Alethea contacted me last year as she was researching this book. She had seen an earlier post in this blog about an image in the Scipio Ledger of Slaves, that mentioned a slave named Esther, owned by J Fleming, who turned up in Alethea's research, as she spent most of her life in Manlius.
Esther's gravestone is behind the old Methodist Church in Ledyard. There is a store on the corner, and a Ledyard historic marker sign at the junction across the road. Behind the church, the stone is inscribed SAMUEL GLOVER. His second wife was Esther's sister, Betsy. Esther's name is etched on the side of the thick stone.
The reference in the book to the Flemings is in the last chapter titled AfterWords when Alethea was looking at several ex-slaves (Wheatley and Armwood) from the town, who interestingly ended up in Ledyard. She will be appearing on July 26th at 2:00 PM at the National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum, Smithfield Community Center, 5255 Pleasant Valley Rd., Peterboro, NY 13134
The Scipio Ledger of Slaves information is available at the Cayuga County Hsitorian's website and at the History Corner in the Scipio Town Offices.
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