Recently, I happened across the super interesting story of The Kinsey African American Art and History Collection, one of the largest collections of African-American art in the world.
The story of the Kinsey family’s dedication to preserving so much of our history is beautiful and encouraging. There are a number of showings of various portions of The Kinsey African American Art and History Collection in different cities. Right now, there is a major exhibition of the collection going on now at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, CA.
In an amazing effort to bring some of these very important historical items to the view of all, The Kinsey Collection has partnered with Google Arts & Culture for an online exposition.
It was while looking at this beautiful presentation that I saw a poignant letter from 1854, concerning an enslaved young lady by the name of Frances.
My initial quick thought was that AMF was….
Well, well.
Dear-heart Frances had no idea that she was carrying a letter that would seal her fate, an at once cruel and complimenting letter of introduction to persons who ultimately had no interest in her family ties, happiness, or liberty.
Were Dickerson and Hill trustees of Frances’ new “owner,” or were they to hold on to her? Who was this previous holder of Frances, this AMF Crawford?
While there is not a pronoun in front of Crawford’s name to distinguish the AMF, the tone of this letter (to me) reads as intimate, nervous vs. steely—anguished yet resolved.
No, could it be?
Let’s check the records. We’re going to look for an A M F Crawford in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Virginia.
And so it is—-
Age
M F Crawford
56
A M F Crawford
45
E N Crawford
20
E H Crawford
18
M St C Crawford
15
M A Crawford
14
John H Crawford
12
V A Crawford
10
E S Crawford
8
J L S Crawford
2
Let’s keep going.
According to the 1860 U.S. Federal Census, the household of M F Crawford in Albemarle County, Virginia includes a certain A F Craword, listed as female.
Age
M F Crawford
66
A F Crawford
52
J A Crawford
14
Looking further, M F Crawford is Malcolm F. Crawford (b.1794), originally of Maine.
His wife was named A.manda M.elvina F.itzAllen Craven Crawford (1808-1863)—the author of our historic 1854 letter concerning Frances. For background, Amanda was willed a plantation and a number of enslaved souls, via her father’s—John H. Craven—3 August 1841 will.
In the 1850 U.S. Federal Census—Slave Schedules, MF Crawford held a number of enslaved souls.
In the April 1854 letter that she wrote, Amanda mentioned that she was selling Frances (who was a mere days away from her 17th birthday) for the horses she just bought and for the stable that she would need to build.
Just who were the characters of Dickinson and Hill? Who was Frances delivering this awful letter to?
Dickinson & Hill
Richard H. Dickinson was one of the most active slave auctioneers in Richmond in the 1840s through the Civil War. In 1856 his firm reportedly sold $2 million worth of slaves, the commissions from which would have amounted to $50,000. In the 1830s he was a general auctioneer in Richmond and gradually specialized in the enslaved. Dickinson partnered with several other slave traders including brothers Nathaniel and Charles Hill. Dickinson, Hill & Company operated on the north corner of Franklin and Wall Street, where by the mid-1850s they auctioned slaves exclusively. The firm competed with Hector Davis and continued to sell enslaved people as late as 1865.
—-VirginiaMemory.com
What an even more despicable development. Yes, it would have been horrible for Frances to have walked into any environs as chattel, even if it were in the “comfort” of every convenience and luxury. She had just been sold away from her family.
As it was, Frances took this letter to a putrified auction house. The mournful wails of Frances and her family must have pierced the Virginia air for miles and they surely still echo through the ages.
Where did Frances end up, how did she fare? Who were her other family members? What happened to them?
The Genealogy Situation Room will take a closer look and post any updates here.
As it relates to Amanda Melvina FitzAllen (AMF) Crawford, writer of the letter, holder and cunning betrayer of Frances, we have previously discussed here how They Were Her Property…
Frances’ story is just one out of literally millions. Her history proves that we have a situation. We need to find our people.
Again, many thanks to The Kinsey Collection.
