Conroe resident Waymon Anderson talks about family gatherings growing up, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Conroe. With the help of the Montgomery County History Task Force’s recently created database, which details enslaved families who worked on Montgomery County plantations prior to emancipation in the 1860s, Anderson was able to trace his family line back to slaves at the Greenwood Plantation near Old Danville in north Montgomery County. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which operates the family research site FamilySearch, will adapt this database as a model to use across the country for Black Americans searching for their ancestors.
Montgomery County-based genealogy project helps Black families research enslaved ancestors
Sondra Hernandez, Staff writer
March 20, 2023Updated: March 20, 2023 11:28 a.m.
Jason Fochtman/Staff photo
Growing up in Montgomery County and throughout his adult life, Waymon Anderson often wondered about his ancestors.
He began to research his family line after retiring and discovered he was connected to Robert “Lil Bob” Culpepper and Eliza Culpepper, who were enslaved at the Greenwood Plantation in Danville, a now-vanished community in northern Montgomery County. His maternal great-great-great grandparents were listed in a slave log kept by the owner's son Green M. Wood.
“Some of the things the slave log contained gave me a new-found respect for all my ancestors had to endure,” said Anderson, 63, of Conroe. “Lil Bob and Eliza and some of their children traveled by foot and wagon train from Alabama to New Orleans and then on to Galveston. From Galveston they traveled by foot and wagon train to Danville where they arrived at their new home the Green Wood plantation.”
The Montgomery County History Task Force has recently launched a project that helps Black families trace their family line back to enslaved persons at Montgomery County plantations in the 1850s. Conroe resident, Waymon Anderson, was able to trace his line to Robert “Lil Bob” and Eliza Culpepper who were enslaved at the Greenwood Plantation. The task force now plans to work with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to take the effort nationwide and this will be the national model for searching for enslaved individuals on LDS’ FamilySearch.org website.
Ken Ellis/Staff
A new research project
A new project from The Montgomery County History Taskforce is now trying to help other families link to their ancestors who were enslaved in Montgomery County. “Linking African American Families in Montgomery County, Texas” was presented for the first time March 4 at the TexasConnect@rootstech genealogical conference in Salt Lake City. The database will be the model used nationwide by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its genealogy website, FamilySearch.org, to help other Black families connect to their ancestors.
The project started during the pandemic when task force president Ann Meador was at home researching records to see if there was a database for slaves at each plantation in Montgomery County. She knew it would be an enormous effort and that’s where the network of LDS volunteers came into play. A task force member with ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was able to arrange for help from volunteers across the state.
Volunteers started with the Greenwood Plantation because Green M. Wood kept such detailed notes to report back to his father, Green Wood in Montgomery, Ala. “This was exceptional and very rare that it survived,” Meador said. “He talked about his slaves, named them, what he paid for them, when their children were born, when they died and what of.”
For the project, 30 to 50 LDS volunteers began to trace the family line of the 123 enslaved persons listed at Greenwood Plantation. It is the task force members hope to link the plantation owner to the slaves on the property. The goal for the researchers is to work through family lines from prior to Emancipation to the 1950 Census.
Cindy Cheney, who is on the task force and affiliated with LDS, estimates Montgomery County had roughly 75 plantations prior to emancipation. She said the three largest plantations — which included Greenwood — were in northern Montgomery County centered around the now vanished Danville community. Nothing remains of Greenwood today.
The research paints a picture of the Black community during this time frame and explains how the group of slaves from Greenwood are now linked to Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church and Rest Haven Cemetery in Willis. Cheney said the 1870 Census was previously a brick wall for Black families doing research. This was the first year freed Blacks were counted in the census. “You might find an ancestor, but you don’t know where they were or where they came from because there were no records of births and deaths. It just wasn’t done,” she said. That information was only recorded by the slave owner if it was recorded at all and it was rare for the records to survive through the years.
Searching was especially difficulty as after Emancipation, many of those freed from slavery chose a new last name, Meador said.
Anderson traced his roots through documents and records and the family search site Ancestry.com. He took an Ancestry DNA test and also researched the work of the late genealogist Elsa Vorwerk. On her site he found the Greenwood ledger and read it closely, discovering interesting stories about his ancestors. He was able to trace Robert Culpepper’s origins back to Georgia and Eliza's to Virginia. Culpepper was a driver on the plantation, making deliveries to towns like Galveston, Sour Lake and Huntsville.
Anderson said he often wondered why his great-great-great grandfather didn't just leave on one of his delivery trips. The best he can put together is his wife and children were at the plantation and he was paid for some of the deliveries. He also discovered the slaves at Greenwood did not leave the plantation until late December in 1865. He believes news of Emancipation did not reach them for another six months after word came to Galveston. Culpepper's oldest son, Alexander or Aleck, ran from the plantation in October 1865.
“I do feel like I have closure, but not much,” said Anderson, who retired in 1998 from the U.S. Navy after a 20-year career. "I was able to tell and share Robert 'Lil Bob' and Eliza Culpepper's story, but I have so many other great grands and family that have not been located on my family history tree. It’s like the Census or a death certificate mentions them and then no other notes to be found about them anywhere. It’s like reading a book with missing pages."
He still wonders where the name Culpepper came from and what happened to Robert Culpepper’s brothers and sisters from Georgia. Also, he questions what happened to Aleck after he left the plantation. He has no way of knowing if they changed their names when becoming freed persons and what names they chose. Anderson hopes to compile his research into a book.
“My advice to young people is to ask those questions and talk to the older folks,” he said. "The research continues for me. I’m telling and passing down my family history and I’m glad others in my family are taking an interest also.
What is next?
