Gary Ridgway’s Biven ancestors were slave-owners. We found the names of several to share with family history researchers.
Read MoreSlave Name roll Project
In 2015, a group of genealogy bloggers on Facebook decided to create a web page called the Slave Name Roll Project. Before the Civil War, unless an African-American was freed from the bondage of slavery, their names were largely unknown in public records. Those black Americans held as slaves were treated as property in the census—meaning only listing them by gender and age. So, this group decided to publish all the names they were able to find in records such as wills, bills of sale, court cases, and more.
Sadly, this project came to an end in 2018. So, in an effort to connect African-American genealogists with their ancestors, any time we come across the name of slaves on the show, we will publish them here. They will be listed as follows:
Episode
Name and estimated age
Slave owner
If they were sold, the person who bought them.
Date/estimated date
If you have any questions about the information posted, contact us or leave a comment below the related episode.
Family of slaves on the Dr. William F. Gaines plantation in Hanover County, Virginia. Photographed by George Harper Houghton in 1862.
Source: Library of Congress Digital Collection