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In 1860, Joseph Arrington was one of the largest Slaveholders in the Southern Division of Sumter County Alabama. Joseph Arrington enslaved Sixty (60) persons of color in 1860, in the area that we now know as Livingston, Alabama. The Arrington family had roots in Virginia, North Carolina, and held many political positions, such as Judges, Postmaster, Court Clerks, Law enforcement, and some elected positions that helped create and protect their Wealth as they assisted in removal of Indians from the land once occupied by many different Indian Tribes. As they moved south from Virginia, they took those who were enslaved with them, as death occurred in the Arrington family, often those who were enslaved would be divided among the surviving Arrington family members, and often sold to satisfy debts and liens of the remaining Arrington Estate. Witt's of color were first enslaved in Virginia, the Nash County area of North Carolina, and received the Witt Sir name in these areas. The Witt's (enslaved) relocated to the area we know as Livingston, Alabama, as the Arrington's moved South. Morning Jewell Clay, Henry Witt's second wife is listed in the 1860 Census, a registered Cherokee Indian, my great grandmother. Morning Jewell's ancestor's were in this country long before the first European arrived. Henry Witt and Pleasant Witt are listed in the Estate documents described more specifically as property of Joseph Arrington. Enslaved persons were not listed in the Census until 1870, a Slave Census in the year 1865 was taken in some Southern States. Birth and death records, Slave Bills of Sale, ship manifests, and Slave Insurance records have been kept secret to protect the buyers and sellers of the enslaved, particularly, during the Middle Passage, Slave Auctions, and Slave Tax sales. Annual sales taxes on the value of slaves, and other pertinent records were not kept public in the Court Houses on people of color to avoid future liabilities. Some form of Slavery has existed for thousands of years all over the world but the Europeans never used this format anywhere else in the world that they used in the United States. We cannot begin a conversation about the Witt past history without talking about the Arrington's and their history.
