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Excerpts from her manuscript reveal that the maternal ancestral line of the Blackwell Family of Virginia has been traced to the year 1735, and to the ship Doddington. when a slave woman, Amar, and her five-year-old child. Tab (Tabitha), were sold to James Glenn Blackwell in Yorktown.This bondswoman was sold at public auction by Capt. James Copeland, commander of the ship Doddington.Some of Amar s descendants had names like Sonk. Sonka. and Sunk, which are portions of the word Soninke. The Soninke people now live in Bakel, Senega!. Mrs. Dos well is working with a member of the Senegalese Embassy to find the link tying Amar to them and to the Poul, Silla. Sissa and Ashanti Tribes.Amar was a house, servant on the James Blackwell plantation. Her daughter Tab; was brought to the Robert Blackwell plantation in Lunenburg County in 1751.Tabb. ofthe second generation of the Blackwell family, married Jack fOdofo* and they had several children. Legendists say Tab kept her African heritage alive by giving one of her children an African name, for example. Sillar. '-Tabb's husband Jack, came from the African Tribe Ashanti and he took Tab’s last name, Blackwell. He wastthe first known African paternal parent in America and was a plantation, preacher who traveled from house to house, preaching the gospel to both races.The American lineage has been traced to Lucy Black-well, offspring of Jack and Tab. She was bom in 1755 in Lunenburg County on the plantation of her master, Robert Blackwell. The certification of this fact is found in the Blackwell estate inventory of 1787. 'Lucy became a house servant. She married James III, whose mother was Phyllis, and father, James Jr., was a mulatto. It was said that James Jr. was the son of JamesWashington, D.C.From this union two sons were born, Stephen, and Darrell Doswell of the 13th generation of the Blackwell Family of Virginia. .. .The Blackwell family tree was the symbolic legacy of Thelma Short Doswell. She added to this legacy-the family flag, ‘the original Constitution and proposed amendments which were on display at the 24th family reunion Oct. 23, i976 held at the Masonic Temple, 1004 Halifax St. in Petersburg.In addition to those exhibits, other members of the family, Mrs. Julia King and her son, Richard King Jr.. exhibited the family’s Coat-of-Arms. Mrs. Martha S. Dance displayed her book, and Mrs. Thelma W. Black-well had a jewelry display.An autograph party will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. March 5 at Walden Book Store. Walnut Mall, Petersburg, for Mrs. Martha Short Dance. At that timeJVlrs. Dance will be happy to meet and to talk with interested-persons.According to a bulletin, “Historical Reflection of the Blackwell Reunion;” various kinds of “Gather-ins” and-or assemblies of the Blackwell kinfolks have always taken place in one form or another such as: pray-ins for freedom from slavery, funerals, marriages, births, . dinners, corn shuckings, harvesting, hog killings, house .. . and barn raisings and more recently baby showers. house warmings and othebs. ‘The first annual Blackwell Family Reunion was held in March 1952 during the dinner hour in Richmond jn the home of Mrs. Estelle Blackwell. It was held after the burial of her brother, Mai Woodrow Blackwell; At that time Mrs. Blackwell suggested the family gather once a year for a happy occasion. This has been done ever since.The 1976 Blackwell Family Reunion was more than a'‘(lathpr-in “ arrnrriinp fn Mrs HanrP rhairman nf fhr** • i. A Family Line On The 9x12 Foot Blackwell1 Family Tree Is Pointed Out By * ‘ Thelma Doswell, Genealogist And Family Historian- iSpecial Photosilt;***
Newspaper Details
Petersburg Progress Index
Petersburg, Virginia, US
Sun, Feb 13, 1977
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Library O.
DC, USA 25 Jun 2022
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