by AUDREY CREEL / December 16, 2020
©Audrey Creel, 2020 (All rights reserved.)

There is only one known record of Eliza’s life. After Hardy Murfree’s death, his estate and slave holdings were divided amongst his living relatives. Eliza (last name unknown) was among the enslaved African Americans placed under Dr. James Maney’s ownership.[i] Eliza was not listed with any family members in the estate settlement.[ii] Eliza was given a monetary value of one-hundred-twenty-five dollars by the North Carolina court.[iii] This indicates that Eliza was likely an older woman in 1814. It is unknown if Eliza was taken from any family members as a result of the court case. Eliza likely was taken from her home in North Carolina to work on the Maney’s plantation (present day Oaklands Mansion) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. There are no known records for Eliza after 1814.

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References

[i] Estate settlement, Hardy Murfree estate settlement, Williamson County Archives, Probate Records, [75].

[ii] Estate settlement, Hardy Murfree estate settlement, [75].

[iii] Estate settlement, Hardy Murfree estate settlement, [75].