Slaves Reading

Today's picture was taken in 1864, and shows a group of emancipated slaves reading. In some of the other pictures this week, some have wondered why the slaves were dressed so well, and why the owner would have pictures made. The pictures were taken AFTER Butler took New Orleans and emancipated the slaves. The slave children had come under the care of an organization that intended to educate them. In fact, the pictures we have been looking at were sold to raise funds for the project.

In this picture we see three of the children featured earlier this week . . . Charley Taylor, Rebecca Huger, and Rosina Downs. The black man in the picture is also a former slave, and his name is Wilson Chinn. I have the following information on Wilson.

WILSON CHINN is about 60 years old, he was "raised" by Isaac Howard of Woodford County, Kentucky. When 21 years old he was taken down the river and sold to Volsey B. Marmillion, a sugar planter about 45 miles above New Orleans. This man was accustomed to brand his negroes, and Wilson has on his forehead the letters "V. B. M." Of the 210 slaves on this plantation 105 left at one time and came into the Union camp. Thirty of them had been branded like cattle with a hot iron, four of them on the forehead, and the others on the breast or arm.