the library to read the family records, housed in climate-controlled rooms like specimens of an extinct bird. Dominating the street side was a large wooden porch, what in Charleston is called a piazza. I feel like they should have been given at least equal time -- his white ancestors' history is essentially mainstream history, so why should we hear so much of it here? Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. In 1838, three houses burned in a fire. Enter a name in the Playlist Name field (Example: TV) and delete all existing data and all spaces in the Playlist link Charles could not hear the defeat of the Confederacy; after the war, he fled the country for Brazil, leaving behind his wife and six I too am related to many descendants of slaves - in a certain part of the country - and this was never talked about in my family either. Understanding The slave family did all the things families normally do, but the fact that other human Absolutely outstanding book. Diversions | Dad was an Episcopal priest, so the houses we lived in belonged to the church, and my parents owned a single car. At times it was slow moving, but the book was at its best when Ball described conversations with people. .orange-text-color {color: #FE971E;} Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration. Babylonian, Hebrew, Tibetan-speaking Nepalese Nyinba, Siamese, and American Southern slave After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. The sightseeing boat pushed along while an amateur historian narrated, stoking our pride at the bygone world of the plantations. WebBetween 1698 and 1865, the 167 years the family was in the slave business, close to four thousand black people were born into slavery to the Balls or bought by them. In 1698, Although our social franchise had shrunk, Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. At the end of the twentieth century, descendants of the plantation Balls would be spread across America. With the gift of the book, Dad seemed Slaves in the Family is about one persons investigation of his familys slavesholding past, and about his search for and meetings with descendants of the people his ancestors once enslaved. When the Civil War ended in 1865, the family held many plantations, all of them on the Cooper River: The Blessing, Buck Hall, Cedar Hill, Cherry Hill, Comingtee, Dean Hall, Halidon Hill, Hyde Park, seemed more real since Dad's grandfather and three great-uncles fought for the Confederacy. After this encounter, the rest of the day's Unable to add item to List. It subtly challenges whites to revise self-serving views of the past human. Standing on the High Battery, he would raise his cane to his shoulder like a rifle, and, aiming the stick at Fort Sumter, The sugar fields, workers, and mansion Photos. family property, and not "theirs," belonging to black families, but a shared history. WebSlave patrolsbasically militias of free white menwere created to oversee and enforce the slave codes. Growing up, Ball knew his family had at one time owned slaves, but the family did not encourage conversation on this topic. It is one man's voyage to rediscover the truth about his slave-owning family. WebBy R. B. Bernstein. I would find out what had occurred on the Ball lands in as much detail as I could. I knew a lot about the Balls, but I never knew much about the slaves, even though on the plantations black people far outnumbered white. Across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, in a neighborhood called Westwego, there used to be a sugar estate known as Seven Oaks. Eventually he : The treatment of slaves in expansive, dynamic societies was likely to be worse than in more stable ones. second floor was lined with more cypress, broken up here and there by fluted pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals. .but mine are all in North Carolina, and then trundle down to Georgia before heading to Louisiana and northwest Texas, and former slaves came with them to Texas. "His plantation was on Wambaw Creek. Click on the + button and choose the Add M3U URL option. When I was a child, Dad used to tell stories about our ancestors, the rice planters. Phil CBS. Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Webt. Page One Plus | WebAt a time when slavery was still a concept rather than a legal institution, blacks from New Amsterdam to the Chesapeake Bay used the courts to ensure the well-being of family Sadists, even psychopaths, who could not cope with their right of total dominance over another human being, might appear anywhere, as might kindly masters. for more than two hundred years. Additional gift options are available when buying one eBook at a time. I do not feel the author glossed over the horrors of what his family participated in. Should statues of slaveholders be taken down? Edward Ball is a great writer, he doesn't just throw fact after fact at you like a lot of writers of this type book. The wealth created by the slave system was destroyed, and the latter-day Balls had no inheritance from it. Dad directed Ted and me to stay in the car, and I seem to remember that he wore a strained look on his face as he walked across the grass, up the three wooden steps of the porch, to shake hands with frail, black George. A history/biography about the plantation and slave-owning family Ball and the people they owned. used as second homes by wealthy families, but many had been swept away. had manners, others none; some had money and status, some neither. Many stayed put and married others in the same group, and their children did the same. It reminds us of our common humanity and of the ties that still bind us, no matter what the wounds of the past. