Because my great-great-great-grandparents were enslaved they were not allowed to be legally married until after emancipation when James was 69 and Elizabeth 59. This copy of their certificate shows that James was 69 and Elizabeth 10 years younger in 1864.  For the previous forty years they had lived together but legally recognized only as someone’s property.  This is all that I know about James.  Elizabeth lived out her life living with one of her sons near Nashville. 

This certificate also shows that my family has been in this country from its earliest days; struggling to survive. No stories, written or oral, about James or Elizabeth have been passed down in my family. I can only imagine how they had to live to survive and their search for human dignity and respect.

– Maurice D Parrish

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more