It is clear to me that the Black residents of southeastern West Virginia were intricately involved in the politics and daily life of the area. One man (who I've previously mentioned) broke the horse that a Confederate General would later ride. One woman (my great aunt) was a domestic servant for the Lieutenant Governor of Confederate Virginia. Another man was the first Black elected official in WV. Still another was co-counsel in the only case (the Shue case) in which a ghost helped to convict a man of murder. The famous entertainer "Bricktop" was from Greenbrier County. The area claims the most famous worker in U.S. history, "John Henry". The esteemed photographer, James Presley Ball registered in Lewisburg as a free person of color in 1847. The disputed child of President Thomas Jefferson (who was the oldest child of Sally Hemings and known as Thomas Corbin Woodson) lived in the area for a while.

I have previously written about Frank W. Page who broke the horse "Traveller". In future posts I will write about the other folks mentioned above.