From the time Dr. Cabell settled in Nelson County through the first half of the 19th century, the Cabell descendants built homes that reflected their prosperity and positions in the community. The prosperity enjoyed by the Cabell’s on their plantations was in large part due to enslaved persons performing the manual labor associated with running the farm, mills, blacksmiths, boats, and plantation house. By 1780, William Cabell Sr. of Union Hill counted 100 enslaved persons working on his plantation. As the land was divided with each generation and marriage, so was the population of enslaved persons. In 1864, Mayo Cabell of Union Hill counted 31 enslaved persons working on his plantation.
This site provides status of ongoing research by the Cabell Family Society to uncover and publish the names and details of these enslaved persons.
Enslaved of Union Hill
The Union Hill Plantation remained in the Cabell family for 200 years. William Cabell, Sr. built and moved into the original home (Colleton) in 1769. He built Union Hill on the same site in 1778 and relocated to the newer home. The Union Hill Slave Cemetery is located behind the home with an estimated 150 graves. A few markers are still visible. See more about the site here.
William Cabell’s descendants continued to live in the home until the death of his great granddaughter, Lucy Gilmer Cabell in 1939. Diaries of the previous Cabell family owners that were found in the home were donated to the The University of Virginia library, SWEM Library at William & Mary College, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and The Library of Virginia.
Work is underway to transcribe these records and publish the names and activities of the enslaved from Union Hill and neighboring plantations.
In October 2023, Kathy Terlesky provided a presentation at The Cabell Family Society Annual Meeting on progress to date. Watch here on YouTube
More details on the methodology being used for transcription to publication is described in the power point presentation here. The python code used to perform the final data cleaning and preparation steps is available here on GitHub.
