This from the NORCAL mail list Marge Campbell Message: #3 Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 17:53:04 -0800 From: "Laurie Angel" <casadcl@charter.net> To: NORCAL-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <037701c6043e$f9064920$5117d642@langel> Subject: [NORCAL] Ca-Yolo Co. Bios (Campbell) Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thank you so much for this bio. I sent it to a friend of mine that lives in Missouri that is doing genealogy research. This was her response as incredible as it is - she knows of this former slave. If you folks think you are having trouble doing genealogy research you ought to be in my friends shoes. The records and names of slaves are extremely difficult to find. Thank you for posting this item. I sent it to her as a long shot, not knowing there was any connection. We have found that my Angle / Angel family (1830's to 1910's in Missouri) was close with another family she is researching that owned others in her family. It's incredible she must check property sales to find what happened to her family. Laurie C. Angel **************************************** Yes Basil Campbell is connected to my line of research.. he was owned by the Stephens family who owned some of my ancestors as well. Thanks for the bio.. I didn't have this one. ********************************************* >----- Original Message ----- From: "Archives" <archives@genrecords.org> >To: <NORCAL-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2005 12:47 PM >Subject: [NORCAL] Ca-Yolo Co. Bios (Campbell) > > >> >>Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....Campbell, Basil 1823 - >>************************************************ >>Copyright. All rights reserved. >>http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm >>http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ca/cafiles.htm >>************************************************ >> >>File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: >>Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com December 18, 2005, 3:47 pm >> >>Author: Lewis Publishing Co. >> >>BASIL CAMPBELL was born in Cooper County, Missouri, March 9, 1823, a slave > >>to >>James G. Campbell, whose widow, Mrs. Ellen, is living with her son-in-law, >>Jefferson Maxwell, in this county. When thirteen years old, in September, >>1836, >>he was sold to Joseph Stephens for $700. In 1837, Mr. Stephens died, and >>for >>some four or five succeeding years the slave-boy was put yearly up at >>auction, >>and his services for one year sold to the highest bidder. One of those >>years, he >>was put upon the scales and found to weigh 151 pounds, and taking his >>place upon >>the auction-stand, was bid off at $151 per year by Thomas Adams, a brother > >>of D. >>Q. Adams, of this county. A son of the purchaser, T. H. Adams, is this >>year >>working in Yolo County one thousand acres of land, that he hires from the >>boy >>whose services as a slave his father purchased at one dollar per pound. In > >>about >>1842, the estate of Mr. Stephens was divided among the heirs, and Basil >>had to >>be sold again, as he could not well be divided, and Mrs. Catherine >>Stephens, the >>widow of the deceased, purchased him for $450 (a depreciation in the >>market). In >>October, 1853, he was again sold to J. D. Stephens, now a banker in >>Woodland for >>$1,200 (stock going up), and the following year, Mr. Stephens came to >>California >>and settled on the south side of Cache Creek, bringing with him his twelve >>hundred dollar purchase. Before leaving, an agreement had been entered >>into >>between the parties, to the effect that Basil was to work in California >>ten >>years for Stephens, and have his liberty at the end of that time; one >>hundred >>dollars per year, to be paid annually, was to be given to Basil during >>that >>time, and if, during the ten years, he had money enough to buy his freedom > >>in a >>less time, Mr. Stephens was to name a reasonable price. In 1861 he paid >>$700 for >>the remaining three years of his time, and then was free. During those >>seven >>years, Basil had been investing his money in stock, and was worth in 1861 >>probably $10,000. In 1865, he commenced acquiring real estate, and in >>1879, had >>2,960 acres, worth about twenty dollars per acre on an average, and >>between five >>and ten thousand dollars' worth of live stock. In 1865 he was elected as a >>delegate to attend the State convention of colored people that met at >>Sacramento, being chosen as one of the vice-presidents. In 1873, he was >>again >>elected to the State Colored Convention, and was chosen by that body as a > >>State >>delegate to attend the National Colored Convention at Washington, District > >>of >>Columbia. He was married to Rebecca Dalton, at Sacramento city, August 5, >>1866, >>and has an adopted child-Lenora. Mr. Campbell is living upon the proceeds >>of his >>accumulated wealth. He informed us that he considered himself fortunate in > >>his >>masters in those days of servitude; that he was always kindly treated; and > >>that >>in J. D. Stephens he found a friend rather than a master, who gave him a >>chance >>in the world that few of his race had been favored with. >> >> In conclusion, we would like to ask you, reader, how many white men of >>your >>acquaintance, think you, could be mentioned that would have fulfilled the >>contract of working ten years for freedom, when the law gave it without a >>cent >>as soon as the soil of California was reached, as did this man who had >>been born >>a slave. >> >> >>Additional Comments: >>Extracted from >> >>Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California. >> >>Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific > >>Coast >>from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together >>with >>Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most >>Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of >>Prominent Citizens of To-day. >> >>"A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote >>ancestors will >>never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote >>descendents." - Macauley. >> >>CHICAGO >>THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY >>1891. >> >> >>File at: >>http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/yolo/bios/campbell180bs.txt >> >>This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ >> >>File size: 4.5 Kb >> >> >> >>==== NORCAL Mailing List ==== >>To contact Yvonne Bowers, Listmom, send email to >><NORCAL-admin@rootsweb.com>