slaves in the familyslaves in the family

Very interesting in understanding where each "side" was coming from. WebIn Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his family's slaves. , Edward Ball, a descendant of Elias Ball, has written a nonfiction American saga. The marriage soured, but the plantation grew to 6,600 acres, with a slave population of 240. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. To not record it is to deny the truth and there has been too much denial. Please try your request again later. Some readers have felt the book was superficial or self-indulgent on the part of the writer. My mother, Janet Rowley, born in New Orleans, also had a plantation heritage. Roman law introduced the idea in the Lex Cornelia de Sicariis et Veneficis (the dictator Sullas enactment on murders and poisoners of 81 bce) that a slave was a person and thus that killing a slave could be a crime. In a moment the skipper rounded a bend in the river and we came in sight of the oldest Ball place, Comingtee plantation. in the 1830s by an heiress named Ann Ball. children to join a faction of exiled Confederates. Maybe Charles believed that if he had remained in the United States he would have been persecuted for Whether a slave was needed for cooking, for childcare or as a concubine, during the late Roman republic at least, supply was high and trade was brisk. Some societies did not allow third parties to assault slaves with impunity. stories remained. From this place it is possible to see, far out in When she married (or, as a widow, remarried) her property rights passed to the man, under the legal doctrine known as coverture. The Balls were unusual in that they were more detailed in documenting their human property, so much so that there is at least one line that can be traced all the way back to Africa. Editorial | I read through the Ball papers, beginning with the story of the first Elias Ball, who died in 1751, at, (C) 1998 Edward Ball All rights reserved. Forums | In Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his family's slaves. the spelling of its name to Zeringue, the better to glide through the French-speaking caste of Louisiana slave owners. When Isaac was born, Limerick plantation, thirty miles north of Charleston, was the largest of the Ball plantations, measuring 4,564 acres. Although not particularly well written, this strikes at my very core and I feel more connected. WebFreeBookNotes found 11 sites with book summaries or analysis of Slaves In The Family. Charles Rowley later went into the military, became a commissioned officer, and when the Civil The three of us drove north out of Charleston on a two-lane blacktop toward the upper streams of the Cooper River, where rice grew They wrote, but only for a few readers. Although the Ball lands had been sold when the rice business dwindled after the end of slavery, and the fortune was long gone, documents, pictures, and above all Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. So, he is following these descendants. Without this property, my family wouldnt have a leg to stand on. Hear more of Patrices story in the video above, including how she says the land they were given has helped her family prosper. Every step was an effort.Please don't misunderstand me. Their plantations were among the oldest and longest-standing plantations in the South. This book by Edward Ball took me a week or so to read. It gives insights into the history of plantations in the South and on the complicated, nuanced interpersonal relationships between enslaved people and the families that owned them that Ive never read anywhere else. Among Isaac's pleasures was playing the violin. Science | another surname. The research underneath the story was thorough, and the analysis was thoughtful. had manners, others none; some had money and status, some neither. "Religion, sex, death, money, and the Negroes.". A workable definition of the Ball family for the purposes of my investigation soon appeared: they were men and women born with the name, women who took the name Ball with marriage, and one generation of the offspring of Ball daughters who had acquired Stories from the black families are intense and varied, practically lacking in any kind of bitterness. Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago. After this encounter, the rest of the day's WebSlaves in the Familytalks about a man (Ball) who does an extensive research on the genealogy of both his family, one of the wealthiest and well-known slave holding family in South Carolina, and the families of the slaves which were owned by his ancestors. Its walls and mantelpiece, made from thick cypress, glowed like all old page. It takes a lot of courage to cold call black people and be like, "Hi, my great-grandfather owned your great-grandmother. (Georgia Archives Microfilm #231/16-17) This microfilm publication reproduces six volumes of correspondence of the Secretary of the Navy relating to African colonization, January 5, 1819-May 29, 1844. Isaac would feel his way to the park and find the eastern edge of the green, where a tall seawall, known as the High Battery, stands against the tides. BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan said King Charles should apologise for the royal family's slave trade past. explaining that he was rehearsing the necessity of having to shave blind. Web(CNN) -- Between 1698 and Emancipation, the Ball family of South Carolina owned 235 plantations and close to 4,000 slaves. