Effie Blanche Fendricks
This is my great-grandmother, Effie Blanche Fendricks, who was born in Hardin County, TN, ca. 1891. She was one of 13 children (8 who survived).
Effie married Walter Springer and birthed 9 children, 7 of whom survived to adulthood. When I interviewed my grandmother Mattie, she shared many fond memories of her mother.
Effie’s husband Walter farmed, worked on Tennessee steamboats, and eventually landed what would have been considered a good “government” job at a factory making munitions for the war.
Walter Springer
My grandmother Mattie migrated to Dayton, Ohio when she married in the mid-1940s.
Later, her widowed mother Effie joined them as well as several other siblings. Sadly, Effie suffered a stroke and died in 1959, likely about 67 years old.
I am thinking about Effie today because of Luckie’s discussion going on over at Our Georgia Roots in search of one of her ancestor’s slaveowners. Luckie, you are such an inspiration!
I’m also finally also getting some traction this year on Effie’s family after a 12-year brick wall. These brick walls really do bother me on an emotional level…just the thought that the memory of someone’s life is LOST, just makes me sad.
I think that’s why I have such a passion to try to reclaim that lost memory.
Effie’s “Fendricks” line has been a challenge; the surname has been rendered in every way imaginable (and unimaginable). Her parents, Mike and Jane Eliza, migrated to Hardin County, Tennessee by 1880 and all I knew was that they were from Alabama.
My journey to find out what county in Alabama was very similar to Luckies–it was more about using my skills now to reassess information I’ve had for years.
I’ve tentatively finally traced back to Effie’s grandfather, John Mike Fendricks living in Lawrence Co., AL in 1870.
Once there, I put together a chart of neighbors and potential slaveowners. I ordered 6 rolls of Lawrence Co. Probate records and deeds and I’ve been spending the last 2 weeks pouring over them.
It’s slow work as I’m tracking 3 families (Sherrod, Shackelford and Bynum) who intermarried and had large amounts of land and enslaved persons. I place each probate entry into a table for analysis, and I made census trackers for each family from 1860 back.
I know I’m hot on the trail, but there is always the chance that that “smoking gun” we want can’t be found. There are missing records for Lawrence County, and the slave distribution for one of my research families is in one of those missing books.
What are some of the ways that we can make the case connecting our ancestors to a slaveowner when the ideal documents might be missing? Here are a few thoughts:
- Proximity is always a clue. Most slaves in 1870 still lived near their former slaveowner. Not all, but proximity is a good clue. Some may be living on a former slaveowner’s land.
- Use of slaveowner’s surname. We all know all slaves did not take the last name of the most recent slaveowner, but many did. Check those slaveowner’s wives maiden names, because some have that surname if they came from her family.
- First names in the enslaved family matching first names in the slaveowner’s family.
- Interactions with the slaveowner’s family. I’ve seen slaveowner’s act as witnesses for marriages as well as posting bond/acting as sureties.
- Another big clue is found in deeds. Many slaves purchased their first land from a former slaveowner so always find that first land record. Check the slaveowner’s probate records even if they died after 1865–your ancestor may be purchasing items from the estate indicating a connection.
- Interactions of generations of both families into the early 20th century. It is not uncommon to have descendants of the slave/slaveowner still interacting or living in close proximity even in the 1900, 1910, 1920 census.
- Freedmen’s Bureau labor contracts between your ancestor and an individual is another good clue. Most of these aren’t indexed and don’t exist for every locality, but be sure to check.
Remember, I am talking about when you can’t find that document that directly names your ancestor. There are still ways to build a strong case from circumstantial evidence that your ancestor was owned by an individual.
Of course, you may still be more comfortable adding a caveat to your family history with the word “likely” or “probable”, and then presenting your reasoning.
I think that’s the way we should approach this quest. For some of our lines, we’ll find the definitive evidence, but for others we won’t.
My search for Effie’s enslaved roots continues. And if I don’t find that bill of sale or inventory that lists her grandfather (or any of the things where a slave names his ex-owner), I’ll still be working on building my case.
Let me hear your thoughts, family.
I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. This blog is where I share family history methods, resources, tips and advice, with an emphasis on slave research, slavery and its aftermath. This lifelong quest has helped me to better know my family’s past. I’ve taken back– reclaimed– some of that lost memory, especially that of my enslaved ancestors. I hope you’ll sign up to receive my posts—if you do, you’ll get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! And please do share posts that interest you.
