Genealogy Finds: Child Convict Leasing - My Great Grandfather Was A Victim

[xoxodede]

I was working on my family tree the other day - and came across Convict Record for my Great Grandfather (paternal). My grandfathers daddy.

He was only 13 Years-Old and was convicted of Grand Larceny - which during that time was usually stealing food -- a pig, a bag of potatoes, corn, etc.

a farm animal or any property valued at $10 or more as grand larceny,
Parchman's Plantation​

And usually cause they were extremely hungry - even though they worked and lived on a farm.

Ben Jackson was the 8th child of 2nd Great Grandparents - who were both born in slavery. All of their children were born directly after Emancipation - but they still worked as Sharecroppers for the family who enslaved them and their parents.


Great Grandpa Ben was sentenced to over a year at the age of 13.

He was about 4'9 and weighed around 85lbs.

Sent away from his parents and family to work on another farm, railroad or coal mine for taking something to eat. Food his family should have had - but wasn't allowed to enjoy.

Punishment after Slavery: Southern State Penal Systems, 1865-1890 on JSTOR

 

[saturn7]

Wow.

"Grand Larceny"

Any excuse to get free labor from blacks.

 

[get these nets]

Thanks for sharing this painful bit of your family history. What kind of effect does uncovering this information about direct ancestor have on you? It's one thing to know that these inhumane practices took place, something else to see evidence that it happened to your relatives.

 

[xoxodede]

Thanks for sharing this painful bit of your family history. What kind of effect does uncovering this information about direct ancestor have on you? It's one thing to know that these inhumane practices took place, something else to see evidence that it happened to your relatives.

Sadly, I don't know.

It made me both angry and sad at the same time. It really bothered me - that he was a child and he was taken away from his parents for a full year. I can only imagine how it affected his mom and siblings.

I told my mom about it - and she told me about her relative being chased down by the police -- and they were going to kill him for back then for stealing a bag a potatoes. So, this was normal. Black people were hungry and working day in and day out on farms. And still didn't have enough to eat.

It all reminded me of this video where the woman started crying around 3:05 - this was both of my parents childhood experience:

 

[Budda]

Untold woes America has to answer for

 

[xoxodede]

Untold woes America has to answer for

Covict Leasing was so messed up. They would just take people children. They would throw children in jail just so they could work for free.

Plantations that became prisons.

Prison Plantations.

One of the most known: