Have any of your ancestors owned slaves?

Flooring Forum

Help Support Flooring Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

DarisMulkin

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Pro
Joined
Jul 11, 2011
Messages
4,799
Location
Davison, Mi, Michigan
In doing my family tree I found out one of my dear old great grandfathers owned slaves in merry old England. In his will it told of which slaves were to go to his daughter, wife and son. That was a shock to me as I didn't even think of slavery.
 
Very interesting 🤔 I haven’t done any research, but my cousin has. I’ll be sending him an email and get back to you.

In the meantime, what emotions are you feeling about that. If you’re like me, it’s hard to identify those emotions, but give it a try anyway. Then add some analytical thought into the mix and come up with an analysis on todays current affairs on this issue.

Good Topic Darris !
 
In doing my family tree I found out one of my dear old great grandfathers owned slaves in merry old England. In his will it told of which slaves were to go to his daughter, wife and son. That was a shock to me as I didn't even think of slavery.
I was a slave, but rules back then allowed slaves to become free the day after HS graduation.
Downside was, I then had to buy my own food, insurance and pay rent.
 
I had relatives that had fought each other from different sides during the Civil War, so I'm sure I have a few stashed in my relative's woodpile. This is history. I don't condone it, but with this young generation deleting past history from our history books and destroying all the statues from the past, I guess I don't have to carry any shame.
 
Well, my Great, great, great great grandpa didn't have any.

Of the U.S.' first twelve presidents, the only two never to own slaves were John Adams, and his son John Quincy Adams; the first of which famously said that the American Revolution would not be complete until all slaves were freed.
 
, I guess I don't have to carry any shame.
Personal Shame? No ! of course not, but Imho, bigger picture wise / as a part of the Human Race 🤔 ? …. Yes ! …. But Nothing we can’t handle when we mix emotional empathy with analytical understanding . Darris is actually in that process a little more now today than yesterday……Each new day we are exposed to different information than yesterday
and that’s what shapes our tomorrow’s.
 
Last edited:
I have no real feelings about it as it was a different time and all races had slaves including the blacks. I'm part Irish and the Irish were slaves when coming to the US. That also a way of working off debts to become a slave to whom the debt was owed. Even black people had slaves in the US. So I really have no feeling toward it. But it was a big surprise when it came up.
Hav I had 4 relatives in the Civil War 2 for the Union 2 for the Confederacy. I love reading the history items about the Civil War that comes up on FB. To me those soldiers fought for what they believed in and should be honored for it, be it statues or whatever.
 
I was handed down a leather bound journal from my relative's day to day life during the Civil War, since he was an infantry man for the Confederates. The story stops 3/4 way thru the Civil War, so I guess he didn't make it.
Very sad, I wish they could have worked it out differently. My Uncle’s relatives passed down a journal to him and then from him to my Mom. It’s written in German and one of my siblings has it.
I need to check into that and find out if we ever got it translated to English.
 
To me those soldiers fought for what they believed in and should be honored for it, be it statues or whatever.
Thanks Darris, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to run with that statement and share a site that provides some insight on the subject. …..Facts and Beliefs,

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...ly-is-belief-and-why-is-it-so-hard-change?amp

If everyone on both sides, Confederate’s and Union soldiers should be honored because they both believed in the cause, then IMHO that means no one was wrong, and if nobody was wrong, then we should or could conceivably forgive everyone who participated . 🤷🏻‍♂️

Now ! If we take that concept and apply it to today’s issue’s, doesn’t the same
‘ Nobody’s wrong ‘ belief apply ? And if so ! does this new understanding today provide us with more forgiveness tomorrow ?
 
Who is to say what is right or wrong. Most all wars are fought over politics or religion, it all depends on what you believe in, but most are fighting because they were forced to.
Nice Darris ! A man of little words with Big messaging. 🙇‍♂️

And ! All the more reason that understanding and Forgiveness are the keys to moving forward, in the intended path of improvement.

After this election we are going to need it big time. 🤞I hope we dig deep into our humanity, our hearts and intelligence, detach from this enhanced Right and Wrong concept…... Striving for Right is what we need to think about and work towards. When we add Wrong to the mix, we add resentment, and that delays progress towards improving, and could even increase the pressure until someone blows. So Why not gain access to and take the time to learn about this repair tool that gets us back on task ? Understanding and Forgiveness for Improvement 👍 🙏

No Man or Woman would ever remain married without this tool 😜

✌️
 
My ancestors on my paternal side with my surname going back owned none. My gr gr grandfather was one of hundreds of thousands of NON slave owners that fought FOR the Confederacy. That war was NOT solely about slavery and for hundreds of thousands of poor white trash it was about fighting for what their grandfathers fought for which was freedom from over taxation . The Morrel tarriffs and the friction between northern sentiment and southern sentiment regarding taxes and being ruled over by northern lawyers is what I think it was about.
On my grandmothers side her grand father , again my gr gr grandfather died in Camp Chase Ohio he was a young second Lt. and his father owned a slave.

