kalihawk Elizabeth Key Grinstead was the first woman of #African ancestry in the North American colonies to sue for her #freedom from #slavery and win. She won her freedom, and that of her infant son John Grinstead in the colony of #Virginia based on the fact that her father was an Englishman, and that she was a baptized #Christian. Under English common #law ✍the status of the father determined the status of the child, and other cases had demonstrated that Black Christians could not be held in servitude for life. The court ordered Elizabeth's father's estate to compensate her with corn and clothes for her lost years, and she later married her #lawyer William Grinstead. Theirs was one of the few recorded marriages in the seventeenth century between an Englishman and a free woman of African descent. They had two sons together before William Grinstead died years later. From her 2nd #husband
she and her sons inherited 500 acres of land, helping to secure their future and enabling Elizabeth and her sons to get on in the world...
Among the many descendants of Elizabeth (Key) and William Grinstead is actor #JohnnyDepp. Johnny Depp has often said in interviews "I ain't white" preferring instead to describe himself as something other, like a "mutt" or a mix of things (including #NativeAmerican). While I don't feel the desire to label him, for the purposes of #BlackHistoryMonth I think it's pretty cool to feature him as living proof that #BlackHistory is #AmericanHistory and is a part of us all. Johnny Depp is here largely in part due to the bravery of one Black woman who refused to be enslaved, and an Englishman who loved her and fought for her against all odds. Having had such an exciting #career, it's not surprising to learn Johnny Depp comes from such bold, ambitious ancestors. 
Funny and true.
