James Island: Stories from Slave Descendants by Eugene Frazier Sr.

Hello lovely readers!

I quickly started and finished this wonderful book about the history of James Island over the weekend. I'll share a quick backstory of how I came about it. (also, quick note, if the book has an interesting story as to how I bought it, I'll always share! It'll be a mini-travelogue in book review 😇)

BACKGROUND
For my birthday in August 2020, my new boyfriend and I decided to take a trip down to Charleston. This was still in the middle of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and we weren't trying to get on a plane anytime soon. But I needed to go somewhere.

Every year for my birthday, I always travel...primarily to an international destination. Since that wasn't happening as the world was shut down, we decided to go to South Carolina. This was my first time visiting and I was very excited.

It was HOT but my goodness was it beautiful. 

No caption needed.

My last name is pretty unique and I knew it originated from James Island in South Carolina. I also knew that there was a street that had my last name as well, so you know I had to take a picture with it! 

I'm famous!

We ended up actually going to James Island and visiting the McLeod Plantation. 

The land/area on which the plantation stands on first appeared on a 1695 map. It originally belonged to someone named Morgan Morris, who was an absentee owner. The land changed hand several times throughout the 18th century.

When William W. McLeod took control of it in the  1860s, the plantation had 74 slaves, and more than 20 slave cabins.

What I enjoyed about the tour of the plantation was that it was told from the eyes of the enslaved and NOT the owners.

Up until the 1970s, there were still Black families who lived in the cabins. I highly recommend you take a visit to the plantation. It was sad but so informative.

Sitting on the steps of the main house.

So with all of that brief history out the way, after our tour, we went to the gift shop. I got a nice pair of earrings and also picked up the book James Island: Stories from Slave Descendants by Eugene Frazier Sr.

SUMMARY
James Island is roughly seven miles west of Charleston.  Starting in the 18th century, the island became the destination for hundreds of enslaved Africans. Author Eugene Frazier Sr. compiled interviews from firsthand accounts with the descendants of slaves as well as descendants of plantation owners.

MY THOUGHTS
I'm not trying to be biased because my last name is throughout the book and that the author married someone who has my last name, but I found this book very fascinating. It was a quick and easy read but extremely informative without it feeling like you're reading a textbook.

Anyone who has relatives on the island or is just interested in the personal narratives of enslaved people will really enjoy this book. It's very niche, in my opinion because it's so hyper-focused on the families that lived on the many plantations throughout the island but I'm glad I have it on my shelf. And it definitely started me on my genealogy journey!