I have been working on the freedom stories of my list of formerly enslaved men and women from the Cleage plantations and it’s amazing. I start to write about 1 person and find some information that takes me deeper into the life of their community that time and life during slave times. I found several who fought with 1st United States Colored Heavy Artillery. The widows and orphans petitions for pensions are especially helpful as names I know appear as witnesses and testify to living on down the row on the plantation or being present at births.
As I continue to work, I wanted to share this recording made in the 1940s of people who lived during slavery talking about their lives. Their voices are so clear and present, not at all like the garbled transcriptions I come across where the people sound like they barely know the English language and there is nothing of the beauty of their voices.
While googling for information, I came across a book on that mentioned how slaves came to Athens and McMinn County in a section called “The Black Community.” I quote below.
“When Nash arrived, there were black persons in their 80s and 90s who had been among the first to come to the county. Blacks had originally come into the county either with the settlers, or as a result of being purchased at “slave sales” up until the time of the Civil War. By the 1800s, few—if any—slaves came to this immediate area directly from Africa. Virginia had come to be known as the “slave breeding ground,” and most major cities in that state had periodic sales in which the slaves were sold at auction. The slave owners usually attended the auctions together, and marched the slaves back to their new homes in groups. East Tennessee was a major route south toward Atlanta. If someone became ill or could not make the full trip, he would be sold, traded,or given away along the route. In this way, less affluent people might acquire one or two slaves across several years. “Slaves” in this situation simply meant an additional hand to work beside the slave owners in their fields and mills. The huge sprawl of cotton fields, with hundreds of field hands and their overseers spread out across a vast acreage, was unknown in McMinn County. At the height of slavery, there were only a small number of persons in the county owning more than half a dozen slaves.” McMinn County by C. Stephen Byrum pages 78 & 79
This is a brief summary of Samuel, Alexander and David Cleage from 1810 to 1870 as the family went from enslaving no one, to collectively owning over 120 people. These are the plantations on which the people in this series lived during slavery.
Samuel Cleage
Samuel Cleage
Samuel Cleage was born in 1781 in Pennsylvania. The family later moved to Botecourt, VA. His father, Alexander Cleage, had no enslaved persons according to the Federal Censuses he appeared in.
Samuel worked as a building contractor in Virginia. In 1810 he was 29, had a household consisting of 7 white people and 1 enslaved person. After his parents died in 1823 he moved his whole household to McMinn County, Tennessee. He was about 42 years old. Read about the move at C is for Cleage Bricks.
The trip took several years because he stopped to build brick houses at farms along the way, collecting pay in gold and enslaved people. Although some sources say that he arrived with hundreds of enslaved and barrels of gold, the 1830 Census lists a household of 4 free whites and 15 enslaved blacks. After arriving, Samuel picked out a parcel of about 1,125 acres and using enslaved labor, built a fine brick house. The land that Samuel Cleage bought was part of the land opened for white settlement when some Cherokee, hoping to profit from the already occurring influx of whites, signed the Calhoun Treaty. It was called the Hiwassiee Purchase.
In a 1834 agreement between Samuel Cleage and his overseer, 7 enslaved persons were named and 2 little boys were unnamed. Some of the tasks mentioned in the agreement are clearing land, distilling and planting. Article of Agreement Between Samuel Cleage and Overseer – 1834.
By 1840 the household consisted of himself and his wife and 23 enslaved people. Eleven are involved in agriculture. In the 1850 census Samuel and his wife shared their home with his son David, his wife and 2 small sons. They now owned 31 slaves, 1,200 improved acres and 20 unimproved with a value of $20,500. That translates to about $560.000 in today’s dollars. Samuel Cleage died in 1850 at age 69.
Alexander Cleage
Alexander Cleage
Alexander Cleage, born in 1801, was the oldest son of Samuel and Mary Cleage. He married Jemima Hurst in 1832 when he was 31. She brought 4 enslaved women to the marriage. One was my 2X great grandmother. They were named in her father Elijah Hurst’s Will. The first census I found him was for 1840. There were 6 white family members and 4 slaves – 3 women and a boy. That is 1 less woman than the 4 that came to the marriage.
By 1850, Alexander was a bank officer. There were 9 white family members and 31 slaves, 24 women and 7 males. His real estate was worth $5,750. In 1852 there was some moving around of slaves from Samuel Cleage’s estate and Alexander came into possession of 12 named slaves. In 1857 there was a bill of sale for an unnamed slave.
In 1860, Alexander was a farmer with estate was worth $43,500 and a personal estate worth $55,000. There were 7 family members, 52 slaves and 8 slave dwellings. He wrote his Will that year and gave the names of the 12 slaves his wife received at her marriage and “their increase”, plus two men. I only recognize 2 of the names as being the same as those in Elijah Hurst’s Will.
In 1870, Alexander was a 69 year old farmer. He owned land worth $40,000 and his personal estate was worth $20,000. Two of his 2 children, a young man 23 and a girl 13, at home and both attended school during the past year. Everyone in the family was literate. There are no slaves in the household, but the 16 year old live in black servant is illiterate and she has not attended school during the past year.
David Cleage
David Cleage
David Cleage was born in 1806 in Virginia. I have 2 bills of sale for 3 named slave boys, ages 10, 11 and 13 for 1841 and 1842. In 1846 David married Martha Bridgman. She brought at least 1 enslaved girl with her, Charlotte who was about 10.
In 1850, David Cleage was 44. He was a cashier at the bank in Athens, TN. His real estate is valued at $1,000. He and his family are sharing a home with his parents. He owns 32 slaves.
By 1860, the number has risen to 75 slaves living in 8 slave dwellings. He is still a cashier at the bank, real estate worth $2,000 and personal estate worth $90,000. The household includes 5 family members and an overseer.
