Page 72
“…perhaps, with permission…”
Narratives of Lou Fergusson and Simon Phillips.
Library of Congress. (2018). Slave narratives: A folk history of slavery in the U.S., Arkansas Narratives, Vol. 2, p. 280; Alabama Narratives, Vol. 1, p. 313.
“There were six births…”
The 1841 Westcott estate inventory, compiled in February of that year, includes six enslaved women with children too young to be valued apart from their mothers. Enslaved children as young as one are listed separately—but not all. At the time of the inventory, there were a high number of infants on the plantation. The Westcott inventory documents are held at the Montgomery County Archives in Montgomery, Alabama.
“…a man named Judge Bibb…”
The moment of the division of the Westcott slaves is inferred from the Westcott estate documents. The Bibbs are a prominent family in the history of Montgomery—Bibb St. runs through downtown today. The Westcott estate documents are held at the Montgomery County Archives in Montgomery, Alabama.
“These are your masters now…”
The Westcott estate inventory is held at the Montgomery County Archives in Montgomery, Alabama.
“…got married in 1841…”
Harriet Priscilla Westcott went by her middle name.
I’m very grateful to Gerald Thompson, a descendant of the Westcott family, for having made his extensive genealogical materials about the family available to me. Thompson is in possession of a great trove of photos and documents, and has done extensive work to recreate the history of the family.