone who wanted to come forward and address the group. Some of those who went up to speak thanked me for what I had done. After the program, several people made a point of coming over to offer appreciation or encouragement in one way or another. While I didn’t want anyone to feel they had to reassure me, I have to admit I felt relief with every positive word.
***
With the banquet presentation behind me I could relax. At the Sunday picnic I listened to Kevin and Eric tell stories of snakes and jobs, laughed with Corine, one of the family elders, and visited with Gloria, a poet from New Orleans who had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. I ate delicious barbeque, and tried pig’s feet for the first time (and probably the last).
After a long, easy afternoon, everyone gathered for a group picture. Dave and I started saying goodbyes, and as we began making our way to the car, several people intercepted us for some last minute pictures.
I drove away from Laurel feeling happy, blessed, and confident that it had been the right decision to reach out, accept the hand that had been extended, and begin to bridge the gap.