Virginia family recently bought a house and discovered the history of their enslaved ancestors

GRETNA, Virginia – As you drive along Riceville Road, it’s hard to miss the big gothic-style house in this small town.

But the descendants of the slaves who lived and worked on the Sharswood Plantation have found a deep history behind the walls that are 200 years old.

The owner of Sharswood, Fredrick Miller, said, “We have a very big family.” “I just wanted to be able to get them all together to celebrate on special occasions.”

In the year 2021, Fredrick Miller was looking for a house where he could have family gatherings. Karen Dixon-Rexroth, his sister, talked him into buying the house just up the road from where their mother lived.

“We probably walked by the house several times a day. So, just think about how many millions of times we’ve passed this property and never really wondered what it was. Dixon-Rexroth said, “We just knew it was a big old house.”

They didn’t know it yet, but soon they would have the key to the big old house that would let them into the past of their enslaved Miller ancestors.

“I said, ‘oh, my God. Do you realize what you’ve done?’ said Fred Miller’s cousin, Dexter Miller. “I knew about the house’s history, but I didn’t have any facts.”

Miller and Dixon-Rexroth, who are cousins, looked for these facts right away and then got in touch with local historian Karice Luck-Brimmer.

Luck-Brimmer said, “When I started doing this research for them, I had no idea that it would lead them there.”

Luck-Brimmer started her research at the Pittsylvania County Courthouse, where she found a work contract signed by slave owner and home owner Nathanial Crenshaw-Miller in August 1866.

“They were with the slave owners after they were freed. Most of the time, people who had been slaves just couldn’t move on. You have always lived here. A lot of people had never been outside of the plantation or anywhere else. So the question is, “How will I feed my family?” Many chose to stay and work as sharecroppers. That’s where the contract between Nathaniel Crenshaw-Miller and at least ten of the slaves he bought is.

David and Violet Miller, who were their great, great grandparents, were two of the 10 slaves. On the same land he now owned, he was a slave and got married.

“Words can’t describe how I felt when I found out that my ancestors worked on this plantation and I walked on the same ground that they did. Tears started to fall. You feel like you’re home at last,” added Miller.

The slaves made everything, right down to the nails. At one time, there were at least 58 on the 2,500-acre plantation.

“This big house with its front to the road is very nice. But when we go right behind there, where the poor people live and work, it’s a whole different world. I want people to see that and know that slavery was a real thing. It had different effects on different people. “I also think that the effects of slavery are still around today,” Miller said.

The Millers want to fix up the slave quarters on their property, which is where their ancestors ate, slept, and cooked for their slaves.

“It is still there. I’m proud to know that my ancestors worked hard to build that, even though it happened during slavery, when people were often mistreated or ignored. “I know they were strong people, and because of that, the building is still standing,” Dixon-Rexroth said.

Even though they haven’t been cared for in years, the tombstones in the slave cemetery that don’t have names still stand strong.

The Millers found the gravesite because the ground was covered with periwinkle and all of the headstones pointed east, toward Africa.

“Everyone should be laid to rest with at least a little bit of respect. The way things are now, I think that if you had a dead animal, you would probably put it to rest in a more dignified way, which shouldn’t be the case. So, I want to do everything I can to change that,” Miller said.

On June 18, they will have their second annual Juneteenth party on the property.

Anyone who wants to learn about Sharswood’s history can now go to the big old house on Riceville Road.

“It’s important to me because I know I can use it in a different way. I want it to be a place where anyone can go and feel welcome. I don’t want it to be a place where you drive up and think, “I just can’t go there.” You can visit. You can visit Sharswood,” Miller said.