In 1870 David was 64,a retired banker with real estate worth $18,700 and a personal estate worth $41,995. All 7 people in the household are literate. The children between ages 21 and 8 attended school within the last year.
I pulled this list together using documents from the plantations of Samuel, Alexander and David Cleage and Elijah Hurst. All four were located in McMinn County, Tennessee. During 2015, I am going to go through the list and write about each person that I can find after Freedom in 1865. I completed 4 earlier. You can read their story by clicking on the linked names. I will start tomorrow with a general description of each plantation.
Another photograph that I am seeing for the first time, of my maternal grandmother Fannie Mae Turner soon to be Graham. Written on the back of the postcard type photograph, it says “Fannie M. Turner before marriage”
My sister Pearl as the anthropoid, about 1961 at Old Plank.
My family had a tradition of chasing the children around while acting like a monster. My Uncle Louis was the master and didn’t need any sort of mask or costume to send us screaming into the lake at Idlewild. He just twisted up his face and hands and came towards us and that was it.
My uncle Henry got the mask above from somewhere and incorporated that into the scary chases. You had to holler out “Anthropoid, anthropoid, don’t kill me yet!” when he got too close, in order to escape. Aside from putting on the mask for photo ops, I remember once time we put it on, wrapped in a blanket and sat on the lawn toward the road where we hoped to scare drivers passing the house. I don’t remember any wrecks so I guess no harm was done.
By the time my children came along, my cousin Warren used to take them on a bear hunt. I remember one time that he worked it out with another cousin to be out in the woods where he drove and stopped and told the kids, who as I remember were in the back of a pickup with a camper, that they were waiting there to see the bear. The other cousin starting growling and knocking on the truck and finally my cousin drove off, it was dark or almost dark. He said they had a close escape. Later, when we were all inside, the other cousin came around tapping on the windows. The bear!
My cousin and I playing on the beach in Idlewild. During the visit my uncle Louis chased her into the lake. July 1955.
Nobody was terrified of the bears or monsters, well maybe my cousin Barbara who did run into the lake, but mostly it was the enjoyable kind of being scared while knowing you are safe.
From Left to right My grandmother, Fannie Mae Turner Graham, peeking over my greatgrandmother’s, Jennie Virginia Allen Turner’s, shoulder. My grandmother’s sister Daisy Turner. Behind and between Aunt Daisy and Aunt Alice Turner, is my aunt Mary Virginia Graham Elkins, although she was not yet an Elkins. At the end, behind Alice, is my mother, Doris Graham Cleage, although she was not yet married a Cleage either.
They are posed in Grandmother Turner’s backyard on the East Side of Detroit at 4536 Harding. The house is gone now. They look like they just came from Church, at Plymouth Congregational, however the photo is dated July 4, 1939 on the back. July 4 was on a Tuesday that year. Maybe they went on a church picnic. My grandfather, Mershell C. Graham took the picture.
Mystery friend of my grandfather Mershell C. Graham.
Another fine friend of my grandfather. Unfortunately also another unlabeled photograph. I think it was taken in Montgomery, Alabama around 1917 or so. You can see the scotch tape my grandmother used to fasten the pictures in the black paged album.
My grandfather Mershell “Shell” Graham.
This photograph of my grandfather was taken in the same place as the one of his friend above. Wherever that may be is lost in the mists of time.
This bit of photograph was under another photograph in my Graham grandparent’s Black Album. Unfortunately, I did not make a note of the photograph that I pried off of this one years ago. Ah, the mistakes I made back then.
It’s been hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year. Everyday seems to bring some new report of violence, both here and around the world. This years offering for Footnote Maven’s Blog Caroling is Silent Night sung by Sweet Honey in the Rock. It combines a version of the carol combined with pictures of the demonstrations that have swept the nation after the police actions in Ferguson, MO and New York. May next Christmas find us closer to true Justice for all in this country and Peace around the world.
I have looked for the original article about the death of Samuel Cleage in 1850 with no results, other than this short item. After reading the obituary, I noticed the following items along with ads for ink, land, “newest goods” and the Forest Hill Academy. There was an article about the new President Filmore and the ads below, which jumped out at me.
“By virtue of a decree of the chancery court at Cleveland, Tennessee made at __ February term, 1850 in the case of John D. Traynor and his wife Mary Ann Traynor and others against William B. Cozby, William McDonald and David Ragsdale Administrators of John Cozby deceased and others. I will on Tuesday, the 20th day of August next, expose to public sale at Smith’s cross Roads, in Rhea County, Tennesseem twenty two Negroes belonging to the estate of said John Cozby, deceased.
The above Negroes will be sold on a credit of six months the purchaser giving bond with two or more suffcient securities for the price of the slave or slaves purchased. James Berry C. & M. July 12, 1850 – 4 Pr’s fee $3.50 94.”
A Likely Negro Girl for Sale!
The subscriber has a likely NEGRO GIRL which he will sell on reasonable terms. Said girl is in her 15th year, likely, o good size, healthy and stout. His residence is in McMinn county, 12 1/2 miles South of Athens on the road leading to the mouth of Ocoee. Any person wishing to purchase can call and see for themselves Thos. Trew McMinn co., July 26, 1850 – 3 96
Run Away
“From the subscriber living in Monroe county, head-waters of Estanallee creek, a black woman named EASTER, very black, about 38 years old, pleasant countenance, and quick spoken. She left on the 15th last; had a good lot of clothes, and took with her two quilts, two counterpanes and many other bed clothes. Said woman was formerly owned by Capt. Thos. Pagmore. She may be in that section or making her way off.
Any person who may arrest said girl and return her to me, or confine her so that I can get her will be liberally rewarded for their trouble. ELIZABETH CARTER, July 30, 1850- 96″
