Denise's Ancestors

George Jackson slave Narrative

Many thanks to Loudoun researcher Arlean Hill, for pointing me in the direction of this slave narrative which has opened up new avenues of research for me on Loudoun Jackson's.  I have confirmed through other records - most of the information in his narrative.  He was the brother of my great-grandmother Amelia Weaver's sister  Maria's husband Richard Jackson.

I have not corrected any of the mis-spellings in the document - but have placed notes and other information at the bottom of the page.

Would like to hear from anyone researching this line or any of the names mentioned in the narrative.

(white) - Thomas Humphrey/Humphries (former owner), John Butler (owner of his father), Chamblin (overseer), McGuest, Fletcher

(black) Tom Lewis (a slave), Henry Logan ( a deacon in Ohio)

Fathers name - Henry Jackson, mother's name Betsy (Elizabeth)

Brothers and sisters:   Henry, Richard, Fesley, John ; Sisters - Annie, Marion, Sarah Jane, Elizabeth, Alice, Cecelia and Mary.

State: Ohio Interviewee: Jackson, George

I was born in Loudon County , Virginny, Feb., 6, 1858 . My mother's name was Betsy Jackson. My father's name was Henry Jackson. Dey were slaves and was born right der in Loudon County . I hed 16 brothers and sisters. All of dem is dead. My brothers were Henry, Richard, Fesley, John and me; Sisters were Annie, Marion, Sarah Jane, Elizabeth, Alice, Cecelia and Mary. Der were three other chillun dat died when babies.

 I can remember Henry pullin' me out of de fire. I've got scars on my leg yet. He was sold out of de family to a man dat was Wesley McGuest. Afterwards my brother was taken sick with small-pox and died.

 We lived on a big plantation right close to Bloomfield , Virginny. I was born in de storeroom close to massa 's home. It was called de weavin' room -- place where dey weaved cotton and yarn. My bed was like a little cradle bed and dey push it under de big bed at day time.

 My grandfather died so my mother told me, when he was very old. My grandmother died when se bout 96. She went blind fore she died. Dey were all slaves.

My father was owned by John Butler* and my grandmother was owned by Tommy Humphries***. Dey were both farmers. My massa joined de war. He was killed right der where he lived.

When my father wanted to cum home he hed to get a permit from his massa . He would only cum home on Saturday. He worked on de next plantation joinin' us. all us chillun and my mother belonged to Massa Humphries.

 I worked in de garden, hoein' weeds and don I was bed dishes in de kitchen, I never got any money.

I eat fat pork, corn bread, black molasses and hed milk. The meat was mostly boiled. I lived on fat meat and corn bread. I don't remember eatin' rabbit, possium of fish.

 De slaves on our plantation did not own der own garden. Dey ate vegetables out of de big garden.

 In hot weather I wore geans pants and shirt. De pants were red color and shirt white. I wore heavy woolen clothes in de winter. I wore little britches wid jacket fastened on. I went barefooted in de summer.

 De mistress scold and beat me when I was pullin' weeds. Sometimes I pulled a cabbage stead of weed. She would jump me and beat me. I can remember cryin'. She told me she had to learn me to be careful. I remember the massa when he went to war. He was a picket in an apple tree. A Yankee soldier spied him and shot him out of de tree.

I remember Miss Ledig Humphries. She was a pretty girl and she had a sister Susie. She married a Mr. Chamlain** who was overseer. Der were Robert and Herbert Humphries. Dey were older den me. Robert was about 15 years old when de war surrender.

De one that married Susie was de overseer. He was pretty rough. I don't remember any white neighbors round at dat time.

Der were 450 acres of de plantation. I can't remember all de slaves. I know der were 80, odd slaves.

Lots of mornings I would go out hours fore daylight and when it was cold my feet would 'most freeze. They all know dey had to get up in de mornin'. De slaves all worked hard and late at night.

I heard some say that the overseer would take dam to de barn. I remember Tom Lewis. When his massa sold him to our massa he told him not to let the overseer whip him. The overseer said he would whip him. One day Tom did something wrong. The overseer ordered him to de barn. Tom took his shirt off to get ready for de whippin' and when de overseer raised de whip Tom gave him one lick wid his fist and broke de overseer's neck.

Don de massa sold Tom to a man by de name of Joseph Fletcher. He stayed with old men Fletcher til he died.

Fore de slaves were sold dey were put in a cell place til next day when dey would be sold. Uncle Marshall and Douglas were sold and I remember dem handcuffed but I never saw dem on de suction block.

I never knew nothin' bout de Bible til after I Was free. I went to school bout three months. I was 19 or 20 years old den.  

