Publisher Description

In 1860, Somerset Place was one of the most successful plantations in North Carolina—and its owner one of the largest slaveholders in the state. More than 300 slaves worked the plantation's fields at the height of its prosperity; but nearly 125 years later, the only remembrance of their lives at Somerset, now a state historic site, was a lonely wooden sign marked "Site of Slave Quarters."

"Somerset Homecoming," first published in 1989, is the story of one woman's unflagging efforts to recover the history of her ancestors, slaves who had lived and worked at Somerset Place. Traveling down winding southern roads, through county courthouses and state archives, and onto the front porches of people willing to share tales handed down through generations, Dorothy Spruill Redford spent ten years tracing the lives of Somerset's slaves and their descendants. Her endeavors culminated in the joyous, nationally publicized homecoming she organized that brought together more than 2,000 descendants of the plantation's slaves and owners and marked the beginning of a campaign to turn Somerset Place into a remarkable resource for learning about the history of both African Americans and whites in the region.

Flap

Chronicles the author's ten-year quest to trace the history of her enslaved ancestors and her successful efforts to reunite more than 2,000 of their descendants at Somerset Place, the original plantation, now a historic site in North Carolina.

Author Biography

Redford is now executive director of North Carolina's Somerset Place State Historic Site in Creswell, the antebellum plantation on which four generations of her enslaved ancestors lived.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Beginnings "Over de River" The Road Home The Arrival Voices from the Past Connecting Somerset Homecoming Epilogue Sources

Review

[Redford] tells the story--and it is a fascinating one--with charm and good humor."The Atlantic" "There are moments of drama, high humor and sorrow in Redford's odyssey."Publishers Weekly"" "The moving story of how one black woman, inspired by Alex Haley's "Roots," discovered her family's heritage."New York Times Book Review"" "It makes fascinating reading, thanks not only to the engrossing subject but also to a finely tuned, appealing style."Southern Living"" "Dorothy's study is the best, most beautifully researched, and most thoroughly presented black family history that I know of.Alex Haley" There are moments of drama, high humor and sorrow in Redford's odyssey."Publishers Weekly" It makes fascinating reading, thanks not only to the engrossing subject but also to a finely tuned, appealing style."Southern Living" Dorothy's study is the best, most beautifully researched, and most thoroughly presented black family history that I know of.Alex Haley YRedford tells the story--and it is a fascinating one--with charm and good humor."The Atlantic" [Redford] tells the story-and it is a fascinating one-with charm and good humor."The Atlantic" The moving story of how one black woman, inspired by Alex Haley's "Roots", discovered her family's heritage."New York Times Book Review"

Long Description

In 1860, Somerset Place was one of the most successful plantations in North Carolina--and its owner one of the largest slaveholders in the state. More than 300 slaves worked the plantation's fields at the height of its prosperity; but nearly 125 years later, the only remembrance of their lives at Somerset, now a state historic site, was a lonely wooden sign marked "Site of Slave Quarters."Somerset Homecoming, first published in 1989, is the story of one woman's unflagging efforts to recover the history of her ancestors, slaves who had lived and worked at Somerset Place. Traveling down winding southern roads, through county courthouses and state archives, and onto the front porches of people willing to share tales handed down through generations, Dorothy Spruill Redford spent ten years tracing the lives of Somerset's slaves and their descendants. Her endeavors culminated in the joyous, nationally publicized homecoming she organized that brought together more than 2,000 descendants of the plantation's slaves and owners and marked the beginning of a campaign to turn Somerset Place into a remarkable resource for learning about the history of both African Americans and whites in the region.

Review Quote

There are moments of drama, high humor and sorrow in Redford's odyssey.Publishers Weekly

Promotional "Headline"

"This is a compelling book, made notable by the author's intensely personal struggle to confront the past that was, for much of her life, something that she once felt 'no longer mattered'. . . . A fine book that serves as a reminder of how important it is to reach for your heritage."-- Our State

Details