John, Charlotte, Hester, Fannie, Anne (all unknown dates)

John, Charlotte, Hester Fannie, Anne, "The Lost Children"

When listing the enslaved people that were given their freedom by Polley, Josephine Golson, in Bailey’s Light: Saga of Britt Bailey and Other Hardy Pioneers, says that “the last five are without any record of their parentage or from whence they came.” I have not been able to identify any of the children at this date.

According to the Slave Schedule for 1860, J. H. Polley had 19 enslaved people and 5 slave houses. J. H. Polley made a legal agreement with James Bailey, Reuben Robinson, Cato Morgan, Burrell Montgomery, Theodore Henderson, and Albert Nious to employ them as servants until December 1865. Those six men and their families were accommodated in five slave cabins. The location of the cabins has not been verified, although an 1856 water color painting by Sarah Ann Hardinge shows the cabins and the cookhouse, which still stands, behind the house.

Their quilt square is entitled “Lost Children”

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This biographical selection is from The Enslaved People of J. H. Polley Plantation, Whitehall, Sutherland Springs, Texas 1836-1865. The collection is the work of independent scholar, Dr. Melinda Creech. Dr. Creech compiled and presents a biographical sketch of each of the enslaved along with a unique historic Texas quilt for each individual since photos of the 28 enslaved are not available. The collection is available to view in person at the Sutherland Springs Historical Museum.