Oatlands’ Garden and Grounds OPEN daily 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Visitor Center open Friday thru Sunday. Tours at 11am, 12pm, and 2pm.
Mon-Thurs, Tours available by booking online 24 hours prior.
Questions: 703-727-0670

Oatlands will be closed for the season beginning December 28th.
We will be reopening for the season sometime in March of 2024.
Thank you for all of your support throughout the year!
Download Brochure

Oatlands

Historic House and Gardens

Family Stories

Segregated World War I Plaque

Loudoun County to replace segregated World War I plaque on Veterans Day

The World War I memorial plaque in Leesburg, which racially segregated the names of 30 black and white service members, will be replaced with an updated version Thursday on Veterans Day, according to Loudoun County officials.

A descendant of a person previously enslaved at Oatlands is listed on the current World War I memorial plaque on the Loudoun County Courthouse grounds. Valentine B. Johnson’s name is currently listed in the segregated section of the plaque for African American veterans. This will be corrected on Veteran’s Day with the dedication of a new plaque that does not segregate the veteran’s names.

Oatlands honors the service of Valentine B. Johnson and all veterans whose names have been segregated or unrecorded.

Read full article:

https://www.loudountimes.com/news/loudoun-county-to-replace-segregated-world-war-i-plaque-on-veterans-day/article_28fc8596-40c7-11ec-a4da-67b55f9249ec.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR22WRSRJ3LGxhDs-B5OZFpIDEDEZdII55ouldH48EszlOosEAsAneNKmHE

The Johnson Family

Diary of Elizabeth O. Carter

JOHNSON FAMILY MEMBERS

There were numerous families with the last name of Johnson recorded in the census after the Civil War, and it is not known if or how they were connected to Oatlands. In the 1870 census, the first time formerly enslaved people were enumerated by name, Henry Johnson (age 69), Margaret (42) and Charles (17) were living on or near the Oatlands property. 1

HENRY JOHNSON

Henry Johnson’s connection to Alexander (Sandy) Johnson is not known,but the latter man’s family line is believed to be directly linked to Oatlands. A man named Sandy was written about twice in Elizabeth O. Carter’s diary, once in 1866 and again in 1867.2 Considering there was only one African American man named Sandy living in Loudoun County in the 1870 census, the diary reference likely is to Sandy Johnson.

Mt. Olive Church Gleedsville
Mt. Olive Church Gleedsville

SANDY AND LETHIA

On 9 March 1867, Alexander Johnson (approximate age 31) married Lethia Rust (approximate age 20).3 His parents were listed as David and Kitty Johnson, and Sandy was listed as a widower. It is not known who his first wife was. Research has not uncovered information about David and Kitty, but they are presumed to have been enslaved in Loudoun and their sons, Sandy and James, born here.4 If so, the family line of Alexander (Sandy) Johnson can be documented into the early 1800s in Loudoun County. Lethia Rust’s parents were James and Susan Rust (more commonly spelled Russ). The Russ/Rust family is documented in the enslaved community at Oatlands.

Sandy and Lethia (also spelled Elitha) had two children who survived to adulthood: Sandy A. Johnson, born ca. 1870, and George W. Johnson, born 3 July 1872.5 Sadly, Lethia died in 1876 from consumption and left behind her husband and young sons.6 Sandy Johnson Sr. never remarried.

GLEEDSVILLE

By 1881, Sandy Johnson Sr. owned 4 ¼ acres in Gleedsville small, thriving community, named for Jack Gleed, was established around 1880 when several men once enslaved at Oatlands purchased land nearby.7

Sandy and Lethia’s eldest son, Sandy A. Johnson, married Carrie Mason in 1895, and they had at least nine children (one child died prior to 1910):8

