Dunbar-Graham Family Network
According to the will of their enslaver, Molly and her children would receive their freedom upon reaching the age of 31. When one of Milly's daughters and her children were later sold, their freedom at age 31 was a condition of the sale. By the late 1830s, two of Milly's children were still enslaved by Richard Brown's descendants, and they successfully petitioned the court for their freedom.
- Molly - b. abt 17731 - enslaved by Richard Brown, bequeathed to Elizabeth Brown in 1789; to be freed at the age of 31 years
- Milly Dunbar - enslaved by Elizabeth Brown; hired out in Georgetown from abt 1808-1813 - imported to Alexandria County and sold to Frances (Brown) Alexander in 1813; to be freed at age 31 - free by 1840
- Ann Graham - b. 1807 - enslaved by Elizabeth Brown; imported to Alexandria County and sold to Frances (Brown) Alexander in 1813; bequeathed to Frances (Alexander) Swann - free by 1840
- Rachel Graham - b. aft 1807 - imported to Alexandria County and sold to Frances (Brown) Alexander in 1813; bequeathed to Lee Massey Alexander by Frances (Brown) Alexander in 1823 - freed in 1845 by petition against Frances (Alexander) Swann
- Moses Graham - b. December 25, 1813 - enslaved by Frances (Brown) Alexander; passed to Richard B. Alexander as her administrator - petitioned for freedom in 1843; to be freed at age 31
- Jerry - b. September 1, 1814
- Jenny - b. September 1816
- Christy (Dunbar) Brown2 - b. December 1821 - petitioned against Richard B. Alexander in 1842; to be freed at age 31
- Georgiana - freed by petition against Richard B. Alexander's administrator in 1858
- Moses - freed by petition against Richard B. Alexander's administrator in 1858
- Thomas - freed by petition against Richard B. Alexander's administrator in 1858
- Mary - freed by petition against Richard B. Alexander's administrator in 1858
- Simon - b. March 6, 1823
Footnotes
The names and birth dates of Milly's children (except Rachel) are from the Appraisement of Frances Alexander's Estate. Rachel's birth date is approximated in jury instructions which stated that she was born after Elizabeth Brown's 1807/08 removal from Maryland into Alexandria.
1. In the inventory of the estate of Richard Brown taken November 9, 1789, Molly is listed as about 16 years old. Inventory of Rev. Richard Brown, Charles County Maryland Wills 1788-1791, pp 274-280, accessed October 3, 2016 via Probing the Past: Virginia and Maryland Probate Inventories, 1740-1810. [back]
2. In her petition for freedom filed in an Alexandria, Virginia court, Christy's name is given as "Christiana Dunbar." In the petition for freedom filed on behalf of her children, she is identified as "Christy Brown formerly Christy Dunbar." See Christiana Dunbar v. Richard B. Alexander, June 1851 and Georgiana et al. v. Admr. of Richard B. Alexander, May 1858, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, Local Government Records Collection, Arlington County Court Records, Arlington County (Va.) Judgments (Freedom Suits), 1795-1858, Box 2. [back]