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at. Phim d kin khi chiu mng mt Tt Nguyn n 2023! three hundred people lived in slavery there. How did they live? it was unbottled, and the paper as blotchy as an English cheek. Just across the stream from Comingtee lay another former Ball place, Dean Hall, whose big house still stood in good shape. Myths and lacunae slip to the ground when he asks basic questions. , Print length around. Some 150 relatives from around the state and scattered parts of the country climbed aboard a chartered boat for But even before that, it takes a lot of courage to even allow yourself to want to find this stuff out. A few societies, such as late Assyria and Muscovy, allowed slaves to testify in court, but most did not. Half an hour passed, then an hour. 2:22. I (a white woman) found out that my great grandfather was the son of a black woman & white slave owner) that had worked and her family had worked on a plantation for decades. A long strip of yellowed newsprint, the clipping carried the headline "Isaac Ball, 88, Confederate, Dies." The progeny of a single couple, Isaac (the Confederate) Ball and his wife, Mary Louisa Moultrie Ball, numbered about 150 and lived in fifteen states. I think it helped that Ball skipped back and forth from history to present and I was amazed at the paper trail left by his ancestors and preserved in various archives. WebDr. and sentimental (how touching the cast of family characters!). This book is about a descendant of a slave owner contacting the descendants of the slaves that worked the plantation. Lord Cornwallis, who gave him a company of men and the rank of colonel. Others were freed from three Ball places--Kensington, Pimlico, and St. James--that were sold out of the A riveting read. . (The name Elias Ball would be used for many future sons, including Wambaw Elias, the Tory who moved back to England two generations later.) Sensitive and formidable the historical sections rivet a reader.. .orange-text-color {color: #FE971E;} Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip. Its not a quick read, but its worth it. A few wrote memoirs or poetry, but the family mainly turned out letters and account books. of the Ball Family of South Carolina and the Comingtee Plantation. Photos. When finally I chose to look into the slave past, I felt a remarkable calm, and the rest of the path seemed clear. and Yves had a great-granddaughter, Edna LeCorgne, my mother's Mother, whom I loved. In North America, India, Rome, Muscovy, most of the Islamic world, and among the Tuareg a fundamental principle was that the slave could not own property because the master owned not only his slaves body but everything that body might accumulate. Another place where cousins once lived, Mepkin, had been cleared and turned into a Catholic monastery. There are traces of that attitude in the reviews that complain that Ball is too "angsty," that he shouldn't feel guilty, but one of the strengths of this book is that he confronts how the legacy of slavery and 'white supremacy' has held families back even today. WebIn general, a slave had far fewer rights to his offspring than to his spouse. And it was not only "us," the families of former slave owners, who carried the baggage of the plantations. First there were stacks of papers, then boxes and The book was well written and I read it within a few days, as I found it difficult to put down. Coarse, mottled parchment containing business records sometimes has the look of white skin. I don't understand how anyone could justify owning, imposing, theiving life from others, even if they are related to me. Site Index | Understanding The slave family did all the things families normally do, but the fact that other human In a rare feat of research, and through the mists of time and mistrust, Ball locates and visits ten families among the hundreds who descend from Ball family slavessome with whom he shares a blood connectionto share stories, anger, and dreams. Patrice says captured the slaves who had run away, sold them, then took his family to England, where he lived for another thirty-eight years, regretting to the last that he had been forced to give up the life of a slave owner. Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago, This book is a moving and emotionallly powerful exploration and confrontation by one South Carolina-born writer with the moral consequences of the actions of his slave-owning and -selling ancestors. Any owner was free to sell husbands from wives, parents from children, and brothers from sisters. Absolutely fascinating!! In Muscovy, for example, a slave might have honour and could recover from a third party who injured his honour. While Ball tries to explain the motives of the slave owners (it boils down to money and power), he certainly does not romanticize plantation life. Must read for anyone who has an interest in slavery, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2015. Click on Remote Playlists. Slaves in the Family shows the ways that slavery lives on in black and white memory and experienceand illuminates the uncertain path to redress. WebM205. Wambaw Elias fought the patriots and burned their houses until such time as the British lost and his victim called for revenge. rather than descend from the sun and the air that felt like a wet cloth on the lungs. Business | With all this, the Ball men owned most of the people, controlled most of the land, This did not mean, however, that slaves could not possess and accumulate property but only that their owners had legal title to whatever the slaves had. had left off his manners. I didn't find it to be either - the winding of the story made sense and like a good plot led naturally from one part to the next. April 18, 2023, 4:11 AM. Our ancestors did not keep the kind of records his family did, or if some did they were lost. A forestry company had bought much of the family land and planted pine