Harriet Watkins: part 1

During Slavery

In the year 1810, William Samuel Davis was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Ten years later and a few counties over, Elizabeth Gertrude Rowland was born in Botetourt County, Virginia. Both were white, and both families owned slaves. Ironically, both William and Elizabeth would lose their fathers in 1824, thereby inheriting slaves of their own. William moved to Botetourt County and married Elizabeth in September of 1835. That is the approximate year Harriet Watkins, my 3rd great-grandmother, was born.

Counties of Botetourt and Prince Edward: Source Library of Congress  https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3880.fi000023a/

A slave is a person who is "legally" owned by another person. They are forced to work while under the domination of their owner, without any real rights. Harriet Watkins was born enslaved in Botetourt County, Virginia. This means her parents were also slaves, or at least her mother was. By 1857, she was owned by William Samuel Davis. I know this because when her two eldest children Fanny and Uriah were born, they were recorded as his slaves. It's possible he was Harriet's only owner. It's also likely he was family.

Elizabeth Rowland's father was a Botetourt County slaveowner named William Rowland. When his slaves were disbursed in 1827, a male slave named Thornton was included with 13 others. This Thornton may possibly be Harriet's future husband. 

Harriet was one of several slaves owned by William Davis, including Matilda Watkins, who we think is Harriet's sister. Descendants of Harriet, including me, share DNA with several descendants of William S Davis and his siblings. I don't know who Harriet's mother was, but William S Davis was likely her father, uncle, or he fathered at least one of her children.

I think that fact just clicked for me. William had moved to Botetourt County and he likely brought slaves with him. His other siblings stayed in Prince Edward County. His father was dead. There are only a few possibilities I can think of... 

• One of Harriet's parents was a slave he brought to Botetourt County, and he/she was fathered by his father or an uncle. 
• A brother came to visit and fathered Harriet. 
• William fathered Harriet. 
• William fathered Harriet's daughter Fanny, my 2nd great-grandmother.

I don't know that I will ever find the answer. But I keep thinking about how strong she had to be to survive slavery. And even though life after wasn't easy, I'm glad she was able to experience it.