Was Interracial Love Possible in the Days of Slavery? Descendants of One Couple Think SoPosted in Articles, Biography, History, Media Archive, Slavery, United States on 2018-10-21 14:45Z by Steven |
Was Interracial Love Possible in the Days of Slavery? Descendants of One Couple Think So
The New York Times
2018-10-21
 Paula Wright, a seventh-generation descendant of an interracial couple, has documented over 500 images that chronicle her family’s history. Tony Cenicola/The New York Times |
He was buried in a white cemetery. She was buried in a black cemetery. Their marriage was unheard-of at the time.
Both William Ramey and his wife, Kittie Simkins, were born and raised in Edgefield, S.C., or “Bloody Edgefield,” a town known for its grisly murder rate in the antebellum South. Their relationship defied convention, and yet it survived war and bitter family resentment.
Mr. Ramey, born in 1840, came from a prominent white family. Ms. Simkins was born a slave in 1845, most likely on a property called Edgewood owned by Francis Pickens, who would become a Confederate governor.
The love affair could have been lost if not for Paula Wright, a seventh-generation descendant of the couple who inherited vintage photographs documenting eight generations of her family, dating to 1805. Ms. Wright, a New York Times reader, shared her family’s story with Race/Related earlier this year…
Read the entire article here.