I came from a long line of farmers,1st in England,later in New England. My family never had a a lot of money,so they got passage by agreeing to be indentured servants. Later on when some of the men returned from war,they took the money & bought their own farm. One of the women in the family became widowed so the brother in laws would go to slave auctions. They would seek out only those who already spoke English (meaning they had lived as a slave for some time), ask the men to volunteer for a deal. The deal was simple and considered fair for the time.In exchange for the family “buying “ them their freedom, the former slave would work 1 of our short summer growing seasons here in Maine to repay the expense . If they wanted to stay on after that the widow would keep them on as a paid farm hand. In the town archives I found an old interview with the Col.’s widow, they asked her why she bought slaves & quickly gave them their freedom. She stated that she disgusted by slavery and didn’t think people ought to own other humans.She said with 8 kids under 10 she couldn’t run the farm by herself & former slaves were the hardest working people she ever met. During that 1st summer, she fed them,gave them clothing,a roof over their head.There was no physical punishment and she strongly encouraged them to come in for some of her reading & writing class that she taught her own kids and basic math too(she told them that other people would cheat them when they moved on if they didn’t have those basic skills.She had been a teacher before marrying & having kids so education was important to her. I’ve had people say that she was just as guilty as the big plantation owners,but what she did benefited her but also the former slaves & had any of them said they didn’t want to go North they wouldn’t have been forced. In fact 1 year they were seeking 1 man & when it was discovered that he was there with a wife and 3 kids & they were planning to separate all of them at auction,my family paid for all of them, The widow’s rules were simple,the wife stayed in the house with her kids during the day, she helped with the cooking and cleaning & she was a assisted during school time. The freed kids were expected to attend class with the widows kids,she said, how are your kids supposed to function in the real world without a basic education.The family agreed & stayed an extra year because life was good on our farm. The kids left with not less than a 3rd grade education (the youngest) & the oldest graduated 8 th grade(that was an achievement back then. My point is, that while I find the sin of slavery terrible, I want people to understand that there was kind people who only wanted to do right by them. It’s just that they were too few & far between to save the bulk of the victims. I am glad people still tell the stories of long ago so that hopefully we never repeat the original sin.
Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye and Zephaniah Kingsley are my ancestors. Thanks for sharing your perspective and experience at Kingsley Plantation with you audience.
When I was a young man I and many of my friends use to go there and party have fun have a fire in the first slave quarter coming in it wasn't always a cotton plantation it was a grape farm to I have some of the old grape boxes I found in the loft of the old barn
Thank you for this interesting presentation on the Kingsley Plantation. We drove the two-mile dirt road, which was beautiful. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic the plantation was closed, so we were very happy to get some history on the area through your channel. Thank you!
Thanks for your presentation about the Kingsley Plantation. I grew up in Orange Park, a half a mile or so from Kingsley Avenue, named after Mr. Kingsley. I'm not sure where in current Orange Park his plantation would have been, but having been away from the area for half a century the topic is interesting to me.
Just curious where on Kingsley , the plantation would have been? I rent An office on Kingsley and pay my rent check to a man with the last name Kingsley ...so could you advise the location?
I came from a long line of farmers,1st in England,later in New England.
My family never had a a lot of money,so they got passage by agreeing to be indentured servants.
Later on when some of the men returned from war,they took the money & bought their own farm.
One of the women in the family became widowed so the brother in laws would go to slave auctions. They would seek out only those who already spoke English (meaning they had lived as a slave for some time), ask the men to volunteer for a deal. The deal was simple and considered fair for the time.In exchange for the family “buying “ them their freedom, the former slave would work 1 of our short summer growing seasons here in Maine to repay the expense . If they wanted to stay on after that the widow would keep them on as a paid farm hand.
In the town archives I found an old interview with the Col.’s widow, they asked her why she bought slaves & quickly gave them their freedom. She stated that she disgusted by slavery and didn’t think people ought to own other humans.She said with 8 kids under 10 she couldn’t run the farm by herself & former slaves were the hardest working people she ever met.
During that 1st summer, she fed them,gave them clothing,a roof over their head.There was no physical punishment and she strongly encouraged them to come in for some of her reading & writing class that she taught her own kids and basic math too(she told them that other people would cheat them when they moved on if they didn’t have those basic skills.She had been a teacher before marrying & having kids so education was important to her.
I’ve had people say that she was just as guilty as the big plantation owners,but what she did benefited her but also the former slaves & had any of them said they didn’t want to go North they wouldn’t have been forced.
In fact 1 year they were seeking 1 man & when it was discovered that he was there with a wife and 3 kids & they were planning to separate all of them at auction,my family paid for all of them,
The widow’s rules were simple,the wife stayed in the house with her kids during the day, she helped with the cooking and cleaning & she was a assisted during school time. The freed kids were expected to attend class with the widows kids,she said, how are your kids supposed to function in the real world without a basic education.The family agreed & stayed an extra year because life was good on our farm.
The kids left with not less than a 3rd grade education (the youngest) & the oldest graduated 8 th grade(that was an achievement back then.
My point is, that while I find the sin of slavery terrible, I want people to understand that there was kind people who only wanted to do right by them. It’s just that they were too few & far between to save the bulk of the victims.
I am glad people still tell the stories of long ago so that hopefully we never repeat the original sin.
Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye and Zephaniah Kingsley are my ancestors. Thanks for sharing your perspective and experience at Kingsley Plantation with you audience.
When I was a young man I and many of my friends use to go there and party have fun have a fire in the first slave quarter coming in it wasn't always a cotton plantation it was a grape farm to I have some of the old grape boxes I found in the loft of the old barn
Very interesting thank you
Thank you for the information. I look forward to visiting the plantation.
Thank you for this interesting presentation on the Kingsley Plantation. We drove the two-mile dirt road, which was beautiful. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic the plantation was closed, so we were very happy to get some history on the area through your channel. Thank you!
Thanks!
That is severally messed up being enslaved.
Thanks for your presentation about the Kingsley Plantation. I grew up in Orange Park, a half a mile or so from Kingsley Avenue, named after Mr. Kingsley. I'm not sure where in current Orange Park his plantation would have been, but having been away from the area for half a century the topic is interesting to me.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think it’s Clark Park
Such a DANGEROUS drive, I almost had 2 accidents to the place, there needs to be a wide enough driveway.
I would love to travel with you as you are a wealth of knowledge. I enjoyed this very much. Thank you.
Thanks, I'm glad to hear it!
Just curious where on Kingsley , the plantation would have been? I rent
An office on Kingsley and pay my rent check to a man with the last name Kingsley ...so could you advise the location?
This was to the north-in what is now northeastern Duval County on Fort George Island
Thanks..very good presentation!
george love your channel on here
Thanks :)
i can probably help u alot on the street side of Jacksonville