Black Grove Plantation

OVERVIEW

Location
Northeast corner of Coles County, Illinois which is now in Douglas County, Illinois.

Date Constructed/Founded
1835

Associated Surnames
Matson, Corbin, Peyton

Historical Notes
Black Grove Plantation is thought to be more of a farm than a plantation. General Robert Matson owned a farm in Fulton County, Kentucky on which he had ten slaves in 1850. He brought his slaves from Kentucky to work the land, Black grove, in Illinois. He appointed one of the slaves, Anthony Bryant, as overseer. Jane Bryant, Anthony’s wife, and her four children, had a problem with the house keeper who threaten to sell them.

Associated Slave Workplaces
Matson Farm, Fulton Co., KY

Associated Free Persons
· Robert Matson – owner
· Mary Ann Corbin Matson – wife
· James Matson – father
· Mary Peyton Matson – mother

Associated Enslaved Persons
· Anthony Bryant – also worked as overseer
· Jane Bryant – wife of Anthony Bryant

Research Leads and Plantation Records
Miscellaneous Information
Matson brought slaves from his Kentucky plantation to work in his Oakland farm which he called Black Grove. Matson appointed a free black man Anthony Bryant the overseer of the farm. When it came to Bryant's knowledge that Matson was planning to return Bryant's wife, Jane Bryant, and four children back to Kentucky to sell them, Anthony sought protection for his family from Gideon Ashmore and Dr. Hiram Rutherford. Ashmore and Rutherford were two prominent individuals among about thirty Coles County abolitionists of the time. Following Matson's return to the county, he requested the return of his slaves. But the slaves were later moved to the county jail in Charleston on the orders of the Justice of the Peace, William Gilman and in line with the laws of the state. The county billed Matson the sum of $107.30 for the upkeep of the slaves. Based on a writ of Babes Corpus, Ashmore applied to the Circuit Court for the release of Jane Bryant and her four children. Matson filed a counter suit against Ashmore and Rutherford claiming the sum of $2,500 ($500 for each slave) as damages. Matson further claimed that the slaves were not Illinois residents, and as a result were not entitled to freedom. Ashmore and Rutherford on the other hand responded by arguing that Jane and her children were not Matson's property because the Illinois of 1818 declared slavery illegal in the state. This set the stage for a trial in Charleston in October 1847.

Robert Matson lost his case in court.

The Bryant Family moved to Liberia, Africa.

References
to be posted (extensive)

Users Researching This Workplace
* Edward B Adams

 Create your own free wiki!HelpPublic, Silver wiki Privacy Policy RSS