A reader asks how to find information about her ancestor, William Gwin, who was born about 1846 in Virginia. In August 1850, he was listed as one of William Fitzhugh’s slaves who were set free as provisions of Fitzhugh’s will.

Our reader knows about William Gwin’s life after slavery. He served in the Civil War. He was employed for 27 years as a messenger for the Department of State in Washington, D.C. William’s sister’s death certificate lists her parents as Alfred and Laura Gwin. Possibly, these were his parents, too.

William’s descendant can do further research and possibly take the ancestry back additional generations. Part of this must be done by looking at documents that provide "indirect evidence." This is evidence that does not directly answer the question. After a sufficient bundle of indirect evidence is gathered, patterns become clear.

The Alfred and Laura Gwin household is found on the 1860 Washington D.C. census. That census does not provide relationship, but there is indirect evidence that we can capture.

The list of names on the census appears to be a family grouping, and William Gwin is listed in the right spot. He is a 14-year-old male. The last person in the household is Jane Davis, age 70. She is Black. She was born in Virginia. It is possible that she is the mother of Alfred or his wife.

An important point is that both Alfred and his wife are listed as "M" for mulatto. A nagging question is, "Why would a slave owner will that his slaves be set free upon his death?" A common reason is that the slaves were family.

There is a wonderful record group called "Records of Antebellum Southern Plantations." It is a microfilm set of plantation owner’s record books. In the day-to-day minutiae, information about the household is recorded – including the names of slaves, their birth dates, and sometimes their mother’s names. I went online to the Library of Virginia's website, http://www.lva.lib.va.us/, and found that they have a set for Virginia in their library collection.

There is no every-name index to the manuscripts on microfilm, and one must read each page. However, there is a finding aid that tells the locales of the documents. I’d suggest that the Library of Virginia be asked if there are materials for the area where William Fitzhugh lived. The library's website has a research assistance page where they provide contact information.

Once our reader knows what microfilms she needs to read, she can look through the Family History Library catalog for them. The search term is "Plantation life – Virginia."

© 2006-8

Connie Lenzen, Certified Genealogist