Finding Your Roots

Why do you think your ancestor moved his family from Tennessee out to this frontier? Why move to Indiana, any ideas? Oh, if I had to guess I might guess that they just saw a good deal in another part, or wanted a fresh start. All kinds of possibilities. Could you please turn the page? Yeah. -

Henry

This is a page from a book published in the year 1901, and it's about the pioneers of this county Jay County. Oh my god, look at this. Good for them. Enoch Bowden and his wife, like many others, left their native state on account of slavery there. How 'bout that? It's good. - That's good. It's good, something to be proud of. It's better than turning the page and finding out he left because he shot somebody in a barbershop. (laughs) In 1830, Tennessee was a huge slave state. Almost 20% of its population was composed of slaves. Did you know that? No I didn't. Can I believe that maybe they didn't like it on a moral basis? Of course. As a matter of fact you're absolutely right, as a Methodist, Enoch may very well have opposed slavery on moral and religious ground. That's what I was gonna say. How 'bout that? Pretty good guy. Yeah. - I think. Yeah. Methodists in the north and the south had long been divided over the issue of slavery. By 1845 the discord forced an acrimonious split. And the civil war only intensified the bitterness between the two sides. Steven's ancestors' beliefs had been profoundly tested. And ultimately, they'd made courageous choices. How does it make you feel to know that these ancestors on you father's lines had such a purchase on American history? You know, what I make of it is just sort of, I'm kind of set back on my heels by this whole process. It's a little bit like having a stage and having somebody turn on lights on different parts of the stage, so that you can see things you never saw before. Lot to contemplate. A lot, a lot.