Enslaved people were routinely separated from their families.

Before slavery was abolished in the U.S., it was common practice for plantation owners to split up families by selling children away from their parents, brothers away from sisters and wives from husbands at auction. Relatives often never saw their loved ones again.

After the Civil War, family members immediately began searching for one another. They often placed advertisements in Black newspapers seeking information on the whereabouts of their relatives.

This Saturday, Judith Giesberg will speak in Newport News about her new book, “Last Seen: The Enduring Search by Formerly Enslaved People to Find Their Lost Families.” It chronicles the narratives of 10 formerly enslaved people and their search for their loved ones with infor

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