Pat Turner Ritchie: African Americans in Brocks Gap

Pat Turner Ritchie: African Americans in Brocks Gap

African Americans, both free and enslaved, lived in Brocks Gap area of northwestern Rockingham County, Virginia, from early years of the county’s history. Research from tax and census records from 1782 until 1865 revealed there were more slaveholding families in the Gap than previously known and more enslaved persons than previously known.

Writings from two formerly enslaved men from Brocks Gap who gained freedom in other states gave a few details about their early lives. Likewise, research found names of over 30 free African Americans who lived in the Gap for at least a few years before moving to other areas. One family, Aggy and Andrew Anderson, lived for 40 years near Crab Run at Bergton, VA where they owned a 147-acre farm and woodland.

This program was presented at Plains District Memorial Museum, Timberville, VA, on January 22, 2023, by Pat Turner Ritchie. Her book “African Americans in Brocks Gap, Rockingham County, Virginia 1782-1865” is available for sale at the museum and Fulks Run Grocery, Fulks Run, VA.