  • Herbert L. –born 20 June 1897 (died 11 June 1947)9
  • Lloyd William –born 3 March 1900 (died 28 July 1968)10
  • Carrol W. –born 1902 (died 1979)
  • Lethia M. –born 1905(1903-??)
  • Grace E. –born 1907(1908-??)
  • Julia B. –born 1910(1910-??)
  • Sandy V. –born23 October 1912(died 23 October 1943)11
  • Charles F. –born 1920(1920-??)
  • Elisia –birth and death dates unknown12
Elizabeth Buchanan Valentine
Elizabeth Buchanan Valentine

Sandy V. Johnson was a Corporal in the 22nd Quartermaster Truck Regiment in World War II. He was killed on his birthday, 23 October 1943 and is buried in the Gleedsville Cemetery. Sandy’s younger brother, Charles Floyd Johnson, also served during the War. The youngest son of Sandy and Lethia Johnson, George W., married Nancy Valentine on 11 April 1894.13 Nancy’s family is directly connected to Oatlands via her mother, Elizabeth Buchanan, and her father, Hiram Valentine.

Elizabeth Buchanan Valentine was the daughter of Robert and Mahala (Jackson) Buchanan, and Robert is documented in the enslaved community at Oatlands. Elizabeth’s brother, Martin Van Buren Buchanan, served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War.Family oral history documents Hiram Valentine’s connection to Oatlands.

George Rozier Johnson
George Rozier Johnson

George W. and Nannie (Valentine) Johnson had three children:

  • Valentine B. –born 6 July 1894(died 1918)
  • George Rozier –born 3 May 1896 (died 2 December 1960)
  • Elizabeth –born 22 March 1898 (died 15 July 1998)14

It is not known when George W. and Nannie Johnson died but by the 1910 census, Valentine, George and Elizabeth were living with their grandmother, Elizabeth Valentine, in Gleedsville.15 Valentine B. Johnson served during World War I and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He was killed during the War and is memorialized on the WWI monument on the courthouse lawn. Sadly, he and his cousin, Sandy Johnson, as well as African American men across the country,were honored for their war service on monuments that segregate their names from the white soldiers who served. Despite fighting for their country, the war’s survivors returned home to segregated schools, restaurants, and other barriers that did not recognize them as equal citizens.

Mary Evelyn Johnson

George Rozier Johnson was known as Rozier and lived a quiet life in Loudoun. He was a tenant farmer who married Mary Fannie Young (b. 1900) on 9 March 1922. She died on June 30thof that year, nine days after giving birth to their daughter, Mary Evelyn. Rozier remained a widower until 1943 when he married Mary Alean Howard on March 8th. She was the 26 year-old daughter of Bishop and Edna (Basil) Howard of Howardsville, near Upperville. Rozier and Mary Alean had six children:

  • Barbara Ann Johnson Page (b. 28 March 1937)
  • Gene Rogers Johnson (b. 27 November 1939)
  • George Robert Johnson (12 August 1943-28 July 1982)
  • Edna Harry Lee Johnson (b. 8 November 1948)
  • Charlotte Virginia Johnson Adams (27 May 1950)
  • Rozier Johnson, died shortly after birth

Gene Johnson is the only child still living in Loudoun County. Two siblings live in California and others in the Metro Washington D.C. area.

Mountain Gap Colored School, LCPS

Elizabeth Johnson, the youngest child of George W. and Nannie, was well-known to many people in Loudoun County. She was sent to school in Pennsylvania and Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. and returned to Loudoun County and taught at the Mt. Gap Colored School near Gleedsville and Oatlands. She married Alan Quisenbury in 1921 and moved to Washington, D. C. After her husband died, she and her two young children moved back to Loudoun County where she was very active in the Countywide League and other organizations that fought for equal education and opportunities for African Americans. More can be learned about Elizabeth Johnson Quisenbury here.

