Chowan Discovery Group

A Freeborn Community’s Response to the Civil War and Beyond

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This presentation is about a century-old community of freeborn landowners and their contributions in and after the Civil War. A year after the Confederates seized a mixed race, married mother of three and used her as a lure, her Winton Triangle community responded by enlisting in the Union military. Over seventy of North Carolina’s Winton Triangle men fought in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.  They took part in the destruction of Charleston, captured what was to become Gen. Grant’s ultimate headquarters, took part in the eleven-month siege on Richmond and its capture; and finally enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas after the war’s end (Juneteenth).

Families of soldiers helped make up of the regiments of infantry, cavalry and heavy artillery.  Families such as the Weavers, Robbins and Reynolds could each boast seven and more soldiers.

Most returned to the area to own farms, start or renew family life, establish schools, educate the formerly enslaved, form churches and other organizations, take part in politics, open businesses and expand the size of the Winton Triangle. This presentation, highlighting the research of the soldiers’ pension records, their family records and photographs, is used to teach today’s Winton Triangle people of their own Civil War past.

Rock Park Civil War Roundtable talks are  usually followed by lunch at Ledo Pizza, 7435 Georgia Avenue NW.

How the North brought Education to the South before, during and after the Civil War.

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During and after the Civil War, Union officers and missionaries expanded literacy and skills in the south, resulting in a great rise in the reading population and creating schools, some of which exist today.  A school established in a Washington, D.C. army barracks in 1864 is still going strong. Fisk, Hampton, Howard and Shaw are among the universities that rose in the first five years after the war.  Within ten years after the war, Howard University was graduating men and women with degrees in medicine and law. Although many schools were destroyed and teachers and students threatened, the growth of education for people of color continued.  The Winton Triangle has its own story about a missionary teacher. Marvin T. Jones will give a overview of the people and organizations who propagated education among people of color and how southern whites also greatly benefitted.  As always, this lecture includes many stories and images of portraits, documents and places.

Winton Triangle lecture in Smithfield VA

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Marvin T. Jones presents photographs, maps and narrative of his community’s 275 year-old history of landowning mixed-race people in North Carolina’s Hertford County area. The written history of the Winton Triangle began in 1584 when the English first learned about the area. The three main towns of the Triangle are Winton, Cofield and Ahoskie. The Winton Triangle’s story is that of a new people who cobbled success and identity despite colonization, wars, slavery and discrimination. Jones uses maps, documents and photographs to tell this 400+ year old story. This presentation has been given many times in North Carolina and as far as Arizona.

A new Award for Chowan Discovery!

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From Marvin Tupper Jones: October 13, 2018 – King of Prussia, PA: African American Historical and Genealogical Society gave Marvin T. Jones (and thus Chowan Discovery ) its second highest honor, the Paul Edward Sluby/Jean Samson-Scott Meritorious Achievement Award for “Distinguished Performance In Support Of African American History and Genealogy”.    Tremendous thanks goes to the many supporters of Chowan Discovery,  and AAHGS members Alice Harris (my cherished nominator!), Robyn Smith, Margo Lee Williams, Bernice Bennett and Linda Crichlow White among others  The Sluby/Samson-Scott is the second highest award granted by AAHGS. In the 1980’s, Paul Sluby contributed much to Winton Triangle when producing genealogy books for the Collins-Bizzell family.

Marvin is a member of the Central Maryland Chapter of AAHGS and has presented at eight chapters and the national conferences.  This is part of Chowan Discovery’s mission to research, document, preserve and present the history of the Winton Triangle and beyond.  In 2014, Marvin and Chowan Discovery received an award from the North Carolina Society of Historians.

Two Lectures in Wise County, Virigina.

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Big Stone Gap, Virginia: On June 21, Marvin T. Jones is giving two presentations at a genealogical workshop at the Mountain Empire Community College.  The first lecture is about the development, activities and findings of the Chowan Discovery Group’s work on the Winton Triangle.  The second talk will be about the Winton Triangle’s role in the Civil War.  The workshop is a pre-conference event connected to the Melungeon Heritage Association Reunion.

Chowan Discovery thanks Dr. Mike Gilley of the Mountain Empire Community College and Scott Withrow, President of the Melungeon Heritage Association, for the invitation.

The times for the lectures will be posted later.