Monday, July 22, 2013

Reminiscences Of My Great, Great Grandfather's Slaves

For  Chickenmom

 Re-post from NamSouth 2007
 
 
 "Civil war can be glorious news to none but demons, or thoughtless fools, or maddened men."
--B. F. Moore to his daughter, April 15, 1861.


My great, great grandfather, "The Father of the Bar" of NC, was against secession. [I know, everyone has to have a black sheep in the family......:)] He refused to declare allegiance to the CSA in order to appear in federal courts (CSA), and only appeared in state courts throughout the War. To his credit, his winning case in 1834 held that slaves  had the right to protect themselves against unlawful violence from an overseer or master for the first time. 


 
Also, he thought that the existing state legislatures at the end of the War should remain as such, by simply repealing the Ordinance of Secession. Additionally, he was *against Holden and reconstruction leaders. 
 
*"Holden's impeachment is demanded by a sense of public virtue and due regard to the honor of the state. He is an exceedingly corrupt man and ought to be placed before the people as a public example of a tyrant condemned and punished."
 
His son, George, joined the Confederate Army, but was captured, and sent to Elimira, The Death Camp of the North. He survived, but I have letters from my great, great in the 1870's that allude to the fact that he was afraid that George would never amount to anything, as he seemed to have no purpose left in life after his imprisonment. He actually took George to New York to visit Elmira after the War, but makes no mention as to why. Perhaps, he thought that this would help him.

The link below contains the reminiscences of two of his slaves . I have the picture in my home that is shown of his namesake, Isaac B. F. Moore. The stories are tedious, because of the dialect, but some are short. The two best I think are "Isaac Voting the Democratic Ticket" & "Isaac Watching his Corn at Night, Hears it Growing." In the latter, it is interesting that he owns a musket, pistol, sword, and dirk. 
 
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6 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting!!!!
    Have to comment at different times (sorry) when I finish reading each one.
    State V The Slave Will 1834, My G, G Grandfather Wins:
    Amazing since this happened after the Nat Turner Rebellion. Your GGGf was a wise man and didn't twist the meaning of the law.

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    1. Thanks. The portrait I have is actually a high grade photograph of his portrait at UNC Chapel Hill and a similar one at the NC Supreme Court. They put the picture on canvas and walking into the room it is difficult to tell it is not an original. My sister does have the portrait of his father James Moore though.

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  2. Nice to have family portraits. My Mother's family came from Whitby in England. She said they were probably horse thieves.(But I WAS named after Phyllis Elizabeth Gaskell - the Victorian Era author. (The writing gene wasn't passed down, though. Darn!) Back to reading.....

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    1. Isaac and Sukey: What a marvelous, marvelous little book!!!
      "a mortification to seriousness!" almost had me on the floor!
      Is there a way to get a copy or may I print it out? Do I need one of those copyright permissions to do that? It's a keeper, Mr. Townsend, it's a keeper!

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    2. Print away and you just gave me an idea. I should do the same and put them in folders like I do Dixie's Homeschool books from Robinson Curriculum.

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