Hopewell Plantation, Greene, Alabama

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Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Greene, Alabama, United States

Surnames/tags: Cocke Skipwith Black_Heritage

Profile manager: Gina Jarvi

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Plantations Index

1 Introduction
2 Sources

Introduction

This plantation should not be confused with the Pickens Plantation in South Carolina of the same name. This plantation was owned by John Hartwell Cocke II. It was a 320 acre experimental work community in Greene, Alabama where Cocke sent his most talented, responsible slaves to prepare them for the "moral and educational challenges" of emancipation, with the intention of relocating them to Liberia. Likely candidates for emancipation were sent from Cocke's Virginia plantation, Bremo, to Hopewell plantation in 1840 to work under overseer Elam Tanner and slave driver George Skipwith.

Cocke was a leading Virginia member of the American Colonization Society. The American Colonization Society was most active during the 1830's - 1861.

He also owned Bremo Plantation, Fluvanna, Virginia.

George Skipwith

George Skipwith, a slave of John Hartwell Cocke II, was also the overseer at Hopewell. He had been sent by Cocke from Virginia to Hopewell to prepare him for emancipation and migration to Liberia. George's brother, Peyton, had already been sent. Letters from Peyton in Liberia to John Cocke exist.

Around 1850, George was demoted to slave driver after an altercation/fight with a white man. He stayed at Hopewell until 1851 when Cocke sent him, his wife Mary and their son to a plantation in Mississippi.

Enslaved Persons from the Skipwith Letters

George Skipwith wrote a number of letters to John Hartwell Cocke II. In the letters he wrote about some of the enslaved persons at Hopewell.^[1]

Ann Sucky Faulcon b. 1803 liberated in 1851 to Liberia.
Isham Gault b. 1810 He was the father of Hannah and the brother of Julyann and Mima.
Julyann Gault, daughter of “Old” Hannah and sister of Isham and Mima
Frank Randall, the son of Primus the driver at Bremo, the Cocke plantation in Virginia. In 1853 Cocke ordered him sold or hired out in Mobile, Alabama because of his repeated quarrels with his wife Jinny and his refractory character.
Jinny Randall, Frank’s wife, was a field worker. With her husband, she was sold or hired out in Mobile in 1853.
Violly, was a field worker.
Dinah, was a field worker.
Evelina Smith b. 1821? (According to the 1870 census, she lived with the Archy Creacy family and worked as a farm laborer after the war).
Charlotte (Morse) Lewis b. 1834 was the daughter of Charles and Kessiah Morse and the sister of Albert, Cain, Carter, Charles, Jr., Frederick, and Matthew. In 1844 she married Robert Lewis, and in 1857 they went to New Hope plantation to live [a second Alabama plantation established by Cocke]. After the war she scratched out a living as a farm laborer in the Greensboro [Alabama] area.
Robert Lewis, husband of Charlotte, “cut up a few skins” in physically resisting Tanner in 1844, the only evidence of stubborn resistance prior to the affair described in George’s letter. In 1856 he was whipped for feigning illness, and in 1862 he stole swine from Capt. John Cocke’s farm. Still, John Hartwell Cocke considered him a likely candidate for freedom. In 1857 he joined the New Hope [Alabama plantation] community.
Shadrach Cocke "was a prayer leader and exhorter among the slaves and the driver after George’s downfall. In 1842 he wrote Cocke asking permission to marry a woman on another farm, but Cocke refused. According to Tanner, Shadrach spoke “very bad” about the master’s decision and, rather than give up the girl, he asked to be sold to her master. Tanner wrote that he ran “mad for 2 days” in disappointment. He involved himself in other scrapes in the next few years, but by 1850, probably as a result of his conversion, he mellowed and won Cocke’s confidence. He died suddenly in 1855 of a “disease of the heart.” ^[2]
Armistead Hewitt b. 1814 was a field worker and carpenter at Hopewell and the driver at New Hope after 1857. In 1846 he received a thorough willowing for sneaking off the plantation, and, later, he had numerous falling-outs with overseers, particularly J. W. Carter. . . . He married Lucy Skipwith, George’s daughter, in the late 1840s or early 1850s. There is no positive record of more than one child by the marriage. Lucy’s eldest daughters, Maria and Betsey, were fathered by white men, and the father of her daughter Dinah is unknown. Lucy’s liaisons with white men and her attachment to Cocke may have been the causes of her unhappy relations with Armistead. She left him after the war.
James Skipwith, George’s son.
William Skipwith, George’s son (a stonemason at Cocke’s Bremo Plantation in Virginia)

