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We Were Always Free

The Madden Family, Freeborn in Virginia

A brief history of one free black family in Virginia, and what it meant to be a freeborn person of color in colonial Virginia.

This program will discuss the definition of “freeborn”.  We will look at the census records that identify the freeborn, their occupations and the resulting statistics.  Ryan Bachman’s book, African-American Property-Ownership in Downtown Harrisonburg 1850-1860 will be discussed. The Madden Family, a freeborn family in Virginia, were never enslaved.  This family's history, including those who lived in Alexandria and the Shenandoah Valley, is well documented and is a wonderful example of history that has been overlooked.  

Robin Lyttle is the President of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project.  This project’s mission is to learn, share and illuminate African American history in the Shenandoah Valley.  Family genealogy, researching burial grounds and an active Internship Program are a few of the programs the SVBHP have ongoing. Find the SVBHP online at valleyblackheritage.org.