The Genealogy Situation Room
The Genealogy Situation Room 
I had read that the Kinsey researchers had found Frances on a post-emancipation census record, however, I can’t find any more information. I am a descendant of Amanda Melvina FitzAllen Craven Crawford and have been trying to track the enslaved ancestors owned by her father John Hough Craven, and then bequeathed to his various children, including Amanda. I believe Frances’ mother was named Abby and I have been trying to figure out if Abby and Frances were ever united.
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Greetings to you and thank you so much for stopping by to share your efforts and connection to this beyond poignant history.
Please continue your efforts as I am confident that you may very well be able to help put together the next chapter.
I would be remiss not to direct you to the person who brought this history to light for me:
Tiya Miles, author of All That She Carried, can be reached through her official Harvard University faculty_page at tiyamiles@fas.harvard.edu or via her personal website’s contact form.
She is the Michael Garvey Professor of History at Harvard University.
LINK: https://history.fas.harvard.edu/people/tiya-miles
Key Contact Information:
• Email: tiyamiles@fas.harvard.edu
• Website: TiyaMiles.com
• Twitter/X: @TiyaMilesTAM
Looking forward to seeing what the journey brings next. Thanks again.
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Barbie:
Thank you for the connections. I will definitely reach out. BTW: your genealogical research is spot on – AMF Crawford is Amanda Melvina FitzAllen Craven Crawford daughter of John Hough Craven and Elizabeth N. Darrell.
When he died, John Craven bequeathed his Meadow Creek estate to his daughter Amanda and several enslaved workers. It was always important to him to keep enslaved family members together – not that this dilutes his participation in enslaving people. He is careful to note in his will: husbands, wives, and children in family groups. But Amanda didn’t seem to care as much. I often think of poor Frances dutifully carrying the message to Richmond not knowing she might never see her family again – and who knows what kind of new position she was sold into?
My other guess is that Amanda didn’t place Frances with any Charlottesville family that she knew because she was either embarrassed or didn’t what Frances to be able to spread any Crawford/Craven gossip inn her local community – but that’s speculation.
John Craven was a tenant farmer of Thomas Jefferson’s when Jefferson left Monticello to became president. He ran the Tufton farm for several years and was a much better farmer and businessman than Jefferson. He went on to buy several estates and business in growing Charlottesville.
When Craven contracted to take over Tufton farm it came with several enslaved workers. Jefferson wrote everything down, and I noted that he particularly excluded members of the Hemings family from working under Craven. Obviously he had other plans for them.
Malcolm Crawford, Amanda’s husband, was a prominent builder/architect and designed some of the buildings that were originally part of Jefferson’s work at what is now Univ. of Virginia. There is a lot of overlap with enslaved people building/working at the nascent UVA.
I spent Covid lockdown researching Amanda’s mother Elizabeth N. Darrell. The Darrells were also prominent. Her uncle Augustus Darrell was Geo. Washington’s hunting buddy and her grandfather sold Washington land that is now part of the Mount Vernon estate.
I use Ancestry – My tree is public – and I’ve been using an expanded version of Crista Cowan’s method to add enslaved people to trees using web links. I use a Fact Type called “ETE – Enslaved Transfer Event” in every profile of every person involved and link documentation to the fact. I link enslaved ancestors and slave holders in both directions with the web links.
I’m a retired database consultant and it really irked me that enslaved people were listed in documents such as wills, in groups, without their own profile records. I knew that this meant they would be much harder to find for descendants and other researchers so I started using the method I described above. I created a further expanded version of this method for the WikiTree Black History Project.
Sorry to natter on. That’s what happens when you’re retired and genealogy obsessed.
Thank you, again, for your help. I will absolutely let you know if I find out anything new about Frances.
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Babs;
Absolutely, you are welcome. Your family history is replete with associations to the very architects of our nation and yet, the solemn mystery of a young girl in bondage is so compelling to so many.
You share a most intriguing (even if speculative) possibility about the reasoning/inclination behind Amanda’s decision for Frances. I could certainly imagine both scenarios being a motivation.
Your genealogy enthusiasm and concerted efforts to share are excellent. Thank you.
Please keep the efforts going, I look forward to seeing your update as I expect you will find more information about Frances.
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