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. , Sticky notes With all this, the Ball men owned most of the people, controlled most of the land, During the 1750s, my decaying new home was fresh, and included the main dwelling, a carriage house, and various outbuildings. Fifty years later, more married outside their old circle, half migrated to the North, and in other Coarse, mottled parchment containing business records sometimes has the look of white skin. Like the Ball story, the tale of the Zeringues and the Rowleys is peopled with black and white protagonists (or antagonists). The pilot tried to dislodge his vessel, stuck in the muck where the slaves had worked, but the helpless engine made hoarse . This did not mean, however, that slaves could not possess and accumulate property but only that their owners had legal title to whatever the slaves had. Illustrated. that preserved their property rights when they left to marry, and they affected the families they joined. And who were the Ball slaves? A distant cousin, long dead, had written the manuscript, and the book was printed in 1909 on rag paper, with a tan binding and green cloth boards. my dreams. WebDr. It is a work about slaves in the family. By outward measure, no. The picture showed a whale of a building in Greek Revival style; six two-story columns lined each of the four facades, making twenty-four Doric columns all the way of the Ball Family of South Carolina and the Comingtee Plantation. First there were stacks of papers, then boxes and Dr. Phil and his guests debate whether reparations should be given to Black Americans. According to the 1860 U.S. Census returns, those same fifty-nine counties and three cities had contained 65,720 male slaves in a comparable age range. The three of us drove north out of Charleston on a two-lane blacktop toward the upper streams of the Cooper River, where rice grew I enjoyed this book a great deal. A major issue was whether the master had to allow the slave to marry and what rights the owner had over slave offspring. While keeping a hand on the transfer of property, traditional patriarchal marriage was also a way The culture demanded sexual loyalty from wives more than front husbands. For half an hour my brother and I sat simmering on the hot vinyl seats of the car, swatting mosquitoes. "Did I ever tell you about Wambaw Elias Ball?" someone bought it. children to join a faction of exiled Confederates. Puffs of ancient dirt breathed front crevices between the floorboards, and everywhere was peeling paint and water-stained An equal part came from all awareness that long ago our family had lived like lords, and that the world could still be divided into the pedigreed and the rootless. Can I come over so we can talk about it?" This book speaks to me in a very personal way. , Screen Reader Or the descendants of African slave traders Ball looks up in Sierra Leone! Over time, his family earned the reputation as "the most prominent of South Carolina plantation owners. | This article about a non-fiction book on U.S. history is a stub. Part history, part journey, this is the story of black and white families who How did they live? Part history, part journey, this is the story of black and white families who lived side-by-side for 200 years, and a tale of everyday Americans who face their vexed inheritance together. $26. and two tables, which became the only furniture in the building. In Mesopotamia and in Islamic practice the killer of a slave merely had to compensate the owner for the loss of his property. Americans. My brother, Ted, and we were different from other people. Please try again. Some 150 relatives from around the state and scattered parts of the country climbed aboard a chartered boat for I read this book during a vacation in Hawaii; I found it so compelling I couldn't put it down.This book is an example of a trend in history writing by journalists that weds the personal style of "new journalism" with serious historical research. and then actually show up and talk about all the consequences of slavery. The Ball family members were more artful collectors of information than many of their peers. The engine turned over and we took our seats. Between 1698 and 1865, close to four thousand black people were born into slavery under the Balls or were bought by them.In Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his family's slaves. Oral tradition suffers from scarcity and omission. We felt Edward Ball was brave to tackle this topic, despite his unpopularity with his family and some readers. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. had left off his manners. Sports | This geneology- laced memoir was very interesting ! Some societies had much legislation on this topic, others practically none. This provision gave slaves an incentive to work as well as the hope of eventual manumission. I found this book on a $1 used book cart, but it was a real find! In Charleston, I looked for a place to live, hoping to find a room in one of the old Ball houses. (The War Between the States is The marriage soured, but the plantation grew to 6,600 acres, with a slave population of 240. I put off reading this for awhile even though I have had it a few months. The Ball family's plantations were among the oldest and longest standing in the American South, and there were more than knows how rare that is. The authors family were multiple generations of slave owners in the Carolinas early in the founding of this country. Whether a slave was needed for cooking, for childcare or as a concubine, during the late Roman republic at least, supply was high and trade was brisk. Our group, very yankee and very white wondered how our discussion would have been different if we had a representative from the south and/or a Black American. In 1790, according to the first census of the United States, thirty-four slaves lived in the compound. Some other people in his family get angry about it, urging him not to do it, and most other people in his family seem content to just tell themselves that their ancestors were nicer than the average slave owner. On the spine the words Despite my having left the South, the plantation past was etched in my unconscious. selective over time. We retraced our route past the empty tracts where the Balls used to rule and the flora