The Kelley Brothers and the American Colonization Society: From Northumberland County to Liberia

TheBulletinoftheNorthumberlandCountyHistoricalSociety

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Vol.XLV

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2008

TheKelleyBrothersandtheAmericanColonizationSociety:FromNorthumberlandCountytoLiberia

byCraigM.Kilby.

TheMondaymorningofFebruary18,1856,startedofflikeanyotherCourtDayatLancast-erCourtHouse.Peoplewerebusilybuyingandsellingwares,exchanginggossip,andlookingforwardtoconductingtheirbusinessbeforethecourt.Butthiswasnotgoingtobeanordinarydayatthecourthouse.ItwasnotgoingtobeanormaldayanywhereintheNorthernNeck,anditwouldbeadecidedly

abnormal

dayinNorthumberlandCounty.AtLynham'sandRichlandPlantationsatBluffPointNeck,itcertainlywouldbeadaynoneofitsinhabitantswouldeverlorget.Theirlives,andthelivesoftheirposterity,wouldbedramaticallyandirre-vocablyaltered.OnthisMondaymorning,Col.AddisonHall,Baptistminister,andThomasW.Mere-dith,partnerinthemercantilefirmofMeredith&CundiffinKilmarnock,cametocourttopres-entthelastwillandtestamentoftheirfriendandneighbor,theeccentricwealthybachelormerchantofKilmarnock,Mr.JamesKelley.Itmusthavebeendifficultforthemtokeepsecretthecontentsofthebombshelltheywereabouttoburstinthecourthouse.Forreasonsweshallsee,thiswasprobablyonefusethatAddisonHallrelishedlighting.Thewillofanywealthybachelorwasboundtobeagreatlyanticipatedtopicofgos-sipformonthstocome.Whowouldgetwhat?Whowouldgetnothing?Why?Morethanafewrelationswereprobablysittinginthefrontrowofthecourtroomeagertolearntheanswerstothoseveryquestions.BesideshisfabulousstockofstoregoodsinKilmarnock,andhishousefulloffinefurnitureandfamilyheirlooms,JamesKelleywasalsoaprominentNorthumberlandCountyplanterinnearbyBluffPointNeck.ThereheownedjustoveronethousandacrescomprisedofthreeplantationscalledLynums;Richland;andMid-dleQuarter,Lee'sandJones's,whichwereac-quiredbetween1825and1839.1Livingontheseplantationswereforty-fourslaveswhoweremostassuredlynotinthecourtroomthisMondaymorning.Totheiruttersurprise,theywouldsoonlearn,theyhadjustbeensetfreeandwereontheirwaytoAfrica.Andverysoonatthat.

SlavesandFreeBlacksinNorthumberlandCounty

Thetotal1850populationofNorthumber-landCountywas7,336persons.Ofthese,42percentwerewhite,7percentwerefreeblacks,

*TheauthorisanativeofMissouriwhereheearnedaBSdegreeinpublicadministrationfromtheUniversityofMissouri-ColumbiaandservedthreetermsintheGeneralAssembly.HemovedtotheNorthernNeckin2005,whereheisactivelyengagedingenealogicalandhistoricalresearch.ThisarticleisdedicatedtothelateW.PrestonHaynie,whoencouragedit.TheauthoralsoacknowledgesMarieTyler-McGrawandDeborahLeeforsharingtheirin-depthknowledgeofthehistoryoftheAmericanColonizationSociety,andJoanHorsleyforherveryhelpfuleditorialsuggestions.Theauthortakessoleresponsibilityforanyerrorsofcommissionoromissioninthisarticle.AllwebsitescitedinthisarticlewereactiveasofSeptember30,2008.1.

NorthumberlandCountyRecordBook

24,92-93(Lynums,purchasedfromMaryBallofLancasterCountyin1825);

NorthumberlandCountyRecordBook

28,559-561(Richland,calledFleet'sBayT~actinthedeed,boughtfromEdwardandElizaHenryofFauquierCountyin1835);and

NorthumberlandCountyRecordBook30,

21-25(calledMiddleQuarter,Lee'sandJones'sinthewillofJamesKelley,conveyedbyCol.RobertWormeleyCarterofRichmondCountyin1840).Lynum'sisnowspelledLynhams.SeealsoMrs.W.G.Bates,"Lynhams,"

TheBulletinoftheNorthumberlandCountyHistoricalSociety

16(1979):67-78.

