Foster-Petty Family

Cover page for James Foster's Southern Claims Commission application.

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Born enslaved, James Foster did additional work as a shoemaker to earn wages and support his free family. When his property was taken by Federal soldiers before the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek, he filed paperwork for repayment. This paperwork tells the story of a Unionist family caught between freedom and slavery in the Shenandoah Valley.

"I Wanted To Be Free"

In September 1876, James Foster sought payment for property taken by Federal soldiers. When asked if he had been loyal to the Union, he merely responded, “I sympathized with the Union cause all the time. I could not be any other way. I was a slave and I wanted to be free and was confident if the Union cause was successful I would be free; and my race too.”

Foster was enslaved by Isaac S. Bowman at Mount Pleasant, but he was a shoemaker allowed to labor in his free time for payment. Much of his extra labor was for Charles and Rebecca Hite at the Bowman-Hite farm, preserved by the National Park Service. Foster used these wages to buy property and help support his laborer wife, Mary Petty, and their children who were free and lived near Cedar Creek.

Unionist Loyalties

In 1864, Federal soldiers took property from the family, including hogs, a horse, and a carriage for the use of the army. To receive payment from the Southern Claims Commission, Foster proved he owned the property and that he was loyal to the United States. His wife and oldest son supplemented his testimony that despite being enslaved he owned the lost property.

A local white civilian further supported the claim by stating that James had helped local Unionists and Federal soldiers during the war. Foster initially requested $390 for his damages. He was allotted $270, which is equal to nearly $8,000 today.

Mary stated that James, “did everything he could for Union men and Union soldiers.” He knew that United States victory in the Civil War would mean freedom for enslaved people. It did.

Following the war, James and Mary moved to Washington, DC to raise their many children. Foster worked as a laborer for the Navy Department and provided their children more opportunities for education than he and Mary had.

Scans of three different census records documenting the Foster-Petty Family's legal status.

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Social Change

The social change the Civil War brought is shown clearly in the limited records documenting James Foster’s life. The 1860 Census’s Slave Schedules (top left, circled in red) lists James only as a 32-year-old Black man, nameless property enslaved by the wealthy Isaac S. Bowman. His free family is separated from him, listed in the main 1860 census by name (top right). By 1870 (bottom image), James was now a citizen and allowed to vote (center left). James and Mary’s marriage was now legally recognized as well.

Sources

“Roll 40, Target 13, Shenandoah County, Virginia, Foster, James H.” in National Archives Record Group 217: Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Settled Case Files for Claims Approved by the Southern Claims Commission, 1871–1880. M2094 - Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims, 1871-1880: Virginia. Finding Aid.