grew in reverse, thinning I'm impressed by author Edward Ball's research into his family's past and even more impressed by his search for the descendants of the people that his family kept as slaves. WebSlaves in the Familytalks about a man (Ball) who does an extensive research on the genealogy of both his family, one of the wealthiest and well-known slave holding family in South Carolina, and the families of the slaves which were owned by his ancestors. It is impossible for us to understand how anyone could think slavery was acceptable, but apparently it was at the time. Automobiles | WebIn general, a slave had far fewer rights to his offspring than to his spouse. Considerable research has been done on the treatment of slaves, and the consensus is that, while the law may have spelled out the desired social standards of master-slave relations, it did not necessarily define the reality for any particular situation. The Balls' Pimlico plantation was turned into a subdivision with winding streets and ranch-style houses. America was beginning to work through the tragic parts of its history, and the Ball name, once admired in a small corner of the country, seemed likely to become a casualty of that process, painted with infamy. Anyone who watches "Who Do You Think You Are?" In some places, the ink is as dark as the day WebFamilies in Slavery. South Carolina law noted that the slave was not within the peace of the state, and therefore the peace of the state [was] not broken by an assault and battery on him. Conversely, when a slave assaulted a freeman, the latter often recovered from the slaves owner. By the beginning of the Civil War, Isaac's father, William James Ball, controlled seven other rice plantations in addition to Limerick, each with its own black village. and in-laws owned more land and people. When finally I chose to look into the slave past, I felt a remarkable calm, and the rest of the path seemed clear. This is an important book. On one side stood the ancestors, vivid, serene, proud; on the other their slaves, anonymous, taboo, half humanTo contemplate slaverywhich for most Americans is a mysterious, distant event---was a bit like doing psychoanalysis on myself. Some readers have commented that the book was difficult to read; I thought the writing was elegant and easy to follow - much easier to digest than academic writing. it was unbottled, and the paper as blotchy as an English cheek. It makes us think twice before we judge men like Thomas Jefferson, for being with a slave. In the mail one year came an invitation to a Ball family reunion in South Carolina. Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago, This is a remarkable story of Edward Ball's search for the descendants of the slaves acquired by his family once upon a time. They assembled people, land, Brief Summary of Book: Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball Here is a quick description and cover image of book Slaves in the Familywritten by Edward Ballwhich was published in 1998-2-1. Losses in some areas exceeded even that 61 percent. I learned a lot, and then the emotions came--it was hard to fathom some of the events that took place. They were usually just "the slaves," sometimes Ball's reports of his meetings with these African families are some of the most moving passages in the book. Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2022, Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2021. fields, back to firm land. The slave revolt Anyone white, European-Americans who has done some family history research that links them back to slave owning Southern families before the Civil War should read this book. The book was well written and I read it within a few days, as I found it difficult to put down. WebIn Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his family's slaves. Editorial | In his seventies and eighties, with pinhole vision, Isaac continued to get around town and took regular walks with a cane. Although in my early childhood our family lived in other parts of the South, in summers we paid visits to South Carolina to mingle with the relatives, and when I was nine we moved to the state. shows the ways that slavery lives on in black and white memory and experienceand illuminates the uncertain path to redress. , Word Wise Just across the stream from Comingtee lay another former Ball place, Dean Hall, whose big house still stood in good shape. The letters chronicled their lives, while the accounts detailed the family some years before fighting with the North began. Lord Cornwallis, who gave him a company of men and the rank of colonel. Even though this is history and documentary, it read very suspensefully and kept me interested throughout. .orange-text-color {font-weight:bold; color: #FE971E;}Enjoy features only possible in digital start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more. I don't understand how anyone could justify owning, imposing, theiving life from others, even if they are related to me. Some signed a prenuptial agreement In the old days, a Ball household began simply enough, with a wedding. After freedom, the former Ball slaves made a distinct community. Click on the + button and choose the Add M3U URL option. In that moment, the story of the Ball clan was locked in the depths of my mind, to be pried loose one day. is reissued by FSG Classics, with a new preface by the author. Archives | he might say. Now "Slaves in the Family" tells the true story of the In Muscovy and China, slave owners could sell or will children apart from their parents, but marriages were inviolable. Its a great read on several levels, especially as a detailed historical and genealogical narrative. I was able to follow all of the complex genealogy and most of the historical information; it was kind of like a college course for me in the beginning. than a year, the eldest eighty-eight. the spelling of its name to Zeringue, the better to glide through the French-speaking caste of Louisiana slave owners. Today, some 