  • 1 1870 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Southern District, page 165A. Record viewed on Ancestry.com.
  • 2 Enslaved Community at Oatlands. www.oatlands.org/slavery
  • 3 Virginia Select Marriage Records, 1785-1940. Record viewed on Ancestry.com. The precise dates for Sandy’s and Leitha’s births are not known. Their marriage record listed ages of 31 and 20 respectively. Sandy was recorded in the 1880 census as age 47, which meant his birth year was 1833. Because of imprecise record keeping and the fact that many people did not know when they were born, a birth date range of 1833-1836 is approximated for Sandy Johnson.
  • 4 According to federal census lists and his death record, Alexander (Sandy) Johnson was born between 1833 and 1836. His younger brother, James, was born ca. 1854 (as per 1904 marriage record to Nannie Bowles) or 1855 (1880 federal census).
  • 5 Sandy Johnson’s age calculated from the 1880 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Leesburg Township, page 366A. Record viewed on Ancestry.com. George W. Johnson’s age from LoudounCounty, Virginia, Birth Register 1853-1879, Patricia B. Duncan, Willow Bend Books, Westminster, MD, 2007, page 77. Sandy and Leitha Johnson also had two daughters who died in 1876, prior to their mother. Cellas, age 8, died on 9 April 1876. Her sister, Frances, age 2 years 9 months, died on 19 May 1876. Both death records from Loudoun County Virginia, Death Register 1853-1896, Elizabeth R. Frain and Marty Hiatt, CGRS. Willow Bend Books, Westminster, MD, page 152 and page 153 respectively.
  • 6 Loudoun County, Virginia, Death Register 1853-1896, Elizabeth R. Frain and Marty Hiatt, CGRS. Willow Bend Books, Westminster, MD, page 153.
  • 7 1881 Land Tax Records, Leesburg District. Loudoun County Courthouse, Leesburg, Virginia.
  • 8 The 1910 Federal Census recorded the number of births and living children for a woman. The notation for Carrie Johnson was 7 children born; 6 still living. 1910 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Leesburg District, page 3A. List of children compiled from 1910 and 1920 Federal Census.
  • 9 Findagrave.com. Herbert L. Johnson is buried in Gleedsville Cemetery, Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia.
  • 10 Gravestone in Gleedsville Cemetery, Leesburg, Virginia. Photo by Marc B. Johnson.
  • 11 Findagrave.com. Sandy V. Johnson is buried in Gleedsville Cemetery, Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia.
  • 12 Other birth and death dates from MarcB.Johnson.
  • 13 Virginia Select Marriage Records, 1785-1940. Record viewed on Ancestry.com
  • 14 For George R. Johnson, see Findagrave.com. He is buried in Rock Hill Cemetery, Loudoun County, Virginia. Birth and death dates for Valentine B. Johnson and Elizabeth Johnson Quisenbury from Marc B. Johnson.
  • 15 1910 Federal Census, Loudoun County, Virginia, Leesburg District, page 6B.

Turner Family

The Frances Day Turner and Bazil Turner Family

Bazil Turner was a young man, approximately 18 years-old, when the first reference was made to him in Elizabeth O. Carter’s diary.  She recorded the following on December 28, 1862: “Bazel went back to O. [Oatlands] with letters + c. [so on].”  Elizabeth had moved from Oatlands to her plantation named Bellefield, near Upperville, after the Battle of Ball’s Bluff north of Leesburg.  Her diary entry indicated that Bazil had taken letters and other items back to Oatlands.  He was mentioned six more times in the diary, including what must have been a terrifying experience on September 3, 1864.  Two soldiers robbed him of $60 that he was delivering on behalf of Elizabeth’s son, George.  The last diary entry that referred to Bazil was in May 1866 when Elizabeth wrote that he came to Bellefield from Oatlands with pepper and tomato plants.

The first U.S. Census after the Civil War was in 1870, and Bazil was recorded as living with the Alfred Belt family (a white family) north of Leesburg. Bazil was listed as 26 years-old with an occupation of laborer, probably on Belt’s farm.  Three other African Americans were living on the farm and it’s not known if they had once been connected to Oatlands: Butler Ash, a 20 year-old male laborer; Mary Calvert, a 17 year-old domestic servant; and Hattie Thompson, a 22 year-old domestic servant.