1840 Census

J. H. Cocke^[3]

1 white male age 15-20 (The Overseer - John's son?)
5 male slaves under age 10
4 male slaves ages 10-24
4 male slaves ages 24-36
4 male slaves ages 36-55
5 female slaves under age 10 - Charlotte?
6 female slaves ages 10-24
6 female slaves ages 24-36
2 female slaves ages 36-55
1 female slave age 55-100
38 total persons (37 total enslaved), 20 in Agriculture

1850 SLAVE SCHEDULE

In this schedule, John Cocke was enumerated on 4 Oct 1850 owning 66 slaves, and on 16 and 17 Oct 1850 John H Cocke was enumerated as owning 53 slaves in Greene County, Alabama where Hopewell Plantation and New Hope Plantation are located.

John Cocke				Owner
SEX	AGE	YOB	RACE	ROLE	SCHEDULE
Male	52	1798	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	48	1802	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	45	1805	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	37	1813	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	36	1814	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	35	1815	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	32	1818	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	32	1818	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	30	1820	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	23	1827	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	23	1827	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	23	1827	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	22	1828	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	22	1828	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	22	1828	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	20	1830	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	20	1830	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	18	1832	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	18	1832	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	15	1835	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	14	1836	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	12	1838	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	12	1838	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	10	1840	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	7	1843	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	5	1845	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	4	1846	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	4	1846	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	2	1848	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	57	1793	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	52	1798	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	52	1798	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	43	1807	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	52	1798	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	37	1813	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	36	1814	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	34	1816	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	33	1817	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	29	1821	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	26	1824	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	26	1824	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	20	1830	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	52	1798	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	17	1833	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	17	1833	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	14	1836	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	13	1837	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	12	1838	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	14	1836	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	10	1840	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	8	1842	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	52	1798	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	7	1843	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	4	1846	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	2	1848	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	3	1847	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	3	1847	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	3	1847	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	3	1847	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	0	1850	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	1	1849	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	0	1850	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	0	1850	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	19	1831	Mulatto	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Male	20	1830	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule
Female	6	1844	Black	Slave	1850 Slave Schedule

JOHN H. COCKE - Owner - Enumerated on the 16th and 17 Oct 1850 (53 enslaved)^[4]

SEX	AGE	YOB	COLOR	ROLE
Male	47	1802	Black	Slave
Male	43	1807	Black	Slave
Male	38	1812	Black	Slave
Male	35	1815	Black	Slave
Male	35	1815	Black	Slave
Male	33	1817	Black	Slave
Male	28	1822	Black	Slave
Male	26	1824	Black	Slave
Male	44	1806	Black	Slave
Male	31	1819	Black	Slave
Male	30	1820	Mulatto	Slave
Male	28	1822	Mulatto	Slave
Female	25	1825	Black	Slave
Male	13	1837		Slave
Male	13	1837		Slave
Male	11	1839		Slave
Male	16	1834	Mulatto	Slave
Male	14	1836	Black	Slave
Male	10	1840	Black	Slave
Male	10	1840	Black	Slave
Male	8	1842	Black	Slave
Male	8	1842	Black	Slave
Male	7	1843	Black	Slave
Male	3	1847	Mulatto	Slave
Male	2	1848	Black	Slave
Male	2	1848	Black	Slave
Male	1	1849	Black	Slave
Female	48	1802	Black	Slave
Female	45	1805	Mulatto	Slave
Female	57	1793	Mulatto	Slave
Female	32	1818	Mulatto	Slave
Female	32	1818	Mulatto	Slave
Female	29	1821	Mulatto	Slave
Female	27	1823	Mulatto	Slave
Female	25	1825	Black	Slave
Female	23	1827	Mulatto	Slave
Female	20	1830	Black	Slave
Female	16	1834	Black	Slave
Female	10	1840	Black	Slave
Female	16	1834	Black	Slave
Female	14	1836	Mulatto	Slave
Female	13	1837	Black	Slave
Female	11	1839	Black	Slave
Female	10	1840	Mulatto	Slave
Female	10	1840	Black	Slave
Female	7	1843	Black	Slave
Female	6	1844	Black	Slave
Female	6	1844	Black	Slave
Female	6	1844	Mulatto	Slave
Female	5	1845	Black	Slave
Female	3	1847	Mulatto	Slave
Female	45	1805	Black	Slave
Female	83	1767	Black	Slave

