Existing comment:
Many Hands, Many Skills
Slaves did far more than work the fields. A plantation like Ellwood was dependent on their varied skills.
The slave community at Ellwood included men and women with many skills. Some, of course, simply worked the fields. But the workforce here also included carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks, and groomsmen. On the inventory of William Jones' estate, compiled after his death, they are all starkly lumped together -- nickname, value, and occasional notes on their disabilities. |