Reclaim Your Story

Working with descendants of people once enslaved by the Carters, Oatlands launched the Reclaim Your Story project in 2013. The name was devised by descendant Kevin Dulany Grigsby, shown at right, to honor the act of claiming the stories that were denied to people during the time of slavery. The project’s goals are to research and document both enslaved and free Black people associated with the Carters; interpret the full arc of Black history at Oatlands; and locate and connect descendants. Work is ongoing.

Family Research

Researching individuals and families, both free and enslaved, is ongoing work. Of particular interest are the last names of Allen, Basil, Bryant, Buchanan, Day, Fisher, Gleed, Howard, Jackson, Johnson, Mason, Moton, Murray, Russ/Rust, Smith, Stewart/Steward, Thornton, Turner, Valentine, Warner, and Washington. 

Enslaved Community Database

A database of every named individual was created and made available on Oatlands’ website to make their names known and to aid researchers and genealogists. The goal was to provide a source for locating ancestors or certain individuals and learning more about the people who were enslaved at the Carter’s plantations, Oatlands and Bellefield. The database consists of names extracted from wills, Elizabeth O. Carter’s diary (kept from 1860 through 1873), and other primary sources. The database contains over 900 entries, and there are approximately 120 distinctly different names. Information from or questions raised by Oatlands researchers are recorded in the Notes column.

The database is in PDF (Portable Document File) format.

View PDF [link to database]

Interpretation

Tours and signs convey the full story of Black history at Oatlands and beyond. Lectures and speaker series cover topics ranging from enslaved people seeking their freedom; Reconstruction-era establishment of communities; and leaders in the Civil Rights movement. Internationally known presenters such as Joe McGill, founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, and culinary historian Michael Twitty have conducted publicly accessible programs at Oatlands.

Funded by a grant from the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, an exhibit designed by descendants was opened in one of the garden buildings. Titled Reclaim Your Story, it features interpretive panels and artwork by local artist Gertrude Evans.

Descendants Day

On April 11, 2015, the first gathering of descendants was held in conjunction with a large, public program to promote the Reclaim Your Story project and launch the Enslaved Community Database. Many descendants of formerly enslaved people gathered to commemorate their ancestors and share stories. Kevin, who is descended from Sophia (Moton) and Jacob Howard, was the keynote speaker. The event included partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun and the Loudoun Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee to dedicate two Civil War Trails markers about enslaved people at Oatlands and those who started their new lives after emancipation at Gleedsville.  Marc B. Johnson, descended from the Buchanans, Valentines, and Johnsons, was the keynote speaker at the church in Gleedsville. Built in 1890, often by candlelight after a long day’s work, the church was originally Mt. Olive Methodist Episcopal Church. The Civil War Trails marker at Oatlands has since been replaced with an updated marker to the people enslaved here.

Descendants and their extended communities gather each year at Oatlands to connect, share family stories, learn, and educate.