Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Pat:

Going to the "funeral" tomorrow?

Mo' on Solomon:

All of this comes from the 2-9-92 issue of the Tuscaloosa News:

James Abbott, a free black man, married Solomon's daughter, Martha. Abbott ran this ad in a Tuscaloosa newspaper after he arrived here in 1827.

James Abbott

Barber (Late of New York) MOST humbly and respectfully takes the liberty of informing the inhabitants of this city, that he has located himself expressly for the accomodation of those gentlemen who may think proper to employ him in his profession. His office is kept next door below the State House where he will be found ready to Shave which he does with a keen Razor, or Cut Hair, which he pledges himself he can do in the most approved and fashionable style of the day, except when absent on professional business

Tuscaloosa, Nov. 17, 1827

The same article states that " In the 1850 census Perteet lists his occupation as plasterer. And, while he did work at his trade, even having a contract to do some work in the Capitol building; he made most of his money in real estate. Solomon Perteet bought and sold several pieces of proeprty [sic] in Tuscaloosa during his lifetime."

"He was one of the first settlers in Newtown, the area west of the center of Tuscaloosa where astute businessmen purchased lots before Tuscaloosa itself was officially laid out and available for sale. Among the properties he owned at the time of his death was a large three-story brick building near the corner of what is now University Boulevard and 23rd Avenue."

"Perteet and his wife, Lucinda, who listed herself as a gardener in the 1860 census, had at least three surviving children."

The article goes on to state:

"That many of the free African-American citizens in Tuscaloosa were slave owners underscores the complexity of the Southern economy before the Civil War. A great deal of labor was necessary to work the land profitably. Free black farmers like Zadock Love needed hands to make crops. At that time slavery was the system that provided the farm hands."

" However, some, like Perteet, provided the means for others to free themselves. In addition to manumetting several of the slaves he owned, he purchased slaves with the specific understanding that once they repaid him, they would be free. Ned Berry, purchased under such an agreement, took only one year to repay the $700 to Perteet. Berry then began a very successful business hauling all manner of goods from one side of Tuscaloosa County to the other with his sturdy wagon and four good horses. He was later able to free his wife, Cynthia, and son Daniel under similar agreements."

The author states " A ground-penetrating radar survey of the Perteet plot conducted in 1986 indicated three other unmarked graves."

Concerning unmarked graves(of course, this could include many slaves. Manly even mentions burying one of his slaves in Greenwood), the author wrote,"To date we have identified 1,463 individuals by name. We have specific information on about 1,000 of them. However, we think that there may be twice as many buried in currently unmarked graves."

No shortage of unmarked graves in Tuscaloosa, huh?!!!!

best,

roberto



>From:
>To: "robert register"
>Subject: Re: Found A Terrific Perteet Resource!
>Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 22:43:33 -0500
>
>Mr. Register: Somewhere J.B. Sellers published an article on free Negroes in Tuscaloosa County with some interesting accounts. Have you seen it? By the way, there was an Indian village in Tuscaloosa. It was located somewhere in present Country Club Hills. The Indians were Creeks. A man who knew a lot about these matters was Thomas Clinton, who published articles in the Tuscaloosa News. His son, Matt, put his papers, I believe, in the Tuscaloosa Public Library. -- J.F.D.

Tuesday, April 13, 2004



CHRISTOPHER REGISTER AT THE HELM OF THE ALBURY



The William H. Albury under sail off the coast of Abaco Island, Bahamas



Christopher's Tall Ship Schooner, The 70 Foot William H. Albury, the pride of Abaco.



Christopher Showing Off His Big Nuts In the Bahamas During Spring Break '04

Pat:
Found a Sunday, February 9, 1992 clipping of a Rae Hague Eighmey article from the Tuscaloosa News entitled "Free Blacks Thrived Before Civil War".

She includes lots of details concerning the Solomon Perteet family but she also includes what is known about Perteet's son-in-law John Abbott, a free negro barber from New York who came here with the state capitol business in 1827.

According to Eighmey, Solomon Perteet's headstone in Greenwood Cemetery says,

SOLOMON PERTEET
A free man of color, born in Wilkes County, Georgia, died at his home near the city, October 3, 1863, aged 76 years. By an industrious and honest life, he earned and left to his wife and children a handsome and comfortable estate."


The plot has a wrought-iron fence and another small stone marker which marks the grave of the infant son of James Abbott and Perteet's daughter, Martha.

She also includes all the "free negro" entries from the Tuscaloosa city census. Example:

In 1830, in addition to the Abbott, Perteet and Love families, the census report shows four other free black families: Celia Burgess whose daughter, Fanny, was James Abbott's first wife; James Fener; C. Harrison; and Levin Johns. The 1840 census adds William Goin, Stephen Dunstan, Archibald McCoy, Celia Burgess, David Lopper and Dade Nealson as heads of households.

Let me know if ya want anymore of this stuff.
best,
roberto

capn:
Looks like Carolyn knows more about plants than just how to grow them.

Found some "Mountain Girl" links http://tcgdd.freeyellow.com/mgirl68.html
and http://www.sixties.com/html/mountain_girl.html

Got a DUI back in December and the judge sentenced me to Level III therapy which means the State now has a terrific way to get into my back pocket. Two and one half hours three times a week and I gotta pay $10 for each of the 33 sessions.
Today was my evaluation so I showed up an hour early so I could get my paper work into the "first come, first served" line. No such luck. The bastards made me wait three and one half hours before they "evaluated" me.

While I waited, I found some paper in the trash can and stole a magick marker and wrote the following:

Dedicated to the memory of Ken Kesey and RPM....

Paying A Debt To Society

The Combine
whistles down the hallway,
Jingling its keys,
Unlocking doors,
And chuckling as it admires the misery it imposes.

At least one may look out the window.
Now the window may have a five inch long brass padlock holding it down but it IS a window
And one may peer out onto the gloomy grounds of the asylum
To watch the cars, trucks, vans, and patients go by.

There goes an old Ranchero with flames painted over the front bumpers;
Now a restored ' 57 Chevy pickup painted cherry red.
Magnolias and long leaf pines-
A small oak and deep green, neatly trimmed boxwoods around the chapel-
Quite a refuge from this white room.

And what joy I feel this morning
Being filled with the knowledge that I won't have to get up tomorrow morning and come
To this miserable place.
But the Combine
Will have to return
Tomorrow morning-
To whistle down the hallway,
Jingling its keys,
Unlocking its doors
And chuckling
As it admires the misery of another daily helping of
Pulverized souls.
best,
roberto