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Stories of the Enslaved

Here you will find links to the stories our team has uncovered through our research. These stories tell the experiences of men, women and children sold in New Orleans with ties to Virginia.

Index to Stories

  • Samuel Cunningham (b. 1816)

    Samuel Cunningham, born in approximately 1816, was enslaved by Walter F. Jones, Norfolk, Virginia’s postmaster. Cunningham was one of four enslaved people in the Jones household in the 1830s. He lived with two adult women and one other teenager. The enslaved members of the Jones household had connections to a wide network of enslaved and…

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  • The Fate of Nackey Johnson and her son John

    On January 10th, 1826, the brig Virginia arrived at the port of New Orleans after a 23-day journey from Baltimore. Aboard were 36 enslaved men, women, and children who had survived the harrowing voyage. The Virginia, captained by William Daggett, had made this journey multiple times over the years, transporting hundreds of enslaved individuals for the Woolfolk slave…

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  • Coney and Daniel

    Coney and Daniel were two young men born in Princess Anne County, Virginia in the 1810s. They were born enslaved on the farm of Henry Cornick, a wealthy Virginia planter who owned a large estate in the Kempsville area of Princess Anne County (now Virginia Beach, Virginia). The Cornick family was one of the wealthiest…

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