Charles Aaron was born about 1850 in Virginia. In the Slave Narratives his place of birth was recorded as Petersburg, VA and in the Alabama Death Records as Ettrick, VA. His parents (Daniel) Aaron & Louisa were enslaved by J H White, the shopkeeper, Petersburg (who did not own a plantation)
At the age of 10, Charles was enslaved by Jason Harris of Jasper County, Mississippi.
He served as bodyguard to John Harris the son of Jason during the civil war. There is a JC Harris, a NONCOM Officer in Company F, 16th Mississippi.
Charles had 4 children, 2 boys who had died by the time of the interview and 2 daughters, Carrie Johnson of Kushla, Alabama & Ella Evans of Mobile, Alabama. He told the interviewer that he had been married 4 times.
I hope you have the time to read Charles Aaron's interview. There is much that he refuses to be drawn on and he deflects some questions in a graceful, practised manner which reminds me of how my own grandmother would answer probing questions.
In 1920, I found an entry in the Census for Charles & Georgia Ayers with grandson Willie Lee Hubbard in Oak Grove, Alabama. Charles is described as having been born in Virginia of Virginian parents and works in the sawmill which matches the information he gave in his interview.
Charles Aaron & Georgia Garner married in 1902 in Mobile, Alabama.
After 25 yrs of marriage, Georgia died in August 1927.
I found Charles, a widower, in the 1930 Census living as the interviewer described on the 'old Davis place'. His entry was near to that of M L Davis, the owner of the Sawmill.
Charles Aaron died on June 16, 1940 and is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, Oak Grove, Mobile, Alabama.
If you have more information about Charles Aaron please comment below.
Sources
Slave Narratives Alabama
www.american-slave.com/slave-narrative-volumes
Jasper Military Roster
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~msjasper/military/roster.html
1902 Marriage to Georgia Garner
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-T133-62?mode=g&i=4&cc=1743384
1920 US Federal Census
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR6Q-ZKK?mode=g&cc=1488411
Death of Georgia Aaron 1927
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDF4-5BK
1930 US Federal Census
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR4V-94W?i=4&cc=1810731
Alabama Deaths 1940
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDB9-ZJS
Find A Grave Memorial# 114274889
Special thanks to Brennan Cooney LeQuire research librarian
Marker for the Slave Market, Mobile, Alabama that Charles Aaron remembered so vividly from when he was auctioned as a boy of 10yrs
RSS Feed