The Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society will hold a virtual meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 13.
The meeting will feature a talk by Allison Thomas and Maria Montgomery, “How Gwynn’s Island Came to be Known as the ‘White Man’s Paradise,’” reported president Bessida White.
Montgomery and Thomas are cousins, linked by enslavement; Allison’s ancestors enslaved Montgomery’s on Gwynn’s Island in Mathews County.
Montgomery lives in Norfolk, while Thomas lives in Los Angeles.
Together, Thomas and Montgomery have researched the history of the Black families who were enslaved on Gwynn’s Island and those driven off the Island between 1916 and 1920. This flight was sparked by a bar fight….[to-view-more]