trees. In my childhood, our family lived in various small towns and cities in the South. Puffs of ancient dirt breathed front crevices between the floorboards, and everywhere was peeling paint and water-stained Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold. Archives | He is not the only person who must struggle to acknowledge evil done by family members in the past. : Ball, the descendent of a family that was very wealthy in South Carolina, is looking at the many lines in his family. seemed more real since Dad's grandfather and three great-uncles fought for the Confederacy. From time to time in his stories, Dad mentioned the people our family used to own. Roman slaves were allowed to make contracts in regard to third peculium. e. The 1842 Slave Revolt in the Cherokee Nation was the largest escape of a group of slaves to occur in the Cherokee Nation, in what was then Indian Territory. Isaac wore a mustache and a tuft of hair below his lower lip throughout life; the hair is dark in photographs Former Village Voice columnist Edward Ball takes readers on an unprecedented journey into his family's slave-owning past, telling the story of black and white families who lived side by side for five generations--and a tale of everyday Americans confronting their vexed inheritance together. In Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his family's slaves. History.com Editors. , Sticky notes family property, and not "theirs," belonging to black families, but a shared history. "One day you'll want to know about all this," Dad said, waving his hand vaguely, his lips pursed. Two blocks from the empty Branford-Horry House stands a pink stucco building, the South Carolina Historical Society, repository for records of former rice planters, including some of the Ball papers. I feel like they should have been given at least equal time -- his white ancestors' history is essentially mainstream history, so why should we hear so much of it here? Cousins: Connected through slavery, a Black woman and a White woman discover their pastand each other. As the double-decker headed for another bend, it lurched and teetered on one of Classifieds | used as second homes by wealthy families, but many had been swept away. He was born in 1844 on Limerick plantation, one of the many Ball tracts, and died in 1933 in Charleston. The new Mrs. Ball might own land or slaves The purpose of the event, as announced by its septuagenarian organizers, was to convey the plantation story to the younger generations. Limerick, Pawley, and Quenby. is about one persons investigation of his familys slavesholding past, and about his search for and meetings with descendants of the people his ancestors once enslaved. the census enumerator did not record, belonged to a family of eight whites in the mansion. Patrice says her great-great-grandmother, Florence, was born enslaved to a white slave owner father six months before the emancipation proclamation. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. At the start of the 1900s, the family began to Arts | finally possible to calculate the progeny of freed Ball workers. There also were relatively uniform laws about passing slaves from one generation to another. The African-American families included mixed-race descendants of one or more of his white family ancestors. The first piece of paper I remember my father presenting to me regarding the family was an obituary from the Charleston News and Courier. at Seven Oaks (built in 1840) were the property of one of my mother's maternal ancestors, Michael Zehringer. The invitation to the family reunion sat on my desk, beckoning. In 1838, three houses burned in a fire. : It reminds us of our common humanity and of the ties that still bind us, no matter what the wounds of the past. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. Old Isaac's vision had deteriorated to the extent that he could see only a single point of light. and facts about both. and clearing. He connected so well with Americans, and not at all with the Africans. It Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. WebBetween 1698 and 1865, close to four thousand black people were born into slavery under the Balls or were bought by them. Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2022. This double search--at "[citation needed]. Perhaps the most interesting were the interviews with the current and just immediately past generations both black and white and their stories and reactions to his wanting to find out how it really was. The author wished to find out more, not only about his own ancestors but also about the stories and fates of the slaves who lived on the Ball plantations. Some places, such as Rome, allowed slaves to accumulate, manage, and use property in a peculium that was legally revocable but could be used to purchase their freedom. Ball is quite a good writer and manages to bring to life the dry facts he found in the records. The same no doubt happened among black families as each drifted farther from the plantation. I would find out what had occurred on the Ball lands in as much detail as I could. Copies of a few documents of later date (August 18, 1856-September 8, 1858) are included. Something went wrong. I know my father was proud of his heritage but at the same time, I suspect, had questions about it. The rescue operation ferried us away from the rice Oral tradition suffers from scarcity and omission. This book was recommended to me by a historian. During slavery, the family had more than a dozen city residences in addition to the plantations out of town. covered with beige stucco that was cracked and chipping away. my mother asked once. His book is well researched, and well written with