A list of 143 names of enslaved people at Cedar Grove was created through the painstaking research of genealogist Andre Kearns. One of the sources Andre drew on in compiling this list is a notebook kept by James G. Torrance called “Ages of Negroes.” Within this notebook was also a post-Civil War agreement with a formerly enslaved person, Vina Johnston, who remained on the plantation with her children.

The names on the list of “The Enslaved of Cedar Grove” are transcribed as written in the records of James G. Torrance. For example, if a name was struck out, it is also struck out on the list below. Regarding last names, before emancipation, enslaved people generally had only one known name. After emancipation, the freed people often chose the name of the family where they lived, though this was not always the case.

The original artifacts are in the archives of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and further research is ongoing through the HEARTS Reunion Project.

To learn about the Torance surname history, visit our Torance and Allied Families page.

For more information, questions, or to share other known genealogical connections, please contact us.