The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-04
NEGRO SLAVE OWNERS.
Descendants OF Negroes Freed by Thomas
JeTersOnb Brotherin-Law.
From the Atlanta Consultation.


From the Atlanta Consultation.
Did free negroes own slaves In the South
Is the new feature of the negro question which
has sprung out Of an inquiry made Of Judge
Welborn Of the State library by somebody In
the North" said George ". Brooks.
WELL, l will tell what i know about II.
There was a family Of free negroes in Mecklen-
burg county. Virginia. whose name ] can
not recall now, who owned negro slaves.
/ knew Of 1t In my boyhood, ! think about 1910.
In my native ounty OF Person. in North
Carolina, which lay Immediately on the Vir-
ginia line, Just above Me6klenburg county,
Virginia, there was quite a colony OF free
negroes. many OF them named Epps, and sup
posed 10 be the descendants Of the slaves
set free by Mr.. Epps, Thomas Jefferson's
brother-in-lAw. After the survey Of the
line between North Carolina and Virginia by
old Peter Jefferson, the father Of Thomas.
there was a great tide OF immigration into
the border counties Of North Carolina from
virginia beca use the crew Of surveyors wrote
home they had found God country'-that
was along the valley OF the Roanoke and
Dan rivers.
Among these immigrants came these free
negroes, and in my boyhood time and in
my county was one Billy Mitchelle,' He
formed, OF a Ringercake color and woolly
hair-all in all a good looking man. He was
h fss V Si S5 Z fd sssle oh GisRC' a. ms any o Of eRs Free ee
negroes and slaves did before, the war. He
had NO means and often hired to my father
on one occasion to have heard him telling
my father OF his trip to Mecklenburs county.
about thirty miles ayayi d when WI H. and T nd Eh .Ie
ne told with much humor q an incident
vent vent" out one morning With the gins brother
TO the hog. pen 20 look at the fattenine hogs;
that one Of the slave boys came and got up or
girl calling her mother to, look at Jim perched
up on that hog pen with the white folks.
Bill, said that he he l9 9% I'd. at them them al all x S1a he
any siH H' vent back and married the girl. took
In the estate and a slave owner him self;
! remember after ! was grown man and bad
returned ned bone boU n frS STa I'd fSl9 fIsnS 20 a SnS r sen Rlm
He bore the appearance OF q mar well 10 do
In life, That section was no POOR country.
f i.+.o q ssS S f. d Gree S Gs6ies Il .G Gla P ssSsnt SsfI
On the North Carolina side lived Nathaniel
Macon, han whom the memory OF no man
virginia side lived the. learned, versatile
and worderfnl Jack Ra5dolPh Of RospGks.'
lists estS6iis6Sdf ithetr frst depominsaonal
In that came county lived and died one OF The
only ns. aSse American citizen. L Is said. upon
whom the British Government ever conferred
a title, Sir. Peyton sklpwith. He owned q
OF Staunton and Dan rivers. forming the
Roanoke. There wa ~skipvlth,s ferry.
the crossing place for the tobacco wagons
going TO the markets. at Petersburg and
Richmond, He wSs.a high ohurchman and
Ravenscroft, an Episcopal minister, TO conduct
religious services every Sunday with. and for
his negro slaves, Rayenscroft afterward
Carolina and some OF the leading men Of that
State now we're named for him."