Slaves in the Family, part 2

Different, but the Same

I was never told, or don't recall, any oral history about slaveholding families besides the Penns owning the Waldrons. So, I've tried a few different things over the years to identify slaveholders. But searching for possible slaveholders that lived near my families hadn't born any fruit so far. Then, I came across a recordset on Family Search that has taken me a step further with a few family branches. It's the Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866. These records will usually list slaves by their first name, and sometimes a middle and last name. Although the name is not always given. They will usually provide a complete birth date, the mother's name, county, and owner's name. The idea of getting so much information was exciting for me.

I started searching with my 2nd great-grandmother, Frances Virginia Coleman. I searched for Frances, then Virginia, born in Botetourt County about 1857, with a mother named Harriet. I didn't find her. Then I looked for her nickname, Fannie. Bingo!

Frances Virginia Coleman listed in Virginia, Slave Birth Index. Source: FamilySearch.

It might sound silly, but I couldn't believe I found her. It felt so easy. After all these years, I found her birth record, confirmed Harriet was her birth mother, and learned the identity of the slaveowner. I could learn more about her and the family!

Yet again, I'm having a range of emotions. I'm thankful that this database is available online, and that an affiliate site is near me. I viewed the images of these records, but they were a typed index and didn't add much to what was online. I'm ecstatic that I've been able to find several people, and therefore, find slaveholding families. That should lead me to more records about their lives, and possibly more ancestors. And heartache because the family I found really were slaves. William Samuel Davis owned Fanny. I also found 2 siblings listed in the records, so he owned them and their mother too. It's not that I didn't know or assume that before. But looking at the proof was overwhelming.

Frances "Fannie" Virginia Coleman was the first known child of parents Thornton Coleman and Harriet Watkins. At a minimum, Harriet, Fannie, and 2 other siblings were owned by William Samuel Davis.

Frances Virginia Coleman Nutter

Fannie was born on May 1, 1857, in Botetourt County Virginia. She spent the first 8 years of her life as a slave. I think a lot about those years in slavery and the following years in reconstruction. How did they start from nothing? She went on to marry a man named Robert Nutter. They stayed in Botetourt County and had 7 children, one of whom was special needs. Robert was a miner and wasn't enumerated with the family. So, I believe Fannie raised the children more often than not, without Robert. Either way, they were both hard-working, because the farm they lived on was owned free and clear by 1910.

I don't know what happened to her after 1910. I don't know what happened to her husband Robert either. I don't know if William Davis was the last owner of Fannie or just her first. I finally discovered a little of how she began, but I have many more questions to answer.