1860 Slave Schedule

In 1860 John H. Cocke had 70 enslaved persons located in Green Co, AL. He is listed on the slave schedule as Jno. H. Cocke with Rich D. Powell Agent^[5]^[6]

1866 Census Some of the former enslaved persons are found here on the Green Co, AL census in 1866.^[7]

Research Note

New Hope Plantation needs to be researched.

Sources

↑ Skipwith Letters http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/enslavement/text4/skipwith.pdf
↑ http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/enslavement/text4/skipwith.pdf
↑ United States Census, 1840: "United States Census, 1840"
Image path: United States Census, 1840 > Alabama > Greene > Not Stated > image 6 of 103; Citing NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
FamilySearch Image (accessed 22 December 2021)
↑ United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850 : "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850"
Image path: United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850 > Alabama > Greene > Greene county > image 57 of 270; Citing NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
FamilySearch Image (accessed 22 December 2021)
↑ United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860: "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860"
Image path: United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860 > Alabama > Greene > Hollow Square Beat 6 > image 9 of 28; Citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
FamilySearch Image (accessed 22 December 2021)
- 1860 Green Co, AL, Hollow Square Beat 6, p.105, 70 slaves (difficult to read)
↑ The Largest Slaveholders of the Deep South 1860 https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/546545-the-large-slaveholders-of-the-deep-south-1860-pt-01?viewer=1&offset=0#page=359&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0&q=Cocke Creator Menn, Joseph Karl, 1933- Language English eng en Subject United States, Alabama - Slavery and bondage United States, Mississippi - Slavery and bondage United States, Georgia - Slavery and bondage United States, Louisiana - Slavery and bondage United States, Southern States - Slavery and bondage Extent 3 pts. (xii, 1219 p.) Page Count 426 Owning Institution Family History Library; http://www.familysearch.org/ Publisher Digital FamilySearch International Access Level Public
- Part 1, p.344
↑ Unclassified: Film number: 004808465 > image 124 of 1105
FamilySearch Image (accessed 22 December 2021)
- p.45, East Green 5

National Humanities Center Resource Toolbox: The Making of African American Identity: Vol. I, 1500-1865: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/emancipation/text4/skipwith.pdf

Thomas Jefferson, Monticello: https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/john-hartwell-cocke

See also: Letter written by George Skipwith to John Cocke II. Excerpt from: “Dear Master”: letters of a slave family, edited by Randall M. Miller: https://150yearsago.library.virginia.edu/2011/05/02/1861-may-1-hopewell-greene-county-alabama/

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Comments: 5

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Charlynne Hopson

I believe that my dad has a DNA connection to the Skipwiths, although Ancestry indicates that it's my mom who has the connection. My dad's people (Hopson Family) are from Greensboro, Alabama and Hollow Square, Alabama. Many of them migrated to Mississippi, where my Granddad was born. My mom's people were mostly from Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky.

posted Feb 15, 2023 by Charlynne Hopson
edited Feb 15, 2023 by Charlynne Hopson

Gina (Pocock) Jarvi

Hi Charlynne,

Feel free to use the info on this page for your research. That is what it is here for. If you have information you want to add to the page, feel free to connect with me. I'm happy to help.

posted Feb 16, 2023 by Gina (Pocock) Jarvi

Charlynne Hopson

I'm learning so much from this page! Thank you!

posted Feb 17, 2023 by Charlynne Hopson