Yes, German immigrants were slaveholders, too.
Slaveholding in the German Community: the Sarver and Harder Families of Sumner County, Tennessee
Category: Records of Slavery
Will of Elias Bryan of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 25 July 1821
Elias Bryan was the brother of my 6th great-grandfather, Needham Bryan. I found a transcription of his lengthy will online a while ago. Recently, I dug up the original will at Family Search and polished up the transcription. The will is interesting in that Elias provided unusually generously to his daughters. He also stipulates that … Continue reading Will of Elias Bryan of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 25 July 1821
Will of Benjamin Dicken of Halifax County, North Carolina, 24 Nov 1790
Benjamin Dicken was my 6th great grandfather. His granddaughter, Martha "Patsey" Dicken married Thomas Bembry. I have had a dickens of a time researching this family for the past couple of weeks! The first problem was that the Dicken family (they were apparently literate, and consistently spelled it with no "s") properties straddled Fishing Creek, … Continue reading Will of Benjamin Dicken of Halifax County, North Carolina, 24 Nov 1790
Will of Catharine Walton Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 23 April 1810
Catharine Walton Harris was the wife of Nathan Harris I, and my 7th great-grandmother. She outlived her husband by nearly 20 years, to about age 90. Like him, she took a very personal interest in her estate, and like him, she had no compunction about selling her "negroes," including several children. But, interestingly, she made … Continue reading Will of Catharine Walton Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 23 April 1810
Will of Nathan Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 13 April 1793
Nathan Harris I was my 7th great-grandfather. He was born about 1712 and died about 1793 in Greensville County, Virginia. Like his son, Nathan II, he was very specific in his wishes. The will does not list all of his children: he had three additional children that have been documented in various sources, for a … Continue reading Will of Nathan Harris of Greensville County, Virginia, 13 April 1793
Will of Nathan Harris of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 30 November 1809
I've recently uncovered several wills relating to the Harris family, Thomas Bembry's in-laws. They seem to have been a pretty hard-nosed lot, being very specific about property in their wills and selling enslaved people without thinking twice about it. I had known for some time that the second Nathan Harris' will had resulted in a … Continue reading Will of Nathan Harris of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, 30 November 1809
Researching Records of Slavery at Family Search
Advice for descendants of slave holders on locating records at Family Search.
Wills of William and Nancy Townsend Walker of Benton County, Tennessee
I've just added the wills of my 5th great-grandparents, William W. Walker (abt. 1780-abt. 1840) and his wife Nancy Townsend Walker (1785-abt. 1850) to my tree. William and Nancy were both born in Virginia, probably in or near Frederick county. This is at the northern tip of the state around Winchester, right on the Great … Continue reading Wills of William and Nancy Townsend Walker of Benton County, Tennessee
Thomas Bembry of the U.S. Colored Troops
The story of the only Bembry to wear Union blue.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Slave Records on Ancestry.com
It is very common for white genealogists not to know about, or not to know the full extent of, slave holding in their own families. Until a few years ago, I was one of them! One reason is that genealogy websites do not put this kind of information front and center. In fact, it is … Continue reading Hiding in Plain Sight: Slave Records on Ancestry.com
A Long Way to Tennessee 