Enslaved Individuals: Martha

Martha


Documented History

Martha was a resident of Page County, Virginia, in 1857; she is named as one of ten enslaved individuals in paperwork related to the probate of Benjamin Sedwick’s estate in July of that year. When the estate was settled, she went to the household of Sedwick’s son-in-law Harrison Stricker.


Speculations

Martha is described as a woman in the records of Benjamin Sedwick’s estate, suggesting that she was born before 1845.


Connections

Alexander, Charles, Charles Daniel, Daniel, Emily Jane, Isaac, Jacob, Jane, and Suey Frances were enslaved along with Martha in Benjamin Sedwick’s household at the time of Sedwick’s death in 1857. Daniel and Martha were allocated to Harrison Strickler in the settlement of Sedwick’s estate.


Sources

Page County, Virginia, Will Book G, Last Will and Testament of Benjamin Sedwick, page 54; digital image, Ancestry.com, “Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983.”

Page County, Virginia, Will Book G, “Inventory and appraisement of the personal property of Benjamin Sedwick decd., of Page County, Virginia July 1st. 1857” page 94; digital image, Ancestry.com, “Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983.”