| Notes |
- The 1850 Federal Census Slave Schedule for Doddridge County, enumerated on Jul 16 1850, contains the following entry:
Slave owner: Franklin Maxwell.
Description of slaves:
1 black male, age 46
1 black female, age 23
1 mulatto female, age 3
1 black female, age 1
The 1860 Federal Census Slave Schedule for Doddridge County, enumerated on Jun 1 1860, contains the following entry:
Slave owner: Frank Maxwell
Description of slaves:
1 black male, age 56
1 black female, age 30
1 black female, age 12
1 black male, age 10
1 black female, age 8
1 black female, age 5
The following in an excerpt from an article about Franklin Maxwell's son Lewis that appeared in the February 21, 1932, issue of the "Sunday Morning Exponent-Telegram." Part of it quotes Lewis Maxwell directly:
"The [Jones-Imboden] raiders went into camp right at my father's home at the head of Bluestone creek," Mr. Maxwell said. "The officers occupied rooms in our home and my mother and a slave, 'Aunt Till,' cooked for and fed them." ...
Besides "Aunt Till," the Franklin Maxwell family had four slaves, all members of one family. The man slave was "Anthony," who Maxwell bought in the Wood County jail for $250 from a man named Henderson, whose cattle Maxwell bought. The price was low, as Henderson had much trouble keeping Anthony on the West Virginia side of the river, the slave having a natural inclination to live in a free state. The colored couple had two daughters and a son.
"Aunt Till" was a wedding present to Mrs. Franklin Maxwell, a gift made by her father. Because of that fact, as well as the long period she served in the Maxwell family, "Aunt Till" was very much endeared to the Maxwells, and the colored folk were very fond of their master's family.
Franklin Maxwell, as stated, once bought a slave, but he never sold one. He was offered $1,600 by a Virginian for the two slave girls, but spurned the offer, and the son declares he would not have sold them at any price.
The Maxwell slaves were given their freedom before the Civil War, but the old couple remained on the premises, died there, and were buried near their former master and mistress. The children were presented with a farm in Taylor County by their former master. He was kind to them and they respected him to the point of devotion.
After "Anthony" had been given his freedom, he rode to Parkersburg on the first train that ran over the Grafton-Parkersburg division of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad system a few years before the Civil War began.
1870 Census, Doddridge Co, WV (Southwest Twp), enumerated on Aug 22 1870:
Franklin Maxwell, 55, farmer, value of real estate $80,000, value of personal estate $40,000; Frances, 50; Rector, 22, farmer; Williams B, 20, farmer; Harriet P, 16; Franklin, 12; Frances J, 10; Susan A, 8.
1880 Census, Doddridge Co, WV (West Union District), enumerated on Jun 4 1880:
Franklin Maxwell, 66, farmer; wife Frances, 52; son Rector, 31; dau Harriet, 25; dau Susan A, 18; servant Sarah Waldo, 28, single; ward Rebecca Shreeves, 12.
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1848 - 1886 (37 years)