The first one built a church after the war his brother was killed in action and buried in Richmond . Another brother my gr gr uncle returned with Gr gr grandpa. Also grandpa left a leg somewhere along the way , he caught a miniball just below the knee - THE STORY GOES he rolled into a cold creek and his leg went numb and he cut it off himself .

One thing of note : of ALL those ships that laid off the coast of Africa filling their holds with slave gold, NOT ONE FLEW A CONFEDERATE FLAG . Most of the ones that made the trip back to the U. S. had old Glory flapping in the breeze .
Any of that ******** “north good south bad “ is bunk .

I’ve listened to people whose family didn’t even migrate here until the 1920’s yapping about northern people all getting a free the slaves trip in 1860 and all joining hands to invade the south to unlock the prisons where the slaves were 🤪 utter rubbish

If you ask me the left still treats blacks like slaves
 
Any of that ******** “north good south bad “ is bunk .
Very poignant Csason,

That was an Amazing history lesson right there and what a tragedy. No words or explanation can ever fix all that complexity from the past, but We need to try and IMHO apply some first class Understanding and Forgiveness about the Civil War……. Has anyone seen the Ken Burns special ? I’m sure he has touched on all those issues, but it’s been a while since I saw it…… Dramatic movie’s about it probably create confusion and misunderstanding, however ! Like the anger management guy says, we can only take responsibility for our part, and general accusations of entire groups is probably going to create a scenario of Resentment and none forgiveness. 🥲

I believe like Darris suggested, there are really no good or bad guys, no right or wrong guys, just everyday people attempting to do right in different ways according to culture, upbringing and circumstances. That’s why it’s not wise to go all in with absolutes, but to leave flexibility off ramps and choices until improvements are visible for both parties…..otherwise the clash for attempting Rightness , in violent ways could continue.

PS> After reading Csason’s comments today, I now have a bigger understanding to take with me tomorrow and it’s saying….. All Slaves and Masters ( to some extent) are all victims of those times. God help us to learn the lessons.
 
Last edited:
My dad was a sharecropper when he first started out my mom came from a “two part “ house kitchen in one building bedrooms in the other . She had five sisters and five brothers and the school teacher lived with them . They had two holer outhouse and a hole in the ground for water. She died in 2020 at age 100 and six months or so.

Not much white privilege where I come from I cropped tobacco with all black crews for eight dollars a day.
Now I get 1000 a day to cap and cove two bathrooms in dollar tree stores .

It’s an amazing world
 
Not much white privilege where I come from I cropped tobacco with all black crews for eight dollars a day.
Us humans have to do what we have to do and with the people we are doing it with. Some people feel exploited and others feel the reality that vulnerability breeds exploitation. The primary issue is Exploitation, not color, age, sex, Or religion. Let’s work on how vulnerable people can stand firm and on teaching exploitive people how to stand softly. The sooner we intellectualize the primary objective, the quicker we can have at it.

The secondary categories, race, creed, sex, tattooed, gender neutral 🥱 need NOT ! to be entered into the math equation itself,
( Exploitation + Ignoring its existence =‘s Zero progress) but recognizing the importance to give those groups understanding is paramount.

FYI > my brothers mother in law ( A German Hungarian ) was freed
after 4 years in a Russian Concentration camp, she was 10 years old 😡
Exploitation is the behavior we need to fight against, not the person, but if we are too cold hearted to not give a damn enough to provide the ancestors with healing words and actions of understanding, then shame on us, because then we are giving more understanding to the exploitation. 🤔
 
Most Irish that came over were actually Scottish. The King of England sent some Scottish Protestants to Ireland to even out the number of Catholic and Protestants. They were then run out of Ireland. They became indentured servants to make it to the New World and many were never allowed to pay off what they owed. The English classified anyone who was not English as "non-white" . Irish, German, anyone.
 
Most Irish that came over were actually Scottish. The King of England sent some Scottish Protestants to Ireland to even out the number of Catholic and Protestants. They were then run out of Ireland. They became indentured servants to make it to the New World and many were never allowed to pay off what they owed. The English classified anyone who was not English as "non-white" . Irish, German, anyone.
Sounds like acting from the Secondary differences rather than seeing the primary similarities of being human and then acting accordingly. What do you think ?agree, disagree or maybe another/ different perspective.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top