Cynthia wrote:
> This is really interesting to me. My grandfather Ogilvie always told me his
> grandparents came to this country as indentured servants or sharecroppers,
> and then he'd snort and say, "which meant SLAVERY!" The deal,as he told it,
> was that eventually you could purchase yourself, unlike the African slaves.
I know nuttin' 'bout birlin, but this I know! Indentured servants served
a specified time, during which, yes, they were treated as property that
could be bought, sold, willed, or claimed for debt. At the end of that
time, if they were still alive, they were freed and usually received a
plot of land -- unsurveyed, unturned, and sometimes difficult land, but
land. Their living conditions, survival rates, and later fates varied
enormously depending on where and when they arrived here, who bought
them (they were generally auctioned on arrival), and whether they
decided to stay or go home once freed. Some of the servants were
prisoners of war, some were debtors, and some signed up voluntarily when
things were bad at home. They came from all parts of Britain, though
obviously different people came at different times.
I know a lot about this in in 17th century, as I'm descended from
several Scots prisoners who were transported to Maryland, via Barbados,
after Cromwell invaded Scotland. (The two I know most about were from
Perthshire and Aberdeenshire.) About half of them died in their first
few months, from malaria and other diseases. Of that generation, the
ones who survived indenture did quite well for themselves afterwards --
some (including mine) got prosperous enough to oppress other people,
like other indentured people, Indians, and African slaves. Life's a
mess, eh?
Sorry I don't know much about it in the mid-18th century, if that's when
your folks came over or were sent. In my part of the world it was dying
out by then--chattel slavery was far more profitable.
Susan
>
> I never have given this much thought...in fact, your brief e-mail here just
> brought it back to me, I'd have to say this hasn't been in my thoughts for
> years. I wish the old man was still alive, I'd go back and ask him a ton of
> questions. Maybe this is why my father, in his geneological research, cannot
> find a single word on my grandfather's ancestors.
>
> All we know is what we remember my grandfather telling us. He always swore he
> descended directly from the Ogilvies that fought at Culloden. I'm going to
> have to call my dad and remind him of the "sharecropper" thing.
>
> Anyone know any more about this? Is it just coincidence? Any sources?
>
> --Cynthia Cathcart
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