north-east of Nashville.
They owned about twenty-five or thirty slaves. She was a thoroughly
religious woman and every Sunday would have her slaves and children
attend church.

Manse Bryant was another large land owner and slave owner.

VIRGINIA STATE LIBRARY
RICHMOND, VA.

September 28, 1916.

MR. MONROE N. WORK, Editor,
Tuskegee, Alabama.

_My Dear Sir_:--

The Journals of the Senate and House of Delegates for the years in
which there have been Negro members do not indicate which of the
members were white and which negro. The almanacs, however, do as a
general thing though the almanacs are not extremely reliable. I have
gotten the following information from the almanacs. The first year in
which negroes were allowed to hold office in Virginia was 1869.

The almanac for the year 1870 (which was printed the latter part of
1869 and which gives, therefore, the members of the General Assembly
for the session of 1869-70) gives no negro members of the Senate of
Virginia, but 18 negro members of the House. The total membership of
the House was 137. The membership of the Senate was 40. For the
session of 1870-71 there were, according to the almanac, no negro
members of the Senate. For the session of 1870-71, I regret to say
that the almanac does not differentiate between white and negro
members. For the session of 1871-72, I regret to say that the almanac
does not give the members of the House of Delegates; nor in the list
of the members of the Senate does it differentiate between the two
races. For the session of 1872-3 the almanac does not differentiate.
For the session of 1873-4 the almanac gives 3 negro members out of 40
in the Senate, and 17 out of 132 members in the House. For the session
of 1874-5 there were three negro members out of 40 in the Senate, and
there were 17 negro members in the House. In the session of 1875-6
there were 3 negro Senators, and 13 negro members of the House. In the
session of 1876-77 there were three negro members in the Senate, and
12 negro members of the House. In 1877-78 there were 3 negro members
of the Senate, and four negro members of the House. In 1878-9 there
were three negro members of the Senate and four negro members of the
House. For the session of 1879-80 the almanac gives no marks of
differentiation. For the session of 1880-81 the almanac makes no
distinction. For the 1881-2 session