Slavery in the United States was officially & legally ended on December 6, 1865, with the ratification of the 13th amendment to the Constitution. But today, June 19th (or Juneteenth), is observed in many places around the country as a commemoration of June 19th, 1865 – which was the day on which the proclamation was announced in Texas that all enslaved individuals were free (as per the Emancipation Proclamation) and thus marking the freeing of all enslaved individuals in the Confederate states.
As formerly enslaved individuals made the transition to life after slavery, one organization that was around to help was the Freedman’s Saving and Trust Company – the company helped with the economic development of formerly enslaved individuals. A couple of weeks ago, while using the online records, I had an incredible finding!
This is the bank record for a man named Adam Walker. In his application, Adam provides family details – as many did at the time. He lists as his brother, Prince Walker, and states that Prince lives near Plymouth, NC. Prince is my 4th great-grandfather and I’ve shared some of his family stories before here on my blog. Well.. from all the research I’ve already done, I am 99% certain the Prince on this bank record is one and the same as my Prince – thus making Adam my 4th-great-uncle.
Amazingly though, Adam lists their parents’ names! Simon is the father, and Scotty is the mother. Adam notes both parents are deceased, but also noted that his mother, Scotty, has been deceased 40 years by the time of this application in 1871. Remarkable! See, Prince was born around 1812 and Adam around 1816, which means the parents were born in the late 1700s. Wow. Adam also names his 2nd wife and his children.
I now have another generation back on this line of my family and this finding is going to give me plenty to research as I continue to build upon my family history legacy. This is why I do this work – building legacies are so critically important to understanding our past and I continue to be encouraged by discoveries such as this.
I have a Facebook group dedicated to the work many of us do to save and share the stories of our legacies – I would love for you to join me there – Academy of Legacy Leaders.
What a great find! I confess to knowing little about the reconstruction period of our country’s history and learned something from your post – I look forward to learning more. How wonderful to be able to search those records and discover family.
I am glad you found it educational! I am personally excited to do more research on this branch of my family and who knows what else I will discover!
When you have a moment, watch Reconstruction: America After the Civil War. It is powerful, educational, and I cried through most of it. I’m confident that you will find it helpful.
Where can i find the documentary
That is an awesome find, Taneya! I haven’t found any Freedman’s Bank récords for any of my family members, on any line, so I consider this a “treasure find” for you!
Thank you, Renate! It was quite a find indeed 🙂
I love this. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading! And, thank you for the documentary recommendation!
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