Genealogical Reckoning - Hamil Ancestors

Southern Ancestors

As I looked at my northern ancestors, I had expected to find little very slavery in their history.  Though I was able to find probable abolitionist and ancestorial lines that abandoned the practice early in those lines - I also found both slave owners and family that had probably involved themselves with the practice - even if they did not own slaves themselves. Now it is time to turn to my southern roots where I fully expect to see slave ownership or involvement.

My second great grandfather along my mother's maiden name is unknown...sort of.  I know that my great-grandfather was adopted - but I know nothing of his adoptive father's lineage.  Consequently, I cannot provide any discussion of his family's involvement in the practice of slavery.  I do know the birth mother of my great-grandfather. She was a single mother for both my great-grandfather and his sister. There is no evidence she was married before the birth of either of those children and the fact that her children retained her last name until they were adopted suggests that she was not. She was, Malinda Hamil. I first find her family in Henry, GA.  

Her father, Isaac, was not affluent enough to own slaves and no record of him has been found showing that he did.  In 1860 he had a personal estate of $3.00.  However, all is not well just because he was poor and not a slave owner. His occupation was listed as a Farm Overseer in the 1860 census and by the 1870 census his occupation had changed to a Wheelwright. A farm overseer in Georgia would probably have been ensuring that the slaves continued working to provide income for the landowner. History records some of those overseers as the most brutal of humanity in the time period.

Isaac had also volunteered to serve in 1863 with the 30th Georgia Regiment, Company Unit A for the Confederate Staes of America. His father, Bryant was one of the original settlers of Butts, GA and he was a charter member of the Towaliga Baptist Church. Unfortunately, Bryant also seemed to have had financial difficulties - though the reason for it is unknown.  No slave ownership has been discovered for him, either. 

Bryant inherited sixty acres from the estate of his father-in-law, Joseph Carmichael. Slaves are mentioned in Joseph's Will, but neither Bryant nor his wife came into possession of them. Rather the slaves Joseph left his wife were to be sold upon her death to compensate is daughter, Polly and his son-in-law, Bryant. Joseph had the following slaves at the time of his death: George, Mariah, Tener, David, Caroline, Tenese. 

Joseph's father, Joseph who lived and died in SC, also owned at least two slaves at his death in around 1785. (His death was as a Loyalist Private having served with the British securing Ninety-Six, SC.)  These slaves were not named.  His own father, William, came to the colonies from Scotland in 1762. He died after his son, Joseph. He had a slave named John Tidwell because in his Will of 1798 he states: 

"...if my wife (Sarah) should depart this life before John Tidwell is become of age that he should have his freedom." 

It is an odd line.  If William's wife died before John became of age, he would be a freed minor in South Carolina with little hope of continuing freedom.  He would have to trust the administers of Sarah's estate for the lawful execution of her husband's earlier request. If freed, the probability he would still be re-enslaved was high. If, on the other hand, he became an adult and Sarah was still living, then he was to remain her slave. Clearly, John really had little hope for freedom.

Final Thoughts: I expected to see slave ownership in the southern roots portion of my family. Indeed, my first look, that is what I find. The dichotomy of "charter member of a church" and "enslaver and enforcer of slavery" is hard to wrap my 21st Century mind around. Yet I know that slavery and religion (Christian and otherwise) have always existed. The Apostle Paul, using a bit of psychology, tried to convince a Christian slave owner, Philemon, to free and forgive his runaway slave, Onesimus. But Paul did not demand Onesimus's freedom as Philemon's Christian obligation. Sadly, I can see how humans' tendencies to justify actions forestalled the harder actions needed to fully achieve the nation's declared ideals that "all men" are really "created equal."  Hard actions are always required for higher morals.