Henry Black

Henry Black is listed under Eliza Black’s household on the 1870 Census. His occupation is listed as “Servant in House,” and his age is recorded as 23, which means he would have been about 15 when Eliza escaped from Sherwood Forest. [1] Henry could be Eliza’s oldest son or her nephew, whose ages Julia Gardiner Tyler lists as about 14 years old in 1862, or he could be another relative who joined Eliza later on. [2] View the page on Eliza Black to read an excerpt of Julia’s letter describing Eliza’s escape from Sherwood Forest in 1862 with her five young children, her nephew, two Black men, and one free Black woman.

[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Elizabeth City County, retrieved from FamilySearch.org, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFLT-4TG.

[2] Julia Gardiner Tyler to Commanding Officer, U.S. Forces at Jamestown and Williamsburg, 30 May 1862, Transcripts, Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation, Charles City County, Virginia.