My journey is just beginning and I welcome you to join me as I look deep into my family’s history.My mother’s family settled on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (Dorchester County) in 1669. Family names included Applegarth, Keene, Tubman, Travers and Stapleford – to name a few. Oral tradition included tales of births and deaths, wealth and bankruptcy, success and failure, land bought and sold, and humorous family stories. But a few years ago I became acutely aware that the tales were one sided when I inherited a copy of our family history. Interspersed with marriages, births, and baptismal records I found records of slaves. Slaves listed in categories and numbers – male or female and age range – Under 14, 14 to 25, 26 to 44, 45 and up – no names, no information, no family connections listed. Slaves were never mentioned in our oral history. So, I have set out on a personal mission to research and try to identify as many names, uncover the stories and provide information about the people who were enslaved by my family. It is my hope to tell more of the story.
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