Thanks again for more priceless insight. I am also tracking folks in Lawrence County, Alabama. I am a beginner so your hints are a lifeline for me. The Swopes of Lawrence Cty. seem also to have had a somewhat substantial amount of slaves and political influence. I have both Swope and Bynum names in my ancestry and understand from my great grandfather, a biological Bynum whom I knew, that his father was a former slaveholding Bynum. Unfortunately, we never inquired about this Bynum’s first name or any other details. My great grandfather died in 1987 just 5 months before his 98th birthday with no sons and thus no YDNA to substantiate the claim. This is one of my “brick walls”.
I am the white descendent of slave owners. The first time I saw my ancestor’s name next to a list of numbers and ages, it felt so wrong – as if they had stolen those people’s lives and were now stealing their memories too. I’m just learning how to research but I hope some day to help in giving those names back to the descendants of those people.
Your site has been so helpful to me. Thank you.
Robyn –
You have created a great list here of sources of “indirect evidence” that will help you to identify a slave’s last owner. Unfortunately, without that corroborating “direct evidence,” it may be impossible to know 100%.
But, on the other hand, there are so many sources — many of which no one even knows about — that DO provide this direct evidence. What we all need to do is continue to blog, and provide information on different sources that we have located. Spread the word! Another idea would be to start publishing books of abstracts and indexes to these records, the way more “traditional” records have all been published. Why not make it easier for future generations to conduct research in these records?
The beauty of indirect evidence is that is can be as strong as, if not stronger than, direct evidence. Dr. Thomas Jones is a big believer in this concept (He really opened my eyes to it). Indirect evidence, properly correlated, and especially when you have it from several independent sources, can be powerful. Tons of examples in NGS Quarterly.
I love your idea of putting together a “master slavery” source list. Let’s do it. And I second you big time on the need for us to publish more abstracts and indexes. Here here!;)
Robyn,
As Renate stated, you’ve hit most of the resources that come to mind. However, after some thought I have two more to add to the list.
**Historic Newspapers. I think this is a valuable resource that African American researchers often overlook. But, you can sometimes find the unexpected. I discovered a legal notice in the Atlanta Constitution in which residents of the district where my ancestors lived had filed a petition for a new voting district. Included in the list of signers were former slave owner Edward Taliaferro and his son Samuel Taliaferro as well as my gg grandfather Miles Taliaferro and his son, my great grandfather, John Wesley Taliaferro.
**Freedmen’s Bank Records. Another overlooked resourse. These records can contain the name of the former slave owner or even the plantation where an ancestors lived during slavery. Even if you don’t get a clue to a former slave owner there are lot’s of gems in these records. I was able to put together almost a complete family from one single record. Amazing.
Robyn, thanks for starting this discussion. My eyes are open to new possibilities.
Sandra
Sandra, you are right on the money. I love your first idea because that’s entirely new to me–a list of names for a new voting district. You never know what you might find in newspapers. You are fortunate to have found something like you found in Freedmens Bank records as well. They are a great source. Thanks for chiming in.
Robyn,
First of all, thanks for including me in your circle. I feel honored!
Now, ma’am – I think you’ve just about covered all of the basis I can think of right off the top of my head for finding our ancestors former owners. Just a couple of other things come to mind right now:
*Try to find the ancestors’ cohabitation record. It was from this that I got my great-grandmother’s “maiden” name, Shaw, which I presume to be the surname of her last owner.
* This might not find the owners, but I want to mention something that I did in an attempt to identify former slaves who may have been siblings or family to my ggfather, Calvin. I had the names of all of the slaves as they were divided into lots after his owner, Chloe Neal died. I meticulously matched those names with some of Calvin’s post-emancipation neighbors (who’d taken the surname Neal) and found several of them. I don’t yet know for sure, but I think some of them may have been his family members, and one, possibly his mother.
* Also, a lot of times in the estate records I’ve records of payments made between slaveholders for the “hiring out” of their slaves, so this could also be helpful in establishing ownership.
That’s about all I can add right now, but if I think of something else, I’ll come back!
Renate
These are great, Renate. That second bullet I think is especially critical. Rebuilding that post-emancipation neighborhood. And while uncovering those slavery names in cohabitation records, I often see them matching up with nearby slaveowners, so that is another excellent point. Thanks for these and yes, you are definitely part of the “crew”!