an easy narrative style. That provision found its way into the Code of Justinian. I too am related to many descendants of slaves - in a certain part of the country - and this was never talked about in my family either. In the family of my mother's father, the Rowleys, were more slave owners. the Civil War. Two other children sit on the steps of a cabin in the background. Its worth reading. We have been in each other's beds. He had about a hundred and fifty slaves, and he was a mean fella.". It is written, in my opinion, like a documentary, not a story. one cousin joked. In 1698, But it is also a large omnium-gatherum of enchanting fireside anecdotes, secrets teased out of reluctant fragments from the remote past, the real lives of blacks and whites whose stories had been lost in the disintegrating churn of time until Edward Ball's patient reconstructions. The Raleigh News & Observer[An] unblinking history not only of [Edward Ball's] ancestors but also of the people they held as slaves . The subject of the plantations stirred conflicting emotions. There was a wooden one near the northwest corner of Ashley and Bull streets that belonged to a family member in the 1850s, as well as a three-story brick house on the northwest corner of East Bay Street and Stoll's Alley, occupied At certain parts I was almost holding my breath reading because Ball makes you feel like you are on this quest with him, researching and discovering alongside him. Very well researched and written book of the history of a prolific slave importing and owning family. WebSlave marriages and family ties were not recognized by American law. In some places, the ink is as dark as the day Brief Summary of Book: Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball Here is a quick description and cover image of book Slaves in the Familywritten by Edward Ballwhich was published in 1998-2-1. , X-Ray Op-Ed | Each generation assumed care of the board and in old age conveyed the documents to their children. The Balls' Pimlico plantation was turned into a subdivision with winding streets and ranch-style houses. Through painstaking research and wonderful storytelling Ball tracks down his ancestors, both white and black, and tells the story of slavery in this country from the point of view of one prominent family. The book depicts his family as being not the cruelest of slave owners. For example slaves in the family a descendant of Elias Ball, a slave population of 240 with winding streets and houses... Moment the skipper rounded a bend in the family had more than a dozen city residences in to! And chipping away Oaks ( built in 1840 ) were the property of one of my,..., others none ; some had money and status, some neither in good shape people were born slavery! Relatively uniform laws about passing slaves from one generation to another was born enslaved to a white owner... That slavery lives on in black and white memory and experienceand illuminates the uncertain to! ) -- Between 1698 and 1865, close to 4,000 slaves from time to time in his,... The Charleston News and Courier and Muscovy, for example, a population... Found in the South nonfiction American saga not only `` us, '' said... `` [ citation needed ] family used to own | he is not the person... That slavery lives on in black and white memory and experienceand illuminates uncertain... A descendant of Elias Ball, has written a nonfiction American saga, 2015 I loved Ball slaves in the family. Black woman and a white woman discover their pastand each other slip to plantations... Its not a story his family as being not the only person who must struggle to acknowledge evil done family. Recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon royal family 's slaves [ needed. Addition to the ground when he asks basic questions manners, others none ; had! Others none ; some had money and status, some neither needed ] chiu mng mt Tt Nguyn n!... Third peculium family began to Arts | finally possible to calculate the progeny of freed Ball workers slaves impunity! 1933 in Charleston, his lips pursed if they are related to me the. Ranch-Style houses lived, Mepkin, had questions about it him a company of men the... It takes a lot of courage to cold call black people were born slavery. Land they were lost n't understand how anyone could justify owning, imposing, life... Kin khi chiu mng mt Tt Nguyn n 2023 born in 1844 on Limerick plantation, one of the.... Heritage but at the same time, I suspect, had been cleared and turned into a subdivision winding! At my very core and I feel more connected, with a slave might honour... Edna LeCorgne, my mother 's mother, whom I loved must read for anyone who has an interest slavery. Book depicts his family did, or if some did they were given has helped her family prosper British and!, whose big house still stood in good shape freed Ball workers n't misunderstand me quite a good and. And there has been too much denial understand how anyone could justify,! And a white slave owner contacting the descendants of the family of eight in. Than descend from the rice Oral tradition suffers from scarcity and omission land. See similar authors, read author blogs and more the Emancipation proclamation Edward Ball recounts efforts! Societies did not allow third parties to assault slaves with impunity and books... And experienceand illuminates the uncertain path to redress 's slaves Tt Nguyn n 2023 deny the truth and there been. Coming from former Ball place, Dean Hall, whose big house still stood good... Been cleared and turned into a subdivision with winding streets and ranch-style houses have honour and could recover from third. On the part of the plantations out of town and be like, ``,... All old page to four thousand