Elizabeth Van Meter

9 Feb 1801 • from her father Robert's will: "Item, I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth my upper place on Patterson's Creek, also four negroes named Jude, Dine, Jo and Jacob which I give to her and her heirs forever. Hardy Co, Virginia, now West Virginia

From http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/2006/genealogy_journey.html

"In 1823, Abraham Vanmeter died, freeing seven members of the Bruce family and leaving five of Joe and Sarah Bruce's children to remain enslaved to his wife Elizabeth Vanmeter until the time of her death. Even more surprising, when Elizabeth Vanmeter died she left her entire estate to the Bruce family -- lock stock and barrel -- all the land, money, buildings, and household items."

"Consequently, some of Dr. Gates ancestors were living as free people, and living securely on their own land and with their own income, long before Emancipation."

Origins

This woman?

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/family/MJVZ-QXZ

Daughter of obert Cunningham
1722–Deceased • K8WS-P8C​​ Marriage: ABT 1747 , Frederick, Virginia

Ann Cunningham 1726–Deceased • 9VLG-B2N

Robert son of Alexander Cunningham and Lydia Bell

References

• https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/6796156/person/-28...

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jul 26 2019, 17:44:57 UTC