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Slave Ship
A slave family is taken from Sierra Leone by the slave ship, the Cambridge Sail. -
Arrival in Boston
Several months later, they arrive in Boston. On the journey, the mother and father died, leaving the children, So (10) and Curassa (14.) -
Arrival at Newport, RI
Their remaining family members, a brother and a sister are transferred to another ship since they were not sold in Boston. The slave ship that the brother and sister are now on, the Elizabeth, is taken by pirates in Boston. The pirates drop them off in Newport, RI and sell them. The Narragansett family buys the little sister (So, 11) and the indentured craftsmen buys the brother (Curassa, 14). So lives on/ w/ relatives on the plantation. -
Going to Maine
The freed indentured servants go up to what would later be York, Maine to get the business they were promised. They take the boy with them, now grown up. He lives there with his family when he gets older, his family working for the ex-indentured servants. -
The First Marriage and Children
So (15) has illegitimate twins, Mary and Daya. Cussara (18) marries Secar (17.) -
Whay is born
Cussara and Secar’s child, Whay was born. Second child, Mila born. -
Mila is born
Second child of Cussara and Secar, Mila born. -
Cussara dies
Curassa dies of smallpox. -
So dies
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Osay and Basil are born
Osay and Basil, descendants of Mila, and Eliza, descendent of Whay are born. -
York Boston Tea Party
Osay (19,) Basil (18,) and Eliza (19) join their slave owners to join the imitation of the Boston Tea Party in York, Maine that was caused by the anger towards the British about the Tea Act. -
US Declaration of Independence
The US declares independence from Great Britain. -
Fanny born
Basil’s descendant, Fanny born. -
Fanny marries James
Fanny (15) marries James (16) to the advantage of their owners. -
The War of 1812 Begins
A war with a really uncreative name begins. -
Clover is Born
Alice (17), a descendent of So, gives birth to Clover. The father is Jackson Narragansett, the slave owner. -
Alice and Clover are Sold to the Johnsons.
Jackson Narragansett sells Alice and her child to a family who are going out West because of the land rush caused by the Louisiana Purchase, the Johnsons. They go to modern day Utah. He does this to get rid of the proof of his unfaithfulness to his wife. -
Freedom?
1820 - Maine becomes a free state and Cussara's relatives, Fanny (25), James (26), Chas (6), Mo (5), and Alfred (2) are freed by the Missouri Compromise. -
Fanny is No More
1823 - Fanny dies. -
James' Funeral
1825 - James dies. -
Jobs for All
1831 - Chas (17) and Alfred (13) move to Massachusetts to work at Lowell Mills. Mo (16) takes over the small shipping business that was passed to them by their parents. -
New Family
1835 - Chas (21) married Betty (20) and had Burrell. -
Hello, Newborn
1836 - Chas’s second child, Ellie, is born -
Good bye Chas
1837 - Chas dies from infection. -
New Family
1840 - Alfred (21) and Mo (24) lives with Chas’s children, Burrell (5) and Ellie (4,) and takes care of them. -
Attack of Tuberculosis
1841 - Alfred (22) dies of tuberculosis. -
Death of Mo
1844 - Mo (28) dies. -
A Dark Secret
1849 - Mali (20), a descendent of Clover, is murdered by her psychotic owner, Alphonse Johnson, after telling him that he couldn’t keep her family since the territory was not a designated slave area. He tells the family that she died in a farming accident. -
Fugitive Slave Act
1850 - Utah becomes a territory and is voted a slave state. The Fugitive Slave Act is passed. -
Under the Wing of the Underground Railroad
1852 - A couple years later, her husband and children, Edward (25,) Misha (10,) and Jensen (12,) find out that Alphonse Johnson lied about Mali. They realize that they are also in danger, so they attempt to escape. On the way there, a Northerner recognises Edward from a wanted poster and turns him in because of the Fugitive Slave Act. Misha and Jensen are able to take refuge in a Quaker’s house in Kansas. They join the Underground Railroad from there. -
Escape
1853 - Misha (11) and Jensen (12) escape to Saskatchewan, Canada through North Dakota. -
New Family Member
1855 - Still a slave, Edward (28) has an illegitimate child, Sarah. -
Case Closed
1857 - The verdict of the Dred Scott Case is decided. -
For Your Safety
1858 - The brothers send a letter to their father asking if they can come back home. Edward (31) then goes to talk to Alphonse Johnson’s son, Brett Johnson about the freedom of his sons if they come back. Because of the result of the Dred Scott Case, Brett says no. -
Death in the Family
1859 - Edward (32) dies. -
Emancipation Proclamation
1863 - Emancipation Proclamation is made. Sarah (8) is freed from slavery and given a plot of land from the Johnson’s farm. -
13 Amendment
1864 - The 13th Amendment is passed. Slavery is abolished. The descendents of Burrell and Ellie now know that they are forever safe from slavery. -
Moving Back
1865 - After hearing the news that slavery has been abolished, Jensen (24) and his wife, Joy (20,) and Misha (23) leave Canada. They travel back to where they were slaves in Utah. -
Peaceful Living
Jensen (25,) Joy (21,) and Misha (23) meet Sarah (11) and they live on their inherited plot of land together. -
Freedom
Slavery is no more, forever, and this family’s tale of slavery ends.
“Freedom is never given; it is won.”
- A. Philip Randolph