Ann Eliza Marbly: Searching for Relatives

• What do you notice? What do you wonder? 

The ad that I decided to base my primary analysis post on was Ann Eliza Marbly searching for relatives. I decided to choose this ad because I was curious to see what the information wanted ad looked like in the 1800’s. My initial thoughts were: was it common for individuals to post information wanted ads? I noticed that the text on the ad was a bit hard to read, since the words were broken up. I am not sure if this is because of how old the ad is or if it is because of the tool used to publish it. I looked forward to connecting the information I have been learning through the modules to the ad. 

• Time/Place and Implications/Conclusions

Ann Eliza Marbly searching for relatives was published in June 7, 1879. Ann Eliza Marbly was looking for her parents Dollie and Jack Hicks as well as any other relatives. She was sold at nine years old in Richmond, Va but now resides in Nashville, TN. To answer the question of why information wanted ads were needed in the 18th century a deeper look into the abolishment of slavery neede to be made. In Module 2: Emancipation and Reconstruction, it details what freedom for African Americans meant, defined emancipation, elaborated on the new amendments and how the reconstruction affected African Americans lives. Slavery was abolished in January 31, 1865, this meant for a monumental and significant change in slave’s lives, “Black men, women, and children were enslaved, and then they were not—no one quite knew how a post-Civil War United States would look. Were formerly enslaved people going to be citizens? Would they be able to vote? Own property? What would the cultural, political, and social landscape of the United States look like without the institution of slavery?”(Module 2, What comes after emancipation?). These were very valid and concerning questions to be asked after the emancipation. Most slaves, especially children like Anna Eliza Marbly were sold to white masters. All they knew was life being a slave, fighting for freedom. After finally gaining their freedom, many families had already been separated. They had no way of knowing if they still had living family members and where they were. This is why individuals started posting information wanted ads. Anna Eliza Marbly was separated from her family at nine years old, once she had gained her freedom in January, 1879 she posted an ad six months later in hopes of finding her family. 

• Discussion question

How effective do you think information wanted ads were? How would you go about finding family members if you were Anna Eliza Marbly?