====== African American Families: Sleet ====== Information contributed by Robert Lett, a Sleet descendant. == Richard & Ellen Sleet Moore == Sleet Brothers Ellen born circa [[1826]] is found along with her mother Viney and several children listed among the items of property in the [[1841]] Last Will & Testament of Benjamin F. [[finnell_family|Finnell]] (married to Sarah Jane Carter) second wife of Weedon McCauley Sleet Sr. It appears that after leaving [[boone_county|Boone County]] in [[1868]] the couple is found in Mercer County, Pymatuning Pennsylvania by the [[1870]] census. (I estimate the time of departure to be near 1868 as their last child born in Kentucky is 2 at the time of the 1870 census and their youngest child is 9 months old.) == Simon Sleet == Simon Sleet: born circa [[1836]] is also found with his mother Viney and several other children listed among the items of property in B.F. Finnell's Will & Testament [[1841]]. In an personal account published in the Boyne City, Michigan newspaper Simon Sleet tells of the family with his mother and siblings until the approximate age of 4. This seems to be near the time that Benjamin Finnell would have become ill or perhaps near the time of his (Finnell's) death and perhaps a wish to discharge property. He reports being sold several times with his last owner being Morris Lessons? (Editor's note: probably Morris [[morris_t._lassing_house|Lassing]]) During the [[civil_war|Civil War]] he reports (1) serving with the Confederate Army being promised his freedom for his service (2) serving in the Union Army after he the Emancipation Proclamation. For the record, I have come across several African Americans who reported being taken into the service of the Confederacy as; body servants, graves registration, teamsters, cooks and so forth thereby relieving Confederate soldiers from these roles. //Mr. Lett also notes:// Amid the controversy over "Black Confederates" I recall visiting an African American family in Petersburgh Virginia who was quite adamant that their ancestor "fought for the Confederacy". Military units in the Civil War were formed largely by regions and composed of regional populations. Therefore all the men of Petersburgh served in the same unit. I believe the problem in accurately accounting for the degree of service is within the terminology. No doubt if you went off to war with a military unit from your home town and that unit was engaged in battles (whether you were a teamster or a cook) you would say you were involved in the battle. The Confederacy as a matter of policy had no African American men in the role of serving as soldiers. Having said this I have learned of individual accounts of African Americans carrying weapons amid the lines of the Confederate troops. ===== More Information ===== * [[https://bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/24329/0|Benjamin Sleet Family Group Sheet]] * [[https://bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/30721/0|Benjamin Sleet Descendants]] * [[https://bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/30742/0|Simon Sleet Descendants]] * [[https://bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/30647/0|Estill Sleet Registration Card]] * [[https://bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/24509/0|Martha Sleet Death Certificate]] * [[https://bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/24298/0|Sleettown Newspaper Article]] * [[http://www.oldsettlersreunion.com/index.php/old-settler-family-pages/2-uncategorised/94-simon-sleet|Simon Sleet Family Images at the Old Settlers Reunion website]] ===== Related Topics ===== * [[african-americans|African Americans in Boone County]] * [[connersville|Out of Kentucky: The Connersville Migration]]