My uncle Bill heard dey were goin' to sell him and he run away. He went north and cum back after de surrender. He died in Bluement, Virginny, bout four years ago.

 After de days work dey would have banjo pickin', singin' and dancin'. Dey work all day Saturday and Saturday night those dat hed wives to see would go to see dem. On Sunday de would sit around.

 When Massa was shot my mother and dem was cryin'.

 When slaves were sick one of the mammies would look after dem and dey would call de doctor if she couldn't fix de sick.

I remember de big battle dey fought for four deys on de plantation. That was de battle of Bull Run . I heard shootin' and saw soldiers shot down. It was one of de worst fights of de war. It was right between BludRidge and Bull Run mountain. De smoke from de shootin' was just like a fog. I saw horses and men runin' to de fight and men shot off de horses. I heard de cannon rear and saw de locust tree cut off in de yard. Some of de bullets smashed de house. De apple tree where my massa was shot from was in de orchard not far from de house.

De Union Soldiers won de battle and dey camped right by de house. Dey helped demselves to de chickens and cut their heads off wid their swords. Dey broke into de cellar and took wine and preserves.

 After de war I worked in de cornfield. Dey pay my mother for me in food and clothes. But dey paid my mother money for workin' in de kitchen.

 De slaves were awful glad bout de surrender.  

De Klu Klux Klan, we called dem de paroles, dey would run de colored people, who were out late, back home. I know no school or church or land for negroes.  

I married in Farguar Co., state of Virginny, in de county seat. Dat was in 1883. I was married by a Methodist preacher in Leesburg. I did not get drunk, but hed plenty to drink. We hed singin' and music. My sister was a religious woman and would not allow dancin'.

I have fourteen chillun. Four boys are livin and two girls. All are married. George, my oldest boy graduated from grade school and de next boy I have 24 grandchillun and one great grandson. John, my son is sickly and not able to work and my daughter, Marie has nine chillun to support. Her husband doesn't have steady work.

 The grandchillun are doin' pretty well.

 I think Abraham Lincoln was a fine man. It was put in his mind to free de colored people. Booker T. Washington was alright.

Henry Logan, a colored man that lives near Bridgeport , Ohio is a great man. He is a deacon in de lit. Zion Baptist church. He is a plasterer and liked by de colored and white people.

I think it was a fine thing that slavery was finished. I don't have a thing more than my chillun and dey are all poor. (A grandchild nearby said, "He are as poor as church mice".) My chillun are my best friends and dey love me.  

I first joined church at Upperville, Virginny. I was buried under de water. I feel dat everybody should have religion. Dey get on better in dis life, and not only in dis life but in de life to cum.

 My overseer was just a plain men. He wasn't hard. I worked for him since the surrender and since I been a man. I was down home bout six yares ago and not de overseer's son and he took me and my wife around in his automobile.

My wife died de ninth of last October (1936). I buried her in Week's cemetary, near Bridgeport , Ohio . He have a family burial lot there. Dat where I want to be buried, if I die around here.

 State: Ohio Interviewee: Jackson, George

George Jackson is about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 145 lbs. He has not done any manual labor for the past two years. He attends church regularly at the Mt. Zion Baptist church. As he only attended school about four months his reading is limited. His vision and hearing is fair and he takes a walk everyday. He does not smoke, chew or drink intoxicating beverages.

His wife, Aalina (Selina) died October 9, 1936 and was buried at Bridgeport , Ohio . He lives with his daughter-in-law whose husband forks for a junk dealer. The four room house that they rent for $20 per month is in a bad state of repairs and is in the midst of one of the poorest sections of Steubenville.    

*

 **1880 Census Place:        Mercer, Loudoun , Virginia

            Source:           FHL Film 1255376  National Archives Film T9-1376     Page 470B                Relation          Sex     Marr    Race   Age     Birthplace

Albert G. CHAMBLEN          Self     M         M         W        50        VA            Occ:    Farmer           Fa: VA            Mo: VA  

Susan E. CHAMBLEN         Wife    F          M         W        47        VA

            Occ:    Keeping House         Fa: VA            Mo: VA

Lucy P. CHAMBLEN            Dau     F          S         W        19        VA

                                    Fa: VA            Mo: VA

John R. CHAMBLEN            Son     M         S         W        13        VA

            Occ:    School            Fa: VA            Mo: VA

Humphrey R. CHAMBLEN   Son     M         S         W        11        VA

            Occ:    School            Fa: VA            Mo: VA

May MC CORMICK  Other   F          S         W        23        VA

            Occ:    School Teacher         Fa: VA            Mo: VA

Lucy NALLS  Other   F          W        W        54        VA

            Occ:    Servant           Fa: VA

Marriage record, Loudoun - Albert G Chamblin  and Susan E Humphrey  Robert Humphrey proved age  April 17, 1860  Daughter of Thomas Gill and Phebe Humphrey - re 1850 census - she is 17.