34

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and51percentwereslaves.2ThepercentagesforLancasterCounty,thoughsmallerinpopu-lation,were38percentwhite,6percentfreeblack,and56percentslave.3Giventhesedemographics,andotherslikethemthroughoutVirginia,itgoeswithoutsay-ingthattheissueofslavery,manumission,andfreeblackslivingintheCommonwealthhadhadaverylongandvexinghistory.SlaveshadbeenmanumittedinNorthum-berlandCountybefore,andwouldbelater.4Cer-tainlytheeldermembersoftheaudienceattheLancastercourthousethisMondaywouldhavebeenawareofthemostfamousmanumissionofall-thatofRobertCarterIIIofNominiHallinWestmorelandCounty.Carter'sshocking"DeedofGift"of1791,filedwiththeDistrictCourtthatmetattheNorthumberlandCourtHouse,freedmorethan450slavesthroughouthisfar-flungVirginiarealestateempire.5ThelateW.PrestonHaynieprovidednumerousanecdotalaccountsofNorthumberlandCountymanumis-sionsinthe1996issueof

TheBulletin.6

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EmancipationandSlaveCodesinVirginia

In1782,theVir.ginialegislatureenactedalawenablingtheemancipationofslavesbywillorbydeed.Severalrestrictionsappliedtoboththeemancipatorandtherightsoffreedblacks.7In1785,VirginiabecamethefirststatetobantheimportationofslavesfromMricaandtheWestIndies,eitherdirectlyorthroughanothorstate.AnyslavebroughtintoVirginiacontrnrytothisactwastobefreedaftertwelvemonthsofcumulativeresidency.AnypersonmovingtoVirginiawithslaveshadtotakeanoaththathewasnotattemptingtoevadethisactandhadnotbroughtanyslaveswithhimwiththeinten-tionofsellingthem.8Thislawwasamendedagainin1793.Thepreambletothe1793Actreads,''Whereasgreatinconvenienceshaveariseninmany,ifnotallthetownswithinthiscommonwealth,fromthepracticeofhiringnegroesandmulattos,whopretendtobefree,butareinfact,slaves:Forremedythereof."ThisActrequiredallfreeblackstoregisterwiththeclerkofeachlocalju-risdictioneverythreeyearsandtocarryaper-mitwiththematalltimes.AprovisionofthisActbannedanyfreeblackormulattofromcom-ingtoVirginiaatall,unlessintheemployofawhiteperson.9In1806,anevenstricterlawwaspassed.Section1repealedtheprovisioninthe1785ActgrantingfreedomtoslavesbroughtintotheCommonwealthandresidingthereformorethanoneyear.Insteadofbeingfreed,suchslavesbecamethepropertyofthecounty'sOver-seersofthePoorandheldintrustforthebenefitofthepoorofthatcountyuntiltheownerwent

2.BaynePalmerO'Brien,

NorthumberlandCounty,Virginia1850Census

(Richmond:privatelyprinted,1972),Appendix..

.

3.BaynePalmerO'Brien,

1850CensusofLancasterCounty

(Lancaster,Va.:MaryBallWashingtonMuseumandLibrary,1968),79.4.The1847willofMethodistMinisterBenedictBurgessgavehistwenty-threeslavestohiswifeinalifeestate,anduponherdeaththeyweretobesenttoLiberia,althoughtherecordsdonotshowthatthistripevertookplace

(NorthumberlandCountyWillBookA,

11-13;

NorthumberlandCountyEstateBookB,

inventory,saleandaccount,170-198).The1853willofRobertS.Noel,whosedaughterFannyhadmarriedasonoftheReverendBurgess,alsoliberatedtwoofhisslavefamiliescomprisingninepersons"forthemutualpeaceofmysurvivingfamily."Hehadtwelveotherslaveswhomhedidnotliberate

(WillBookA,

49;

NorthumberlandCountyEstateBook