Week 1: Pages 1-26

Forward, Timeline, Introduction, Early Inhabitants (Monacan Settlements, Land Grants, Plantations)

The people of the Monacan Indian Nation spent significant time in Esmont and Southern Albemarle County, and harvested soapstone for use in ceremonial vessels.


Despite the Monacan peoples’ deep ties to the land, European colonists considered the land “available” and established a land grant system to distribute title to the land. In the systems of land grants, some men were given land in the area of Esmont, Porters, and Chestnut Grove, while others purchased land, including Rezin Porter – a road surveyor and likely the eponym of Porters Road.

With land ownership, several families were able to establish plantations in Southern Albemarle.

Did you know?

Historian Sam Towler has done research on the Harris family, owners of the Canaan Plantation, and the community enslaved there, many with the surname Carey. Some of his research in a slideshow format is available for viewing on the county website [WILL LINK].

Regina Rush, a reference librarian at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia, has written about her “genealogical quest” to find out more information about her Chestnut Grove-area family, including Nicey Ann Coles and Isham Rush. Earlier this year, Rush presented to the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society regarding her research and her scholarly article "Over the Brick Wall: A Genealogical Journey to Discover My Family’s Roots,” which was published in the 2018/2019 double volume of the Magazine of Albemarle Charlottesville History.

Reading Questions
Please share your responses in the comment section below.

  1. What new information did you learn from reading these chapters/the book?
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  3. What did you find surprising about the information presented in these chapters/the book?
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Thank you for participating in this Community Read - we look forward to the next one!

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