Slavery at Conjurer’s Neck and Old Brick House
Slavery has it roots in the earliest days of the colonial history of Virginia. Slavery was first introduced into the colony in 1619, when a captured slave ship arrived at Jamestown that “brought not...
Category: Articles
My unknown enslaved ancestor: An introspective look at my family’s connection to slavery and how I reconciled that legacy
It was Spring of 2003, my senior year in high school. For my English class that year, we had to do a family history type of project. So, I went to my dad to...
Reverend Henry Skyren
Henry Skyren was born about 1729 in Whitehaven, England. Not much is known about his upbringing, home, or family life. It is likely that he grew up in a strongly religious household as he...
Unknown to Known: How Cicero Gained His Identity
In the colonial era, documents mentioning enslaved persons are hard to come by, and even rarer are documents with details about the slaves themselves. Newspaper advertisements for runaway enslaved persons would often mention slaves...
The Will of Richard Kennon of Conjurer’s Neck
On 6 August 1694, Richard Kennon of Conjurer’s Neck (what was then Henrico County, in present-day Colonial Heights, Virginia), either wrote or dictated to another his will. Around this time, the bridge between the...
Dating Colonial Pipes and Pipestems
Tobacco is one of the main reasons that the colony of Virginia became successful and survived past its turbulent early years at Jamestown. Since its founding in 1607, the Jamestown colony had sought to...
David Kendlehart: A Gettysburg Civilian’s Account, July 6, 1863
“and evry [sic] Loyal person was engaged assisting in some way I was at Hoke’s warehouse when news came that our men where [sic] falling back I hurried down but coudent [sic] get my...
Slavery and Its Effect on the New Territories of the American Frontier
Slavery played a large and important role in the new and forming territories in the Western frontier that were acquired through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and with the defeat of Mexico in 1848...
George Washington and the American Foxhound
Most people know George Washington for being the commander in chief of Continental forces during the Revolution and as our first President of the United States. Many know that he served in the French...
Division of Washington Estate Revealed in an Obscure Spotswood Letter
In October of 2020, I acquired an old historic document. But it is not just any random document. It is a letter written on July 31, 1807 by former General Alexander Spotswood (not...
