"I Traced Back to David Nelms (1806 - ) from Anson County, North Carolina," Robin R. Foster
Within the will of Presley Nelms Jr. who died in 1841, I learned that he had enslaved David (1806 - ), Lucy (1805 - ), his wife, Charlotte (1826 - ), his daughter, along with at least three other children. I wrote extensively about David, Lucy, and what children I knew at the time in "My Best Genealogy Tips: Finding Formerly Enslaved Ancestors." David and Lucy are Ora Nelms Foster's great grandparents.
I discovered that Presley's sons had not followed his will. They did not set the family free. David Nelms is my third grandfather. Lucy is my third grandmother. That family was torn apart. They had a son, Buck Nelms (1830 - ). He was taken from Anson County, North Carolina to DeSoto County, Mississippi with Presley's sons. Buck's father, David, escaped and changed his name to William Smith.
David found his way to Michigan. I am trying to tell if he ever saw Lucy again. She showed up living near Buck in 1880.
One thing I feel will assist me is HistoryLines.com. I integrated familysearch.org and HistoryLines.com. It does an expansive timeline that I am working with to find clues. I can add the answers as I go along. I can add so many more things to the timeline. This is what was already there for me: (Please excuse the fact that it is broken up. I was supposed to be able to embed it on the website. I have emailed the company).
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