Bazil (age 24) married Frances Day (age 21) on April 27, 1871.  His parents were listed in the marriage register as Martin and Lucy Turner and his birth place as Culpeper County, Virginia.  Frances was the daughter of Emanuel and Virginia Day, who had once been enslaved at Oatlands. It is not known if Martin and Lucy were, too.

Determing Bazil’s parentage and place of birth is not conclusive. Another marriage record lists his father’s name as Masters, not Martin.  This could be a transcription error.  Various census records list his birth place as either Georgia (1880 Census. Georgia was also listed as the birthplace of his parents) or North Carolina (1900 and 1910 Censuses).  His death record lists it as North Carolina.

By the time the 1880 census was taken, Bazil and his family were living in Gleedsville.  During the course of their marriage, he and Frances had at least eight children:

By 1882, Bazil purchased 5 ¾ acres of land in Gleedsville. He worked for the second generation of Carters to live at Oatlands, George and Kate Carter, and is recalled fondly in family remembrances of the Carter children.

After Edith and William Corcoran Eustis bought Oatlands in 1903, Bazil continued to be employed there as a gardener. He appeared briefly in a family film made in 1931 when Margaret Eustis married David Finley at Oatlands House. Another Eustis daughter, Helen, wrote that she rode her pony over to Bazil’s house.

Frances died by the time the 1910 Census was taken and Bazil outlived her by two decades, passing away on November 3, 1931, at the age of 78 (approximate).  He was buried at the cemetery in Gleedsville.  His death record listed his occupation as farm laborer and birth place as North Carolina.

Family Members:

  • Milton – born 1872
  • Clazy I.[or Claby I.] – born 1874
  • Lucy – born 1876
  • Oden – born 1877
  • Leanna – born 1886
  • Louise – born 1890
  • Hester – born 1893
  • Mary E. – born 1896

Gleed Family

John Gleed, known as Jack, was enslaved at Oatlands.  After freedom, he bought land nearby and built a house. Others followed.  Like Jack many had been enslaved at Oatlands and were making new lives for themselves after the Civil War.  The community came to be called Gleedsville.  Its residents built a school for their children and a church in which to worship.  The Mount Olive Methodist Episcopal Church, now the Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun, still stands and is a testament to the hard work and endurance of the people who built it.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research into Jack Gleed, his relatives, and descendants continues.  New information will be posted as it becomes available.

Day Family

Day family members can be traced to at least the early 1800s with the births of Julius and Gerard Day, and it’s one of the few families from the Carter enslaved community whose lineage can be documented that far back.

The Day family is one of only three families to be identified in documentation by last name.  The others are Gerrard Smith and Joe Rust, also spelled Russ. It is interesting to note that George Carter recognized the marital relationship between Gerard and Alanda Day. Enslaved men named Julius and Emanuel are also listed in the will and are presumed to be Julius Day and Emanuel Day.

Julius is referred to frequently in Elizabeth O. Carter’s diary, starting with an entry on April 6, 1861: “Julius brought 4 rolls of butter from Bellefield.” In March of 1862 when Federal troops were in Leesburg, she wrote, “Julius + Bill came from O. [Oatlands] report the house to have been searched by Yankees.”  By this time, Elizabeth had moved her household from Oatlands to her other plantation, Bellefield, near Upperville, where she felt safer after the battle of Ball’s Bluff north of Leesburg.  Diary entries throughout the Civil War record Julius going back and forth between the two plantations.

In the 1870 census, the first time former enslaved people are listed by last name, Gerard Day was living with Kate and George Carter, the second generation of Carters at Oatlands. His age is recorded as 60, making his birth year approximately 1810. Alanda’s name does appear in the census and it is presumed that she passed away by that time.

In the 1880 census, Julius Day and his wife Ginnie (Virginia) are living with their son Emanuel and his family.  Julius’s age is recorded as 90, making his birth year approximately 1790.  Ginnie is age 86. 

Julius died one year later and his death record listed his age as 80 and approximate birth year as 1801.

Due to the lack of records and inconsistent recording, the relationship between Julius and Gerard Day is not evident.  If Julius was born in the 1790s and Gerard in 1810, Julius could be the father. Alternatively, Julius and Gerard could be brothers.