In the next year or so, the project will have its own “Wiki” page on FamilySearch.org. The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a free, online genealogical guide created and maintained by FamilySearch that contains links to genealogy databases, websites, other resources, research strategies, and genealogical guidance.
The taskforce can be reached at [email protected].
[email protected]
Sondra Hernandez, Staff writer
March 20, 2023Updated: March 20, 2023 11:28 a.m.
Jason Fochtman/Staff photo
Growing up in Montgomery County and throughout his adult life, Waymon Anderson often wondered about his ancestors.
He began to research his family line after retiring and discovered he was connected to Robert “Lil Bob” Culpepper and Eliza Culpepper, who were enslaved at the Greenwood Plantation in Danville, a now-vanished community in northern Montgomery County. His maternal great-great-great grandparents were listed in a slave log kept by the owner's son Green M. Wood.
“Some of the things the slave log contained gave me a new-found respect for all my ancestors had to endure,” said Anderson, 63, of Conroe. “Lil Bob and Eliza and some of their children traveled by foot and wagon train from Alabama to New Orleans and then on to Galveston. From Galveston they traveled by foot and wagon train to Danville where they arrived at their new home the Green Wood plantation.”
The Montgomery County History Task Force has recently launched a project that helps Black families trace their family line back to enslaved persons at Montgomery County plantations in the 1850s. Conroe resident, Waymon Anderson, was able to trace his line to Robert “Lil Bob” and Eliza Culpepper who were enslaved at the Greenwood Plantation. The task force now plans to work with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to take the effort nationwide and this will be the national model for searching for enslaved individuals on LDS’ FamilySearch.org website.
Ken Ellis/Staff
A new research project
A new project from The Montgomery County History Taskforce is now trying to help other families link to their ancestors who were enslaved in Montgomery County. “Linking African American Families in Montgomery County, Texas” was presented for the first time March 4 at the TexasConnect@rootstech genealogical conference in Salt Lake City. The database will be the model used nationwide by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its genealogy website, FamilySearch.org, to help other Black families connect to their ancestors.
The project started during the pandemic when task force president Ann Meador was at home researching records to see if there was a database for slaves at each plantation in Montgomery County. She knew it would be an enormous effort and that’s where the network of LDS volunteers came into play. A task force member with ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was able to arrange for help from volunteers across the state.
Volunteers started with the Greenwood Plantation because Green M. Wood kept such detailed notes to report back to his father, Green Wood in Montgomery, Ala. “This was exceptional and very rare that it survived,” Meador said. “He talked about his slaves, named them, what he paid for them, when their children were born, when they died and what of.”
For the project, 30 to 50 LDS volunteers began to trace the family line of the 123 enslaved persons listed at Greenwood Plantation. It is the task force members hope to link the plantation owner to the slaves on the property. The goal for the researchers is to work through family lines from prior to Emancipation to the 1950 Census.
Cindy Cheney, who is on the task force and affiliated with LDS, estimates Montgomery County had roughly 75 plantations prior to emancipation. She said the three largest plantations — which included Greenwood — were in northern Montgomery County centered around the now vanished Danville community. Nothing remains of Greenwood today.
The research paints a picture of the Black community during this time frame and explains how the group of slaves from Greenwood are now linked to Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church and Rest Haven Cemetery in Willis. Cheney said the 1870 Census was previously a brick wall for Black families doing research. This was the first year freed Blacks were counted in the census. “You might find an ancestor, but you don’t know where they were or where they came from because there were no records of births and deaths. It just wasn’t done,” she said. That information was only recorded by the slave owner if it was recorded at all and it was rare for the records to survive through the years.
Searching was especially difficulty as after Emancipation, many of those freed from slavery chose a new last name, Meador said.
Anderson traced his roots through documents and records and the family search site Ancestry.com. He took an Ancestry DNA test and also researched the work of the late genealogist Elsa Vorwerk. On her site he found the Greenwood ledger and read it closely, discovering interesting stories about his ancestors. He was able to trace Robert Culpepper’s origins back to Georgia and Eliza's to Virginia. Culpepper was a driver on the plantation, making deliveries to towns like Galveston, Sour Lake and Huntsville.
Anderson said he often wondered why his great-great-great grandfather didn't just leave on one of his delivery trips. The best he can put together is his wife and children were at the plantation and he was paid for some of the deliveries. He also discovered the slaves at Greenwood did not leave the plantation until late December in 1865. He believes news of Emancipation did not reach them for another six months after word came to Galveston. Culpepper's oldest son, Alexander or Aleck, ran from the plantation in October 1865.
“I do feel like I have closure, but not much,” said Anderson, who retired in 1998 from the U.S. Navy after a 20-year career. "I was able to tell and share Robert 'Lil Bob' and Eliza Culpepper's story, but I have so many other great grands and family that have not been located on my family history tree. It’s like the Census or a death certificate mentions them and then no other notes to be found about them anywhere. It’s like reading a book with missing pages."
He still wonders where the name Culpepper came from and what happened to Robert Culpepper’s brothers and sisters from Georgia. Also, he questions what happened to Aleck after he left the plantation. He has no way of knowing if they changed their names when becoming freed persons and what names they chose. Anderson hopes to compile his research into a book.
“My advice to young people is to ask those questions and talk to the older folks,” he said. "The research continues for me. I’m telling and passing down my family history and I’m glad others in my family are taking an interest also.
What is next?
In the next year or so, the project will have its own “Wiki” page on FamilySearch.org. The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a free, online genealogical guide created and maintained by FamilySearch that contains links to genealogy databases, websites, other resources, research strategies, and genealogical guidance.
The taskforce can be reached at [email protected].
[email protected]