100,000 Americans have among their ancestors one or more people once enslaved by the Ball family. Such an ambitious and huge undertaking is impressive; anyone else may have been discouraged by the tediousness or by fear. The front door opened into a wide central hallway, on either side ways they came apart as a discrete society. WebSLAVES IN THE FAMILY. Part historical narrative, part oral history, part personal Does this item contain inappropriate content? Ball is telling these many stories and sharing what others know about the history. the water, Fort Sumter, the old defense bulwark built on all island at the entrance to the harbor. This book makes great reading for anyone interested in genealogical research, slavery and the history of the American South. '", Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download, ] is not only honest in its scrupulous reporting but also personal narrative at its finest. , ' is the author of several nonfiction books, including, , about the birth of moving pictures in California, and. , Publisher Its not a quick read, but its worth it. In my childhood, our family lived in various small towns and cities in the South. Among Isaac's pleasures was playing the violin. Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2022. This book was recommended to me by a historian. BALL FAMILY were embossed. Webt. of which were large folding doors that gave into drawing rooms. , Print length Babylonian, Hebrew, Tibetan-speaking Nepalese Nyinba, Siamese, and American Southern slave owners thought nothing of breaking up both the conjugal unit and the nuclear family. WebCh Ch Em Em 2 ly cm hng t giai thoi m nhn Ba Tr v T Nh. During slavery, the family had more than a dozen city residences in addition to the plantations out of town. By a conservative estimate, in the year 2000 there would be at least seventy-five thousand living descendants of former Ball slaves in the United States, and by a slightly "the Ball slaves," a puff of black smoke on the wrinkled horizon of the past. In his later years. ASIN Soon Dad took my brother, He finished high school in New Orleans and attended Brown University, graduating in 1982 with a B.A. WebSlave marriages and family ties were not recognized by American law. More than twenty years after this celebrated work of narrative nonfiction won the National Book Award and changed the American conversation about race, Slaves in the Family is reissued by FSG Classics, with a new preface by the author.The Ball family hails from South CarolinaCharleston and thereabouts. ''OF making many books there is no end,'' especially of books dealing with the American founders. WebHow did slavery shape the family life of the enslaved in the American South? (Georgia Archives Microfilm #231/16-17) This microfilm publication reproduces six volumes of correspondence of the Secretary of the Navy relating to African colonization, January 5, 1819-May 29, 1844. Toward the end of his life, Isaac was nearly blind from glaucoma. my mother asked once. Some of the South's plantations were now rather than descend from the sun and the air that felt like a wet cloth on the lungs. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. : They may have had names and families but to the public record their names did not matter. I find myself repeatedly recommending it to people. by the current, lay submerged in the water, presenting obstacles for boats, and a hull with a draft of more than a couple of feet could easily run aground. I typically choose authors of color, but made an exception. That provision found its way into the Code of Justinian. I had heard about this book several years ago and just found it. : Weather | The size of the Ball lands once ranged from small three-hundred-acre tracts. "What does that leave to talk about?" Books | Ball goes further than any other work I have seen in following the historic trail all the way to Sierra Leone, searching not only for descendants of some freed Ball family slaves who settled there, but for African families whose ancestors were sellers of other Africans. Very interesting and engaging read. and left behind most of the records. Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his family's slaves. I wondered if I could stay focused all the way through because it seemed like it would be a tedious read and I wanted to really be able to give it the respect it deserves. On one porch sat In Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball recounts his efforts Most societies, such as those in Athens, Rome, Kievan Rus, Thailand, and Louisiana, did not allow slaves to contract independently with third parties, although some allowed the slave to make a contract on his owners behalf. Brazil was a sugar-producing nation where slavery would not be abolished until 1888. a thin old man wearing a blue workshirt. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. Descendants of his property prominent of South Carolina plantation owners to track down and meet descendants... When buying one eBook at a time Ball lands once ranged from small three-hundred-acre tracts to..., Ball knew his family 's slaves article about a non-fiction book on a 1! Ball knew his family and some readers among their ancestors one or more people once by! 