My Family Owned Slaves

My family owned slaves.

Clearly there are many Americans for whom this is a reality.  What I know is that, in his will, Thomas Gillespie

   BORN:  ca. 1719
   MARR:  ca. 1745               Augusta Co Virginia
   DIED:  15 Dec 1796            Rowan Co North Carolina

owned and bequeathed five slaves to his children.  To his wife, he gave the women, Liza and Fan.  To his son, Alexander Gillespie, he gave a boy, Peter and a woman, Violet.  To his son, Robert Gillespie, he gave the man, Dick and the woman, Phoebe.

You can see the will here:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dmorgan/thomasg.txt

My father's mother's mother was Lula Gillespie (1883-1969) and the lines goes:
Lula -> Francis Marion Gillespie (1843-1900) -> John Morgan Gillespie (1811-1881) -> George Gillespie (1811-1881)->George Gillespie (1751-1818)->Thomas Gillespie (1719-1797).

I just found this document on the web today.

The Gillespie family can also claim the Gillespie Rifle which was said to be the rifle that "won the west" which may be accurately  translated as the rifle that committed genocide of native Americans.  Additionally, a more distant relative, Major Archibald H. Gillespie, was an officer in the Mexican American war sent by President Polk, also a relative (twice removed), to California in 1845 to explore the potential of annexing California.

So, all of this is me...

I'm not sure how to deal with it...

Comments

[Martha]

If I have learned anything in the last few months it's to take heart in the progress that has been achieved and to focus on keeping it moving in the right direction. As these generations of our family have continued through the years, the migrations and marriages have, over time, produced descendants who are living lives antithetical to the values that allowed slavery to exist. Look at what you do for a career, do you think that was an accident? And look at your kids and the amazing things they are going to accomplish. Look at the community you were drawn to, where you make your home.

Don't know if you have heard the stories yet about Barak Obama's family. They believe that on his mother's caucasian side, there was a history of slave ownership.

There's also a new documentary out called Meeting David Wilson" where a young african american man sought out the descendants of the family that owned his. Their conversations, and their realizations are really interesting. MSNBC hosed their dialogue on April 11.

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23780855/

Maybe there is a way to learn more about Liza, Fan, Peter and their descendants. The MSNBC site gives some African American geneaology links.

http://boomers.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=384624

[Conches]

Martha,

Thanks for the comments and for the links. The idea of trying to find out more about these people is a good one.

[bluemoon]

What does it matter? Did YOU own the slaves? Feeling guilty over what happened decades ago is exactly how blacks want you to feel so as to keep up the entitlements.

[Conches]

Bluemoon, Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. To answer your question directly, yes, in a very real sense, all Americans did own slaves. We, like many other nations, have taken advantage of others throughout our history. To live without taking personal responsibility for that is a form of blindness. I just returned from a week long trip in the California gold country. Our abuse of Chinese and Native Americans and African Americans was very real as was the value we received from their labour. To be blind to these abuses is tantamount to claiming their labour as your own. Conversely, an honest recognition of that value requires a mature and nuanced understanding of my role in terms of the benefits I have received through my privilege as an American and more specifically, my privilege as a white male American. I am not debilitated by recognizing the sinew that connects me to injustice, I am strengthened by the knowledge.

[Bill D.]

My family were slaves/servants of the Gillespie--Blaine family. The research of slavery is not about making anyone feel 'bad'. It is, however, about Family Heritage, African, European, Native, Asian....t is about Heritage. And thosee od us with lots question marks in our family trees, research is necessary and rewarding and educational. Thanks.
Bill D....Greene and Washington and Fayette Counties, Pennsylvania.

[Conches]

Thank you for the comments Bill. I have some data on the Gillespies if it is of any help to you.

[T. Dennis Glazener]

If your family has any direct ties to the NC Gillespie rifle making family it is prior to 1740's. I have the line back to then if you would like it let me know.

Also, the Gillespie rifle makers in the 1780's lived in VA then moved to SC in the late 1780's/early 1790's. Then to Transylvania County NC circa 1800. A couple of John's grandsons moved to GA in 1849.

I have never heard "Gillespie Rifle's won the west" that was pretty much left to Winchester and Colt much later and far more widespread guns than the Gillespie's.
Dennis Glazener
A GGG Grandson of John Gillespie

[Angel Gillespie]

John Gillespie born in 1755, in NC, son of William Gillespie, is the maker of the Gillespie Rifles, not John Morgan Gillespie

[Connie McKenzie]

This message is in response to "My Family Owned Slaves."

The author of "My Family Owned Slaves" mistakenly wrote – “So, all of this is me...I'm not sure how to deal with it...”

I am hoping to clear up a few misconceptions about the Gillespie families mentioned in this article.

The Gillespie DNA Project has proven that there are many separate and completely unrelated Gillespie family lines that arrived in North America at an early date from Scotland and Ulster, Ireland.

Thomas Gillespie of Rowan Co. NC, was not even remotely related to the well-researched Gillespies of Virginia, etc. that crafted the amazing Gillespie Rifle. And as Dennis G. pointed out, the Gillespie Rifle had nothing to do with the battles in the West.

There were many Gillespies that went to Texas, etc. just prior to or after the Civil War. They descended from several different and unrelated Gillespie lines and did not include the ancestors of the writer of the "My Family..." article, although a few cousins did head west.

As for Archibald H. Gillespie USMC, we have been unable to determine his DNA lineage. There is no known genealogical connection between Archibald and Thomas Gillespie of Rowan Co. NC. But I can tell you with certainty that he is not a descendant of Thomas Gillespie of Rowan Co. NC. Researchers are more inclined to speculate that Archibald might be related to the Gillespie/Blaine line. And at this point we do not have a DNA sample from a male descendant of the Gillespie/Blaine family line.

On a side note, Lydia Gillespie, dau. of Thomas Gillespie of Rowan Co. NC, was the grandmother of Pres. James K. Polk. Polk was the man that appointed Archibald H. Gillespie to his post, but at this point, we believe that the Gillespie surname connection was just a coincidence.

Thomas Gillespie of Rowan Co. NC did own a few slaves as did some of his sons a generation or two after him. As you read in the wills, the slaves were treated as property. Thomas and his peers were Presbyterians and apparently, slave ownership was okay with them. The fate of the wives and daughters of those early Gillespie men wasn't too appealing either from a modern perspective.

Early American migration included white men, women and children from the British Isles and elsewhere that were kidnapped off the streets, or removed from prisons, poor houses and orphanages to be sold as laborers in America. Their eventual fate was usually better than that of the African slaves that arrived later.

To understand why people behaved in certain ways in the past, we need to understand the historical and societal context of their lives.

We must also accept, that although we are descendants of many individuals, we are not them – we did not live their lives, nor did we live during their time in history. Their accomplishments or missteps belong to them, not to descendants living hundreds of years later.

[Anne Threlkeld]

I am writing in regards to the info that Angela Gillespie wrote. This is my line of Gillespies. Do you have any futher info on
any of his line. I have a lot of info. But any info would be greatly appreciated. You can email me a Athrelk@uga.edu..Thanks in advance.

[Conches]

Connie, as I try to resurrect this blog from slothful neglect, I ran across your wonderful comments! First many thanks for the thoughtful response and the detailed information on the Gillespies. And, I totally agree with your statements around historical perspective and societal context. We are all products of our experiences and our ancestors. The more we know the better the chances are that we can be a positive force. Thanks again.