Census and death records indicate Emanuel Day, also spelled Imanual, was the son of Julius and Virginia (Ginnie) Day. His wife was also named Ginnie and they had at least seven children who survived infancy.

Chaos: Enslaved Women’s Lives

The The horrors and harshness of slavery are documented in Elizabeth O. Carter’s diary. Three women in particular endured upheaval and trauma from Elizabeth’s decisions.

Enslaved people were often hired out if their enslaver needed money or did not have enough work for them to do. This often happened in December or January, and the “hiring out” agreement was usually for the upcoming year. It spelled out the rate of hire by the employer and conditions, such as providing clothing, shoes, and blankets.

The end of the year could be an anxious and uncertain time as an enslaved person waited to hear about their fate. Such was the case for DELIA and ANNE. Delia was hired out to two different people in consecutive years. The diary entry for Anne notes the condition for providing clothes. They were sent away from Bellefield to live and work on another property, tearing them from family, friends, and familiar surroundings.

Sent Delia to Mrs. White in Middleburg. 2 January 1862
Sent Delia to Mrs. White in Middleburg. 2 January 1862
Mr. Singleton hired Delia for 1864. price twenty-five dollars 29 December 1863
Mr. Singleton hired Delia for 1864. price twenty-five dollars 29 December 1863
John Singleton to settle for Delia’s hire 11 April 1864
John Singleton to settle for Delia’s hire 11 April 1864
Hired Anne to R E Leake for ten dollars in green back + to be well cloathed. 13 January 1865
Hired Anne to R E Leake for ten dollars in green back + to be well cloathed. 13 January 1865

The strength, endurance, and resilience of enslaved people to survive the conditions of bondage is truly remarkable.

NANCY BUCHANAN experienced one of the cruelest practices in slavery. Her act of resistance to enslavement was deemed “improper conduct” by her enslavers, and she had no control of the outcome. Being thrown in jail was harsh treatment. Five days later she was sold to a nearby plantation owner.

Nancy was sent to jail for improper conduct to her Master + overseer. 2 January 1861
Nancy was sent to jail for improper conduct to her Master + overseer. 2 January 1861
Sold Nancy to Mr. George Rust. 19 January 1861
Sold Nancy to Mr. George Rust. 19 January 1861

The Irene Day Williams Family

Diary of Elizabeth O. Carter Open
Diary of Elizabeth O. Carter

DAY FAMILY MEMBERS

Members of the Day Family can trace their roots back to the late 1700s or early 1800s with the births of Julius and Gerard Day. Both were enslaved by the Carters by 1842 when they were recorded in George Carter’s will. Their connection to one another is not known but it is believed that they were brothers. Gerard and his wife Alanda were documented by their last name of Day, one of only three families to be recognized by surname in the will. An enslaved man by the name of Emanual was also recorded. He was the son of Julius and Virginia Day.

Julius brought 4 rolls of butter from Bellefield. 6 April 1861
Julius brought 4 rolls of butter from Bellefield. 6 April 1861
Julius + Bill came from O. [Oatlands] report the house to have been searched by Yankees. 31 March 1862
Julius + Bill came from O. [Oatlands] report the house to have been searched by Yankees. 31 March 1862

JULIUS DAY

Julius was referred to frequently in Elizabeth O. Carter’s diary, starting with an entry on April 6, 1861. “Julius brought 4 rolls of butter from Bellefield.”

In March of 1862 when Federal troops were in Leesburg, she wrote, “Julius + Bill came from O. [Oatlands] report the house to have been searched by Yankees.”

Diary entries throughout the Civil War record Julius going back and forth between Oatlands and Bellefield, the Carter’s plantation near Upperville.

EMANUEL

Emanuel and his wife Virginia had at least seven children. Their son Robert, born about 1856, married Catherine Johnson in 1879. Their daughter Irene Isabel was born in Leesburg in 1886. By this time, Robert had purchased land in the community of Gleedsville, established in the 1870s by several men who had once been enslaved at Oatlands.

