Garrett Information
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09-14-2018, 02:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-14-2018 02:47 PM by L Verge.)
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Garrett Information
Betty Ownsbey recently found the latest archeological research from Garrett's farm online (2015). In the historical background section, I learned some new things.
With all the drama surrounding the capture and death of JWB, I never remember reading anything about the slaves owned by the Garretts. This report includes the following: According to a footnote in the testimony given by Major Ruggles, a Confederate officer traveling with Booth, the Garrett farm, known as Locust Hill, “was in the style at that time in vogue among Southern planters. It was a large, wooden framed building, with broad porches on every side. It stood on a hill, from which sloped in every direction broad rolling fields; fair in their verdure as ever greeted the eye of man” (Ingraham 1890). The Garrett house was located on a long lane secured by two gates (Figure 6). At the time when Booth traveled up the lane flanked by orchards, Richard H. Garrett was a 59-year old planter and father or a large family at Locust Hill. While it is unknown how many of the Garrett slaves remained on the farm, records indicate that in April 1856 Richard Garrett owned 13 slaves older than 16 years of age and another 12 that were at least 12 years of age. In 1860, Garrett’s slave force consisted of 28 slaves (Caroline County Personal Property Tax Records 1856-1863). In an oral history conducted with Steven Garrett, grandson of Richard Garrett, Steven recalled “that [the] present highway 301 flanks the house and some sections of the road took out some of the old slave quarters” (Lilley 1978: 11). According to Steven, “We had one [slave quarter] out there in the yard and one [slave quarter] down on the hill there” (Lilley 1978: 11). Pretty significant holdings in 1860, for a family of middle-class means. The report also contains the inventory of the contents of the Garretts' barn that were destroyed by the ensuing fire. We knew that the Garretts (like many of their inland neighbors) stored household belongings for folks in Port Royal whose homes were being used as target practice by Union ships on the Rappahannck River. I am having problems with cut and paste for this list. I will send to Roger to see if he can post it. |
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Garrett Information - L Verge - 09-14-2018 02:30 PM
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