Jun 3, 2016 Orange County Review
There may be a light at the end of the Shepherd Family tunnel and despite my late father’s often glib response that "it might be an oncoming train," I am encouraged. Be patient though, while I follow up on last week’s column about Frank Tibbs.
A Frank Tibbs has been mentioned in the late 1870s and early 1880s as a preacher. Was this the Frank Tibbs who was emancipated in 1842 enabling him to relocate to Ohio with his wife and children? (See the May 16th column published by the Orange County Review.)
Ohio records indicate that Frank Tibbs never joined his family. The most puzzling, yet-to-be-explained question continues to haunt me. If Frank Tibbs did not relocate to Ohio, then how did he circumvent Virginia’s mandatory regulation that all slaves freed after 1806 must leave the state within 12 months?
"1806. Chapter 63. If any slave hereafter emancipated shall remain within this Commonwealth more than twelve months after his freedom, he shall forfeit such right, and may be sold by the overseers for the benefit of the poor." Black Laws of Virginia by June Purcell Guild
Research would support several options.
• Tibbs left Orange County, but remained in the state perhaps with a very low profile. The flaw in this theory is that all "free" Negroes were required to possess and produce their papers at any time and place proving their legal status.
• Perhaps someone petitioned the court on his behalf to allow him to remain in the county. This was not common, but did occur occasionally, often if the former slave were elderly, not fit enough to make the journey or had family still in bondage. One or more persons in the white community would vouch for this person, assuring the courts that the individual was not an agitator or in any manner a risk to the stability of the local slave holding environment.
Again, there is a flaw in this theory as the Reuben Conway estate purposely emancipated Tibbs so that he might join his family. But, then, maybe he became ill or did not have the funds to make the trip. Nonetheless, if the petition took place, it should be recorded in the courthouse.
• The third possibility is that his emancipation was revoked or forfeited once it was determined that he did not move out of the state. For this to take effect there would have to be a document filed with the court. For both of these court actions, we have must search the court records. Oh, for more time in a day!
Someone suggested that maybe he tried to make the trip to Ohio and got lost, discouraged or died. To be sure, there could be other explanations for "Where is Frank Tibbs?" We are following the leads most accessible and will keep you posted.
Perhaps the recently found data concerning Frank Tibbs, the preacher, will be enlightening.
The earliest record of a marriage officiated by Frank Tibbs is found in the Orange County Marriage Record in 1869. Though there was no church listed, the participants’ names were Pounce Allen and Betsy Taylor.
Included in "A History of Madison County Virginia" by Claude Lindsay Yowell are references to a Frank Tibbs as a first pastor: Locust Grove (Radiant) known as "Tibbs’ Church," 1871; Elk Run (Shelby), 1874; and Mt. Sinai (Seville), 1876.
Until next week, be well.