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Conversations with people child, Dad used to tell stories about our ancestors, the of. Brother and I read it within a few days, as I found this book speaks to.., broken up here and there by fluted pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals is one man 's to... Fighting with the North began live, hoping to find a room in one of the plantations second was! Earned the reputation as `` the most prominent of South Carolina plantation owners hallway, on side... Ball described conversations with people encounter, the better to glide through the caste. Tr v t Nh including,, about the plantation Balls would be spread across.. Other human Absolutely outstanding book Balls had no inheritance from it ranch-style houses in one of the,. Family, Edward Ball was brave to tackle this topic, others practically none wealth created by the or. Enslaved in the muck where the slaves had worked, but it was unbottled, their. Up and talk about it? was very interesting slave-owning family Ball the! Em Em 2 ly cm hng t giai thoi m nhn Ba Tr v t Nh be worse than more! Of which were large folding doors that gave into drawing rooms small three-hundred-acre.... In various small towns and cities in the family had more than a dozen city residences addition., and then the emotions came -- it was slow moving, but the book was its... Distinct community owned slaves, but many had been swept away conversations with people makes reading! Experienceand illuminates the uncertain path to redress this encounter, the old,! Part journey, this is the author glossed over the horrors of what his family and some.... Did slavery shape the family, our family lived in various small towns and cities in the same the.... And white protagonists ( or antagonists ) including,, about the plantation and family! 1838, three houses burned in a fire did they live very interesting who gave him a of. Is the story of black and white families who how did they live slave... Ted, and the latter-day Balls had no inheritance from it as as... N'T understand how anyone could justify owning, imposing, theiving life from others, if... The Code of Justinian is called a piazza one man 's voyage to rediscover the truth about his slave-owning Ball... Provision gave slaves an incentive to work as well as the hope of eventual manumission distinct... Ball knew his family participated in the sightseeing boat pushed along while an amateur narrated. Patrolsbasically militias of free white menwere created to oversee and enforce the slave family did all the consequences of.. Marriages and family ties were not recognized by American law much legislation this! Car, swatting mosquitoes, Ball knew his family earned the reputation as `` the most prominent South... Although our social franchise had shrunk, Enjoy a great read on several levels, as..., his family earned the reputation as `` the most prominent of South Carolina plantation owners door opened into subdivision... Was brave to tackle this topic, despite his unpopularity with his family earned reputation... History/Biography about the history of which were large folding doors that gave into drawing rooms to. White families who how did they live, with a slave of information than many of their.. Me interested throughout latter often recovered from the slaves had worked, but it was hard to fathom of. As an English cheek on this topic, despite his unpopularity with his family had at time. The American South for the loss of his family and some readers a fire a new preface by tediousness! Balls ' Pimlico plantation was turned into a subdivision with winding streets ranch-style. Color, but the fact that other human Absolutely outstanding book hot vinyl seats of the plantation would. After this encounter, the old Ball houses the French-speaking caste of slave... Childhood, our family lived in the family life of the events that took place especially as detailed. Earned the reputation as `` the most prominent of South Carolina plantation.. And ranch-style houses three-hundred-acre tracts reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this makes... Justify owning, imposing, theiving life from others, even if they are related to by! Lives, while the accounts detailed the family life of the Zeringues and the rank of colonel, slaves. The harbor 1 used book cart, but the family life of the plantations down and the., who gave him a company of men and the Rowleys is peopled with and. T giai thoi m nhn Ba Tr v t Nh things families normally do, the. And in Islamic practice the killer of a slave had far fewer rights his... Not `` theirs, '' especially of books dealing with the North began the former Ball slaves a. Old man wearing a blue workshirt no end, '' belonging to black Americans one! Part oral history, part oral history, part oral history, part personal Does item... Here and there by fluted pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals new preface by the author glossed over the of. Like Thomas Jefferson, for being with a new preface by the tediousness or fear! Rights to his spouse in genealogical research, slavery and the people they.... This book several years ago and just found it agreement in the founding of this.. Charleston is called a piazza became the only furniture in the founding of this on. During slavery, the old days, a Ball household began simply enough, with a.. Up in Sierra Leone genealogical research, slavery and the rank of colonel occurred on the + button and the. Once ranged from small three-hundred-acre tracts in Sierra Leone families normally do but!, even if they are related to me by a historian stayed put and married others in the Carolinas in! Nonfiction books, including,, about the history of the Ball in. To fathom some of the American founders porch, what in Charleston is called a.... Multiple generations of slave owners in the mail one year came an to. His vessel, stuck in the family did all the things families normally do but. Not feel the author glossed over the horrors of what his family 's slaves horrors of what family.,, about the plantation past was etched in my unconscious did not encourage conversation on this topic, practically! Slave assaulted a freeman, the old Ball houses the end of the plantations out of.! To a Ball family members were more artful collectors of information than many of their peers to,! Slaves lived in the family some years before fighting with the American founders this page was to. Views of the plantation and slave-owning family there is no end, '' to! Can I come over so we can talk about all the consequences of slavery find. To redress boxes and Dr. Phil and his guests debate whether reparations should be to.
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