The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family's Journey to Freedom

This was a great find for my family, as we are using the book to trace our progenitor: George Washington Brown who may have had relatives in bondage on the plantation before being emancipated to Arlrington, VA outside Washington, DC

I am a Washington, descended from Lucy Amelia who was my great grandmother. This is the book I wish I could have written. I enjoyed every word and sentence from the beginning to the end. Tremendous amount of research went into this book. This book represents the tip of the ice berg of all of Mr. Baker's years of research.One of the surprises was finding out that Lucy's maternal grandfather once owned Bellview. I work closely with someone whose ancestors were slaves on that plantation. Can't wait for Monday at the office!This book is full of surprises and answers. I always wondered why Granville killed himself. I think the author comes close to the answer.Great book. Great read. Really well done.

Indeed this is some fine work, what I call a book of many historical books condensed and framed around descendants of Washington and Wessyngton.WoW!Moreso than the collection of historical accounts and stats, and the abundance of photos to support the work (astounding!), but it is the presentation that wins this work over. It's as if, and I'm almost sure the author did, painstakingly and meticulously pieced together the research done, letter by letter.I honestly stopped trying to figure out who was related to who; when, where and how...but instead watched how America unfolded clear to present day, right before my eyes. It hardly will take DNA to see the Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation isn't just about them. It's about All of Us!Most times I fear picking up books like this one, thinking I'm going to get the lengthy hog-tied switch, but I took my chances, similar to the way the author was lured by the photo on the cover...to inspect further. I'm glad I did. Mr. Baker presented a truth I can live with, though too, I clearly see now why this part of history is not one many jump up and down to talk, or write about.A Phenomenal Read.

John Baker Jr. spent over three decades researching his family's history in America. Baker's book is a comprehensive study about many who lived on Wessyngton Plantation, the descendents of the slaves and the slave owners. He even collected and used DNA data during his study. Researching your family and tracing your ancestry can be a difficult and time-consuming task. Fortunately, the inhabitants of Wessyngton Plantation and their descendants are lively crafted characters in this book, not just names and statistics, a testimony to Baker's talent as a storyteller. Visit a book store or a library and browse in the biography and non-fiction sections for books by and about Black people. Most folks write books after they are famous or infamous. On the other hand, Black people who live in these United States, write because we want to leave evidence: that we existed; that we are important because we existed; that we survived the Middle Passage. We proudly want the world to know that we were not destroyed. The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation provides a model to assist and encourage any of us who would like to begin to write our own family's tales before they are forgotten.

The book gave a wonderful insight into the families who were slaves on the Wessington plantation, and how they lived and also how that were treated by their slave masters.The author's research was unbelieveable, he had stories from surviving slaves, who lived to be near or over 100 years old. The detail of how our people arrived, lived, fought for survival, and endured was just fascinating. I wished that the young people of today, especially African American's would take the time to read, just a fraction of their history, thru Washington family ordeal.