From Slavery to Freedom: The Watson-Dent Family History

By Tony A. Hall

This is the history and pictorial version of the Watson and the Dent families of Wilcox County, Georgia

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 31, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257323654

Book preview

From Slavery to Freedom

The Watson-Dent Family History

by Tony A. Hall

Copyright ©2007 by

Tony A. Hall

All Rights Reserved

Permission to reproduce this book in any form must be secured from the Author

Please direct all correspondence to:

Tony A. Hall

101 Royal Palm Court

Albany, GA 31705

Dedication

This book would not have been possible had it not been for two particular people in our family, who have done much to preserve our heritage and our family ties. I thank God that he placed in the heart of peoples such as my Aunt Katherine and my oldest sister Ida Louise who have struggled since 1956 to make sure our family stay in touch with each other, and come together at least every two years so we may forever remain a family. They have not allowed us to forget those who came before us. It has been this type of pressing on that has inspired me to put down on paper this history we all share. It is because of their previously work that I dedicate this book to my Aunt Katherine Barther and my oldest sister Ida Louise Anderson, and of course my mother Mary Watson Hall who made sure we attend those reunions and share our common heritage.

This book is also dedicated to our beloved family members

Who have struggled here in America to make it in spite of the chains in which we were brought, here.

May those chains that seem to bind us, serve only to remind us,

That they drop powerless behind us,

When we praise the Lord!

Special thanks and Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge those people who have helped make this book possible. First I would like to acknowledge my faithful friend Alice Johnson who has given me much encouragement to finish this book. Not only this, she typed all of the original manual scripts and was always giving me good input. I would like to thank Evelyn Sneed Colbert and her daughter Triby who patiently waited for me to get to them the typed manuscript so they could diligently proof read it for accuracy and grammatical errors. I would also like to thank Bummi and Femi Anderson, my nieces for taking the time on such a short notice to type and set the pages in this book.

Aunt Katherine Barther has without a doubt been our unofficial family historian. Without her knowledge and contact this book would not have been possible. Thanks to my oldest sister Ida Louise who has always encouragement me from my birth to this day. I have the fondest memories of her visits to Georgia from Florida. Of Course, My mother Mary Watson Hall who struggled to raise sixteen kids alone after the death of my father Coley Lee Hall. I remember my mother always having a deep caring for every one of her sixteen children, even if I did get the most whipping (smile). I would like to thank all of our family members who have contributed in any way to make this book possible. That would include everyone who is a member of this family. Finally and with the greatest honor I would like to thank God who gives my life meaning and purpose. My heart is filled with gratitude for the things He has done.

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Five of Celia Watson’s Children shown here Not shown here are Will Duncan, James Watson, Johnny Watson, and Janie Watson.

Introduction

This project was set in motion shortly after watching the first airing of the television series, Roots by Alex Haley in 1977. This series ignited in me, as it did in so many others young African American teenagers, a deep desire to search out our African American family history. I remember being a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and rushing to the library and finding a book called, Black Genealogy. Though I had never heard of this book, I remember opening it and reading the first few chapters, and for the first time I realized that I too could actual trace my ancestry back through time. Though the author warned that African Americans face exceptional difficulties in tracing their ancestry, because of the strange institution of slavery, it is still possible to find your African American ancestors. The book also gave hope and a road map as to how these difficulties could be overcome. Because slaves were considered property and not equals as human being, it was often difficult to follow records that did not afford them the right to read or write. However the book did point out that the key to finding one’s African American ancestry would be to follow the records of their slave masters. Owners of slaves did consider slaves highly valuable so these documents were carefully guarded and protected by law which would inadvertently provide hope for the African American who dare to search for their long lost ancestors. I remember shortly after the television series aired, my mother, Aunt Katherine, and Aunt Liz took a trip down to Adel, Georgia to visit my great Aunt Gert (Gertrude). I remember as we were walking through the house when I saw a very distinguished man in a tuxedo