Robert West (b. 1834), a Slave Freed During the Time of the U.S. Civil War

[NOTE: This article was submitted to me a few years ago and it apparently got lost in my email archives.  My apologies to George L. Holder (who compiled this information) for my neglect of posting this.  Thanks George for your work on this!  Robert West is the ancestor of Vy Higginsen.  John G. West]

Robert West was a slave until freed under unknown circumstances about the time of the American Civil War.  He and Aggy Minor had a daughter Mary:

Mary West, age 6; born and resides in Caroline County, VA.; last owner,  M. Young, of Caroline Co.; residence of father, Caroline Co.; age (of father?) 32; father’s last owner Henry Young of Caroline Co.; mother Aggy Minor; no age, dead; her own last owner, Henry Young, Caroline Co.; signature of father, Robert West.   [source: Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands], Register of Children of Colored Persons in Caroline County, State of Virginia, whose Parents had ceased to cohabit on 27th February 1866, which the Father recognizes to be his (Fredericksburg, VA.: University of Mary Washington, date unknown,  Web Site title: Caroline County African-American Children list 1866: downloaded 26 Feb 2010 from: http://resources.umwhisp.org/freedmen/CarolineAf-AmChild2.htm, page 18, line 14.  Note: searching this document reveals six mentions of West” and none for “Clayton.”  There no mentions for 29 mentions for “Minor” including one for “Aggy” indicating possibilities for further inquiry.]

1860 census: Robert West, age 30, Male, Mulatto, (occupation not perfectly clear, appears to be a Twister, Tobacco, i.e. twisted tobacco leaves to make tobacco plugs in a manufacturing facility), born Virginia; Mary, age 28, Female, Mulatto, (appears to be a Stemmer, Tobacco i.e. removed stems from tobacco leaf in a manufacturing facility), born in Virginia; Robert, age 4/12, Male, Mulatto, born Virginia. [source: Robert West household, 1870 U. S. census, Hanover County, Virginia, population schedule, Lower Revenue District, Beaver Dam Depot post office,  enumerated 9 July 1870, page 31, lines 33-37, household 468, family 465, National Archives micro publication M593, roll 1651. Downloaded image 16 February from  Heritage Quest.] 

Summarized from a chart as of 27 Feb. 1866: Robert West, age 32, born in Caroline County, Virginia, currently residing in Caroline County, Virginia, a farm laborer by occupation.  His last owner was Henry Young, whose last place of residence was Caroline County, Virginia.  Robert’s wife is Mary Clayton, age 20, who was born in Caroline County, Virginia, currently residing in Caroline County, Virginia.  Mary’s last owner was Anne Toliver, whose last place of residence was Caroline County, Virginia.  Robert and Mary have two children, whose names are Maria, age 2 and Alex, age 1.  The date during which Robert West and Mary Clayton started cohabitating was about 1863.  [source: Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands in the Sub-District of Caroline County, Virginia, Register  of Colored Persons of Caroline County, State of Virginia, cohabiting together and [sic] husband and wife on 27th February, 1866, posted on a web site of the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia, accessed 16 Feb 2010 from: http://departments.umw.edu/hipr/www/freedmen/CarolineAf-Ammarried1.htm, page 31.  [As of 10 Aug 13 this web link no longer works.]  Identical information except for the date they began cohabiting together, which is absent, can be found at: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Virginia_Cohabitation_Records, click on “Caroline County, Freedmen’s Cohabitation Register “ at the Library of Virginia.  Of possible interest is that immediately above the entry for Robert West is “Robert Clayton, born King William County, Virginia, residing Caroline County, Va., employed as a farm laborer, last owner was Samuel Tolliver of Caroline County, Va., wife’s name and age, Julia Thomas, 43, born King William County, Va., living Caroline County, Va., last owner Ann Tolliver, of Caroline County, Va., children Mary 20, Catherine 9.”]

1870 census: Robert West, age 45, Male, Mulatto, Farmer, apparently able to read but not write (image not perfectly clear); Mary, 24 years old, Female, Mulatto, keeping house, cannot read or write; Maria, age 7, Female, Mulatto,; Aleck, age 5, Male, Mulatto,; Nancy, age 2, Female, Mulatto. All born Virginia. [source: 1870 census: Robert West, age 45, Male, Mulatto, Farmer, born in Virginia, apparently able to read but not write (image not perfectly clear); Mary, 24 years old, Female, Mulatto, keeping house, born in Virginia, cannot read or write; Maria, age 7, Female, Mulatto, born Virginia; Aleck, age 5, Male, Mulatto, born Virginia; Nancy, age 2, Female, Mulatto, born Virginia.]

1880 census: Lewis, Lemuel, [head of household], BM, 22, laborer; Catherine, BF, 22, wife; John BM 8/12 [eight months old],Son; Mattie, BF 2, Daughter; Clayton, Julia, BF 60, Mother in Law, Keeping House; Robert West, BM 65, Bro in Law, Laborer; Maria [?], BF 16, Niece; Alexander, BM 15, Nephew; George, BM 12, Nephew; Mary, BF 9, Niece; Ella BF 7, Niece; Emma, BF 6, Niece, Clayton, Robert, BM, 65, Father in Law, Laborer.  Each person and their parents are shown as being born in Virginia. [source: Lemuel Lewis household, 1880 census, Hanover County, Virginia, population schedule, Ashland District, enumeration district [ED] 62, supervisor’s district [SD] 3, sheet 28A-b, dwelling 279, family 282, line 49, National Archives micro publication T9, Roll 1370, page 28A, line 49, [continues on page 28B, lines 1-11].