Martin Luther King Day

[bassin_bug]

Hope everyone enjoyed the day off.

I spent some time yesterday reflecting on Dr. King's vision and ideals.

By coincidence I was researching a track of land in the deed room at the county courthouse last week. I traced this tract back to a deed dated 8/19/1869.

This tract of last was sold on this date by a mister Headly to a Miss Grundley. The deed stated that Miss Grundley was "a free woman of color". She paid $175.00 for the land cash in hand to Mr. Head. Then Mr. Head conveyed and tranfered the land to Mr. Sneed. It goes on to explain the land is conveyed to Mr. Sneed to hold in trust for the sole benifit of Miss. Grundley. Mr Sneed signed the deed stating that he accepted the trust that was imposed by the deed.

I guess a black person could not own land in 1869 so they had to put the land in a white persons name in trust. Good news was that when Miss Grundley sold the land in 1906 she had gained control of the trust and the land was in her name to sell.

In any case it was very interesting to see these documents and realize how the African decendents in the country have had to overcome many obsticales.

I realized that Miss Grundley was more than likely a slave at one time and was freed just 4 years prior to this deed (1865).

That may not be exactly how it goes. I am holding some deeds from that same era and they, too, are similar. This all happened before women had rights and, in this case, it seems that the man was always the one in control of family business. My great-grandfather died and left my great-grandmother with six minor children. The Probate Court appointed a guardian over her and the children. The guardian also signed a document saying that he accepted the guardianship, and the land was deeded to the guardian to hold in trust until the children became adults. She and the children continued to live at the same place while it was held in trust. My grandfather was the first to come of age and got his share of the property which was deeded to him by the guardian. As other brothers and sisters came of age, they received their share of the property. My great-grandmother was not "a woman of color" nor a slave. That's just how business was handled during that period.

I don't think the deed was being held in trust because of the color of Miss Grundley's skin or slavery but, most likely, because she was a woman, and may have also been underage.

Just my 2-cents worth.