Irene Day Williams, Abraham Williams, and their family were recorded in the 1930 census. A nephew and 2 nieces were living with them.

Irene Day Williams, Abraham Williams, and their family were recorded in the 1930 Census-Leesburg District. A nephew and 2 nieces were living with them. Image from Ancestry.com.
1930 Census-Leesburg District.
Image from Ancestry.com
Irene Day Williams and Abraham Williams Dates unknown; photos courtesy of Ryan Williams.
Irene Day Williams and Abraham Williams Dates unknown; photos courtesy of Ryan Williams.

IRENE DAY

Irene Day married Abraham Williams, and they lived in Loudoun County for about 30 years before moving to Arlington, Virginia. Their son Curtis Nanson Williams was 1 of 7 children born to Irene and Abraham. His grandson and Julius Day’s fourth-great-grandson, Ryan Williams, was named to the Oatlands’ Board of Directors in 2020. He is the first member of the descendant community to serve on the Board.

Read more about the Day Family

Women’s Lives in Transition

From Enslavement to Freedom

Diary of Elizabeth O. Carter Open
Diary of Elizabeth O. Carter

A unique and important aspect of Elizabeth O. Carter’s diary is that it documents the transition from enslavement to freedom. Societal and economic changes, both big and small, are reflected in her writings. She and the people she once enslaved navigated this new environment day by day. Insight into their new lives in freedom can be gleaned from the entries in the diary. People like Sophia, Fan, and Eve, who had labored for the Carters with no freedom and financial benefit, transitioned to a life where they had choices, could make decisions for themselves, and were paid for their work.

“Sophy + Jake” married in the dining room by Mr. [Kinsolving] 24 December 1862
“Sophy + Jake” married in the dining room by Mr. [Kinsolving] 24 December 1862
Sophia had a Daughter last night. Only sick about 10 [minutes] 27 October 1863
Sophia had a Daughter last night. Only sick about 10 [minutes] 27 October 1863
paid Sophia five dollars for her work 26 February 1866
paid Sophia five dollars for her work 26 February 1866

SOPHIA MOTEN HOWARD

As a young wife and mother, Sophia must have wondered if she would ever have a home to call her own and raise her family. Nine years after freedom came, she and her husband Jacob Howard purchased land near Bellefield. Others soon followed, and the community of Howardsville was formed. Their descendants still own property there.

FAN

Diary entries about Fann, also written as Fann and Fanny, suggest that she was one of the cooks. She baked bread and made fruit cakes. Fann was a midwife and acted in the capacity of caregiver or nurse. She stood her ground with Elizabeth, knowing her rights as a free woman and demanding respect – an act that her former enslaver described as insolence.

Fanny at work in the Kitchen 10 November 1863
Fanny at work in the Kitchen 10 November 1863
Fan very insolent to me 8 October 1866
Fan very insolent to me 8 October 1866
Margaret and Fann making fruit cake also pies + dough nuts 19 December 1865
Margaret and Fann making fruit cake also pies + dough nuts 19 December 1865
Mrs. Tinsman had a child Fann in attendance 23 April 1866
Mrs. Tinsman had a child Fann in attendance 23 April 1866
Eve had a child. Girl called “Frances” 15 October 1860
Eve had a child. Girl called “Frances” 15 October 1860
Wagon to Oatlands with Eve + Sam to drive some hogs 6 May 1864
paid Eve three dollars for chickens. 12 October 1867
paid Eve three dollars for chickens. 12 October 1867
Eve sowed a Hot bed. 19 March 1868
Eve sowed a Hot bed. 19 March 1868

EVE MOTEN

Eve was related in some way to Sophia. She was skilled at raising and managing farm animals and growing food in the kitchen garden. Eve’s daughter Frances was born into slavery and grew up to marry George Henry Russ, a man who had also been born into slavery at Oatlands or Bellefield. He was active in the late 1800s civil rights movement, representing Loudoun in the Colored Republicans of the Eighth Virginia Congressional District.