Mississippi-In-Africa: Prospect Hill Plantation (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

you you [Music] this is Captain Isaac Ross a Revolutionary War veteran from South Carolina and a wealthy cotton planter in 1808 captain Ross along with his wife Jane Braun Ross and his brother Thomas and over 100 slaves and several free men of color that had been given their freedom for fighting alongside Captain Ross during the Revolutionary War all moved to Jefferson County Mississippi approximately 40 miles south of Vicksburg and purchase thousands of acres of land and built what is called Prospect Hill plantation the plantation progressed acquiring more cotton acreage and more slaves making captain Ross extremely wealthy there were several plantations and wealthy planters in the area but none lack eyes across a Prospect Hill Captain Ross seeker Lee allowed his slaves to learn to read and write which was unlawful in the state of Mississippi they were also taught skills and trades he encouraged his slaves to marry and often held ceremonies in his own mansion and even furnish gifts to the bride and bridegroom he treated his slaves canned and believed that his wealth was derived through his slaves the rouses had three daughters Jane Martha and Margaret and two sons Isaac and author they lost daughter Martha on June 30th 18 and 18 at the age of 25 Captain Ross's wife Jane passed away in 1829 at the age of 66 and after his wife's death in 1830 he co-founded the Mississippi Colonization Society a branch of the American Colonization Society they had purchased land in western Africa in what is now the country of Liberia the idea was created by a Balu they wanted to repatriate slaves back to Africa in 1832 his son Isaac Rolf's jr. died at the age of 31 and two years after Isaac Ross's death in August of 1834 27 years before the beginning of the Civil War captain Ross wrote his last will and testament he become concerned about how his slaves might be treated if something happened to him he had just lost his second son author that same year at the age of 34 with only two daughters left Jane and Margaret Margaret second husband Thomas Reid became the US senator from Mississippi captain Ross stated in his will that it was his desire to free his slaves and pay their expenses back to Africa although most were born here they had no idea about this strange new land the Prospect Hill Plantation was to be sold and money used by his former slaves to colonize the land on the African west coast later to become Liberia families were not to be broken up and those who wish not to go would stay in remain slaves as it was unlawful to free slaves in the state of Mississippi this was to be executed only after his daughter Margaret's dead captain Ross appointed his grandson the son of daughter Jane Isaac Ross Wade as the executor of his will less than two years after right in his will captain Ross passed away on January the 9th change 1836 at the age of 76 Isaac rouse will be placed in a family cemetery not far from the house and in 1838 the Mississippi Colonization Society placed this memorial tower over the graves at captain Ross his wife Jane and their daughter Martha their son Isaac Ross jr. will be close to his dead the same year the monument was erected in 1838 captain roses daughter Margaret Alison Ross passed away at the age of 51 the rouse slaves were aware of the provisions of captain Ross's will and were expecting to be freed and transported with provisions to Africa however captain Ross's grandson Isaac Ross Wade whom he had named as executor was now contesting the legitimacy of the wheel while the case was being litigated through the court the slaves were considered to be free men but were supposed to continue living and working on the plantation they were also supposed to be paid for their labor but they never were in April of 1845 some nine years at the death of Captain Ross his grandson Isaac Ross Wade had managed to keep the contested will in the courts the slaves had lost confidence that they would ever be freed even though the Mississippi Colonization Society had furnished legal support for the Ross slaves it was rumored that a preacher from the Society had suggested that if they could somehow get rid of Isaac Ross weight they'd be freed a small group of slaves begin plotting the death of the Ross family it was rumored that they convinced the cook to poison their food and coffee knowing that if the family were all found dead everyone would suspect foul play so it was decided that after their deaths the mansion was to be set a farm during the night thinking everyone would be burned up however if they were poisoned the poison didn't work and the family woke up and rushed out of the house several family members were injured but one six-year-old girl martha richardson the great-granddaughter of captain Isaac Ross and the granddaughter of Jane Braun Ross captain Ross's daughter died in the fire the local authorities formed a posse and soon learned of the plot with information furnished by other slaves they captured 11 conspirators brought him back to the plantation where all eleven were lynched in the backyard on one of the white oak trees only a few months later that same year the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in favor of captain Ross's will and within a few weeks out of the hundred and sixty registered slaves from the Ross plantation 123 chose to be free and migrate to Africa the coalition society arranged for others to also join the group a total of 300 free egg slaves left Prospect Hill for Natchez then by boat to New Orleans and then by ship to the west coast of Africa the land that had been purchased by the Mississippi Colonization Society soon to be called Mississippi in Africa the first year several died from diseases and lack of food and supplies the car responded with the rose family request in three years of wages owed them they were notified that they had been charged rent and food and they actually owed money to the Ross family the only correspondence and help from Prospect Hill was Katherine Wade wife of Isaac Ross wait but when she passed away in 1865 all contact whether African settlers ceased the prospect here free slaves were able to read and write and most had skills thanks to eyes across this gave the American freemen colony advantage over the backward local population soon they ex American slaves were built in plantation homes similar to their cotton plantations that they had left after all they are the ones who built them to start with slavery was still practiced and after at that time and soon some of the ax slaves were buying slaves of their own they soon became the ruling class several became owners of their own plantations and over a period of years form the country of Liberia the descendants of X American slaves in Liberia still hold feelings in close connection to Mississippi in the United States after the RAAF's free slaves left for Africa Prospect Hill was sold in 1848 to adhere to Captain Ross's will however the African colony never received any benefits as the will has stated somehow in the early 1850s Isaac rouse Wade was able to reacquire their property of Prospect Hill in 1854 several years before the Civil War Isaac Wade rebuilt Prospect Hill plan tension in the exact location that's this building here the plantation homes survived the Civil War and Isaac Wade will continue to live until January the 10th 1891 you'll be buried close to his wife Katherine and other family members his gravestone was placed in the opposite direction of all the others we can only guess why after the death of Isaac Ross wait his brother BH Wade moved into Prospect Hill descendants will occupy the house until 1956 and others were occupied until 1968 when it becomes unlivable through neglect in 2011 the Archaeological Conservancy both the house with intentions of using donations to restore it as much as possible several descendants of Captain Ross wage slaves as visited the old plantation not knowing exactly how they might feel but after sharing stories handed down from their ancestors about the kindness of captain eyes across it has caused them to feel connected and close to the historic plantation called Prospect Hill [Music] you you [Music]

Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 217,272

Keywords: Prospect Hill Plantation, Mississippi in Africa, Captain Isaac Ross

Id: 2RyJoldHep0

Length: 12min 0sec (720 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 14 2019