The other  Humphrey daughter  he is probably referring to is Olivia.

 ***Slaveholder  of George Jackson, his mother, brother's and sisters, Thomas Gill Humphrey:

Have tracked George and family in census schedules.  Have so far found him in :

 1930 Census

 Name:    George Jackson Age:    72 years  Estimated birth year:    1857

Birthplace:    Virginia Relation t o Head-of-house:    Head 

Race:    Negro  Home in 1930:    Bridgeport , Belmont , Ohio

wife - Salina 65   VA,  son George Jr. 35  VA, daughter-in law Sarella(?) 26  PA

1920 Census

Name:    George W Jackson Age:    67 years  Estimated birth year:    1852

Birthplace:    Virginia Race:    Colored  Home in 1920:    Pease, Belmont , Ohio  

listed with wife and son George 20 - can't read daughters name

 JACKSON, GEORGE (1910 U.S. Census) Ohio , BELMONT , 1-WD BRIDGEPORT , Age 51,  Male,  Race: Black,  Born: VA Series: T624  Roll: 1156   Page: 134  

 listed with wife Selina 47, son Bailey  25, daughter Annie 19, son John R 17 son George 16, daughter Mamie 9, daughter Emma 1

All born VA.  This sent me to VA records in 1900, where I found them in Fauquier County, next door to Loudoun:

JACKSON, GEORGE (1900 U.S. Census) Virginia , FAUQUIER, SCOTT DIST, Age 41,  Male,  Race: Black,  Born: VA Series: T623  Roll: 1708   Page: 221

Selina 37, Bayley 15, Arthur 13, Rosa 11, Anna 9, John W 7, Cary (?) 5, William 1

 Will need to look at marriage and birth records in Fauquier - did find two births in Loudoun index (Patricia Duncan):

Rosa Jackson, CF, 25 Nov 1888, Bloomfield.  Geo. Jackson laborer, Bloomfield, Selena Jackson, I-Geo Jackson, f, 372:93

Arthur Jackson, CM, 10 Mar 1887, Ldn, Geo. Jackson, laborer, Sallie Johnson, I Geo Jackson, f, 363:44

(will have to look at actual record - Sallie seems to be Selina.)

Wish there was an 1890 census - but jumped back to 1880 when George was not yet married and found him:

1880 Census Place : Leesburg, Loudoun , Virginia

            Source:     FHL Film 1255375  National Archives Film T9-1375     Page 342B                 Relation          Sex     Marr    Race   Age     Birthplace Geo. W. JACKSON  Self     M         S         B         23        VA             Occ:    Hostler

1870:

 JACKSON, HENRY (1870 U.S. Census)
Virginia , LOUDOUN, SOUTHERN DIST , Age 48,  Male,  Race: Black,  Born: VA
Series: M593  Roll: 1659   Page: 217  

Listed with wife Elizabeth, 46, and children  Westley 15, Elizabeth 5, John 3, and Charles 24.

 8 year old Mary is listed as a servant in the household of Winifred JAMES on the same page.  

12 year old George is on census page right before his parents - working as a servant  in the household of Benjamin BEAVERS.

 His parents are listed in Snickersville on the same census page with my gr-gr aunt Delia Fields (future wife of Dennis Weaver)

Have identified his slaveholder in 1860 - Phebe Humphrey, widow of Thomas Humphrey - who according to Loudoun County slave birth register is owner of George's mother Elizabeth Jackson in 1857.   Listed in slave schedule 1860 is a male mulatto age 1 which would be correct for George, given the date of the census.  Elizabeth is also listed in the register of slave births:

 HUMPHREY, Phebe (owner) - Slave male, not named, fall 1857, residence of mistress, (mother) Elizabeth JACKSON, Informant - Robert HUMPHREY (son of Phebe), 68:28[91]

(Loudoun County Birth Register 1853-1879, Patricia B. Duncan, Willow Bend Books, 2000, page 172)

Interesting that Elizabeth is one of the few slaves listed in the birth register with a surname.  Have not yet identified her husband Henry JACKSON in the slave schedules. 

Have also identified (I think) Elizabeth,  son George and other siblings in the Loudoun County VA slave schedules for 1860 listed under ownership of Phebe HUMPHREY.