Today’s Virginian-Pilot contains an article by Kerry Dougherty, discussing the Frank Hargrove situation. In it, Ms. Dougherty refers to the bill of sale that I have on my great-great grandmother:
He ought to spend a few minutes with Vivian J. Paige, a Norfolk CPA and political activist. Among her family papers is a copy of her great-great-grandmother’s bill of sale. It’s a perfunctory handwritten business record showing that in January 1853, a North Carolina man named Seth Ward purchased a woman named “Angeline” for the sum of $1,215.
A few minutes ago, my phone rang. On the other end was a woman who saw the article. “Angeline Ward is my great grandmother,” she said. We talked for a few minutes. Her grandfather and my mother’s grandfather, it appears, were brothers. She mentioned towns in NC that my mother’s family is from. Since she was at work, we will talk more this evening.
What can I say? Had Del. Hargrove not made his comment, had I not posted the Bill of Sale, had Kerry Dougherty not seen it and written her article, I would have never known that Shirley, whom I met several years ago in the course of my work, is my cousin.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
How cool is this? I am happy for you Vivian – IMO this serves to prove that the Lord works in eloquent and mysterious ways!
Or, it proves that people read things other people put on the Internet.
What a great outcome? It just shows out of one man’s ignorance can come some good.
Well, first of all, the fact that you made it into the paper simply shows how much respect people both in and out of the blogosphere have for you.
Secondly, its good to see that at least some good came out of the situation.
This event alone is a good news story! Someone needs to pitch this to the TV news folks.
Very cool… Ok not the whole being bought and sold part… The connecting with family… Oh never mind you know what I mean! 🙂
The link to this article was sent to me by my cousin. We are descends of Seth Ward. My grand-mother Patty Lou Hunter (Ward) was one of his many children. I didn’t know my great-grand father but the stories that I heard about his two “families” were interesting and the buying of slaves is factual.
I too am a descendant of Angeline Ward. I have just found the book published in July 2007 on the Decendants of Angeline Ward. I am the great great granddaugther of Angeline. My Great grandmother was Angeline’s first child, Emma who married Spencer Person. I have been tearfully reading the book. It is like I have found a lost piece of myself. When I discovered my name, the tears flowed. There are a lot more of us out there that are not included in the book.