My great, great, grandfather's journey to an island of freedom in the middle of slavery

by Col Lafayette Jones

"When plantation owner, William Ludwell-Lee, made a provision in his will that his slaves would be set free and allowed to settle on a small subsidy farm that was part of his Green Springs Estate, he set in motion, locally, a trend that had begun in other parts of America. This subsidy farm, known as the Hot Water Tract, signaled the birth of a Free African American Settlement that subsisted within the larger enslaved community for more than 60 years prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, a portion of that small farm is known as Freedom Park, and many of the families in Williamsburg, Virginia, James City County, and some adjoining counties, can trace their heritage to this free black settlement. My great, great, grandfather's journey traces the path of the enslaved and free African Americans from Africa to the institution of slavery and freedom in Williamsburg-James City County"--p. [4] of cover.