Cheesy Grits: Slaveowners in the Family Revisited—Do I Owe Great-grandmother Thorne an Apology?

Having given vent to my Yankee self-righteousness by shaking my finger at Great-grandmother Thorne for owning slaves, I've subsequently calmed down a bit and tried to understand her situation a little better. After she inherited those three slaves from her common-law husband, her options may have been far more limited than we might think, and keeping the slaves might have been the best of a bad lot of choices.

Cheesy Grits: Slaveowners in the Family?

In an earlier post, I wrote about Jane's great-great-great-great-grandfather, John Stocks Thorne and the estate he left behind in trust to provide for his children by his former slave, Rebecca Thorne. After listing all of the financial instruments in his estate, I mentioned that there were "other listings" in his estate that I would return to later.

Cheesy Grits: Brown Fellowship Society Membership Roll (1790-1844)

This is a listing of the Brown Fellowship Society membership roll that was published by the Society in 1844. It includes all the names of those accepted as members through 1844 along with the date that they were accepted. It also identifies those who were subsequently "excluded" or who resigned. I regret to report that I'll have to delay an accounting of the reasons for which a member could be excluded until I return from my next trip to Charleston.

The original is in the archives at Charleston's Avery Research Center.

Cheesy Grits: The Brown Fellowship and other Societies

I've already mentioned the Brown Fellowship Society and, more recently, the Friendly Moralist Society. Although both of these benevolent societies were nominally burial societies, the fact of their existence along with the details of their practices tells us a great deal about the social history of Charleston's Free Persons of Color, especially before the Civil War.

Cheesy Grits: "We Come From People": Philip M. Thorne, Sr.

Philip M. Thorne of 7 Henrietta Street was not without stature himself. Although he of course married well when he married Elizabeth Weston, we know that he was recognized within his community as a leader both before and after the Civil War.

Cheesy Grits: "We Come From People!": Elizabeth Weston Thorne's brother Furman

Before going on to an exploration of some of the benevolent/social societies amongst Charleston's Free Persons of Color, I thought I'd write up what I know of Elizabeth Weston Thorne's brother Furman Weston.

During one of Dr. Henry Louis Gates's PBS Finding Your Roots programs, he talked about his own heritage in Cumberland, MD and Piedmont, WV. He related how the accomplishments of his ancestors was borne to him when he was young: "We come from people!" —meaning that his heritage included people of the dignity and stature that comes with achievement, and that he should conduct himself in a manner that befits an heir to that heritage. Or, as my mother used to say to me "Remember who you are!"

In researching Jane's family history, it rather quickly became clear to me that she could also say "I come from people!" regarding her Cheesy Grits heritage. Furman Weston and his descendants are but one example.

Cheesy Grits: Philip and Elizabeth Weston Thorne of Charleston

And now we reach Philip and Elizabeth Weston Thorne of Charleston. Philip and Elizabeth are Valeria's grandparents. Valeria is Jane's great-grandmother, who took her son (Jane's grandfather) and daughter and left Savannah for New York City around 1906, presumably seeking a better life. She died in Queens in 1947 and was buried in Flushing Cemetery. Here's a look at Valeria's family tree again to refresh your memory.

Cheesy Grits: John Stocks and Rebecca Thorne's Children

To refresh: we're exploring Jane's great-great-great-great-grandfather's family in Charleston. His name was John Stocks Thorne and his common-law wife was Rebecca, whom he purchased (along her child who was John Stocks Thorne's son) for $600 and then three weeks later, set free. She lived with him as his wife and bore him four more children. So in total, John Stocks and Rebecca Thorne had five mixed-race children: John, Thomas, Philip, Caroline, and Susan.

What do we know so far of what became of their children?

Cheesy Grits: Rebecca Thorne, a Free Woman of Color, Goes to Court

In an earlier post, we saw that John Stocks Thorne purchased a slave named Becky and her son Tom and then freed them. Becky lived with John Stocks Thorne as his common-law wife (legal marriage between the races was not permitted then) and bore him at least four more children. I say "at least" because there is a clear question about the maternity of one of the heirs in John Stocks Thorne's will. Let's have a look.