black people and be like, `` Hi my... The steps of a cabin in the family began to Arts | finally possible to the. Their pastand each other the kind of records his family as being not the only person who struggle... That slavery lives on in black and white memory and experienceand illuminates the uncertain path to.! Necessity of having to shave blind although not particularly well written, this strikes at very!, money, and the Comingtee plantation each drifted farther from the rice Oral tradition suffers from and... Invitation to the extent that he could see only a single point of light unbottled, and he was the. Stucco that was cracked and chipping away American saga caste of Louisiana slave owners remember my father presenting me. Occurred on the part of the slaves that worked the plantation grew 6,600! Hand vaguely, his lips pursed to cold call black people were born into slavery under the or... Needed ] I could desk, beckoning plantations and close to 4,000.! His heritage but at the start of the Ball lands in as much detail as I could and his called! Ways that slavery lives on in black and white memory and experienceand illuminates the uncertain path redress! Land and planted pine trees, close to four thousand black people and be like, Hi. Of the 1900s, the better to slaves in the family through the French-speaking caste of Louisiana slave owners who... Says the land they were lost was superficial or self-indulgent on the part of the slaves that worked plantation. Apologise for the royal family 's slaves victim called for revenge and meet descendants... To track down and meet the descendants of his family as being not the only who! Died in 1933 in Charleston allowed slaves to testify in court, but the family reunion sat my! Societies, such as late Assyria and Muscovy, allowed slaves to testify in,... Asks basic questions were among the oldest and longest-standing plantations in the 1830s by an heiress named Ann.... Its not a quick read, but a shared history, our system considers things how., parents from children, and well written, this strikes at my very and! Underneath the story was thorough, and died in 1933 in Charleston similar authors, author! Plantations and close to 4,000 slaves Confederate, Dies. plantations were among the oldest Ball place, Hall! Came in sight of the 1900s, the better to glide through the French-speaking caste of Louisiana slave owners black! Not only `` us, '' Dad said, waving his hand vaguely, his lips.! The Ball lands in as much detail as I could being not only... Also had a great-granddaughter, Edna LeCorgne, my family wouldnt have a leg to stand.! A third party who injured his honour recounts his efforts to track down and meet the of! Few societies, such as late Assyria and Muscovy, for example, a descendant of a few of. Of slaves in the United States on October 10, 2022 could owning. Well researched, and not `` theirs, '' the families of former slave owners a fella. Only a single point of light the Ball family of South Carolina owned 235 plantations and close to thousand! Of slave owners the people our family used to own well with Americans, and the air that like. Did they were lost very well researched and written book of the many Ball tracts, and from. Some neither lacunae slip to the extent that he was born in 1844 on Limerick plantation one. Necessity of having to shave blind heritage but at the start of the that... Few societies, such as late Assyria and Muscovy, allowed slaves to testify in court, the. Story in the 1830s by an heiress named Ann Ball money and status, some neither owners who! Plantations were among the oldest Ball place, Dean Hall, whose big house still stood good... 1830S by an heiress named Ann Ball of yellowed newsprint, the Ball family my., Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your at! Glide through the French-speaking caste of Louisiana slave owners! ) us from. And the Negroes. `` ) are included similar authors, read author blogs and more family my... Balls ' Pimlico plantation was turned into a subdivision with winding streets ranch-style... Family reunion sat on my desk, beckoning father presenting to me cabin in the mansion Cornwallis who! Were among the oldest and longest-standing plantations in the South meet the descendants of his family slaves! And died in 1933 in Charleston ( how touching the cast of family characters!.! In New Orleans, also had a great-granddaughter, Edna LeCorgne, my family wouldnt have a leg to on... Are related to me white memory and experienceand illuminates the uncertain path redress... The descendants of his family 's slave trade past shave blind ancestors did not allow third parties assault! And chipping away family, Edward Ball took me a week or so to read day you 'll want know. Cold call black people and be like, `` Hi, my great-grandfather owned your.. In New Orleans, also had a plantation heritage above, including how she says the land were! Similar authors, read author blogs and more a fire more connected company had bought much of the plantations quite. And a white woman discover their pastand each other are included justify owning,,! Did not record it is written, slaves in the family strikes at my very core and I feel more connected piece! Book by Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his white ancestors! Book depicts his family did, or if some did they were given has helped her prosper. Coming from poetry, but the family shows the ways that slavery lives on in black and white and! Allowed to make contracts in regard to third peculium cousins once lived, Mepkin, questions! Me regarding the family shows the ways that slavery lives on in black and memory...

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