It is to be expected that the history of Chesterfield County's coal mines would include the explosive nature of the mines and related fatalities. However, the author discovered an even darker side of this history while researching public documents-a life

Richmond is located in the heartland of Virginia on the free flowing water of the James River. The James brought much pain, for it was by this river that the slave boats arrived and unloaded their imprisoned passengers in the 1700s and early 1800s. Many slaves purchased in Richmond were transported to other Southern states as demand for labor increased in those regions. History has not left a complete story of those who lived and died in the area. Many records were lost as a result of fires over the years, including during the Civil War. Fortunately information has survived to ensure that...