Susan Was Property

Access 

Paying for records can be expensive. One of the reasons I love Family Search is because it's free. It's my number one go-to place when I'm not paying for a subscription to Ancestry. Depending on what I'm researching and how much money I have, I will always do as much as possible for free before I pay for access to a site. As a result, I've found information, wills, and documents on sites I wouldn't have otherwise found.

Ancestry has, and had, a set of Virginia probate records. I know the previous sentence doesn't make sense. That has been my experience with this set of records. Ancestry had the records available, then they were blocked. But, if you had a link to a document within the records, you were able to go to that document then browse through the records. After a while, that ability was gone too. I don't really know what was going on.

Recently I found a way into the records again from Wikitree. Here is the link. I'm not sure how long it will stay open, or if you need a paid membership to view the records. But I have already found some of the info I've been looking for.

The Inventory

As I said, I've found wills in random places searching online. Time and time again, people will transcribe a will, but leave out the names of slaves. I guess they feel embarrassed that their ancestors were slaveowners. Acknowledging the fact your ancestor had slaves doesn't mean you had slaves or thought it was ok. It is so frustrating and I will never understand it. If you spend the time and effort transcribing a will that includes slaves, please include their names. If the names aren't included in the will, see if you can find them in related documents. This is why the ability to see the wills myself is important. 

I recently found the inventory of Edward Johnston's Estate, but not the will. Edward Johnston owned my 3rd great-grandmother Susan Fisher, Truelove's mother.

1st page of Edward Johnston's Inventory Source Ancestry

 

Pages 2 & 3 of the inventory; Source Ancestry

The first line of the inventory lists "42 Head Cattle, 3 years old at $18.00." He also had yearlings, cows, a bull, hogs, stock hogs, calves, sheep, and horses. This was a large estate and it required a good amount of slaves.

Close up of slaves from page 1 of inventory; Source Ancestry

Eight lines down, after the livestock, we finally get to his slaves:

• Agnes $500 (her children) Thomas $500 Nathaniel $300 Zachariah $300 Betsey $150 } = $1750.00
• Mary $300 (her children) Fontaine $1000 Isaac $1250 Harman $500 Easter $750 Margaret $650 David $650 } = $5100.00
• Daniel Parker $300 Daniel Randal $900 } = $1200.00
• Wm Masin $900 Patsy $300 = $1200.00
• Martha $500 (her children) Will $800 Louis $500 Maria $500 Adaline $400 Pleasant $350 Tayolr $200 Joe $150 } = 3500.00
• Mat $300 Frances $350 = 650.00
• Ellick $400 Julius $150 Mary $100 = $650.00
• William $1000 Susan $800 = $1800.00
• Jno Henry $150 Eliza $400 = $550.00
• Martha $750 Matthew $800 = $1550.00
• Flora $800 Woodville $250 = $1050.00
• Henry $800 June $800 Caroline $400 Harvey $300 Sarah $150 } = $2000.00 + 450.00
• Simon $50 Dick $350 Betsy $50 = $450.00
• Carmon $500 Caroline $400 Woodson $500 Lucian $450 Martha Susan $200 Lewis $500 } = $900.00 + $950.00 + $700.00
• Darthula $750 = $750.00

Edward Johnston's estate had 52 enslaved people that were valued at $25,200.00 in 1853. Although I was hoping to see my 3rd great-grandmother Susan, I didn't expect to see my 3rd great-grandfather William and their son John Henry. I believe Susan had at least 2 siblings named Isaac and Martha. I'm sure that is Martha listed with her children. I think that is Isaac, who was a cooper. The main question I  have is about Mary. I thought Susan's mother was named Catherine. So if that Isaac is her brother, where did the name Catherine come from? Is this a different Isaac? Did her mother change her name. Was it a middle name? Do Susan and Isaac have the same father but different mothers? I may never know, but I never thought I would get this far.

It's a weird mix of emotions seeing this, as I knew it would be. Genealogy is a passion for me that always includes ups and downs. Excitement, vindication, and joy at seeing their names. But disappointment, sadness, and annoyance because they are on an inventory... beneath the livestock.