Two women called Statira on Lansquinet

Two individuals on John Tharp's Lansquinet estate were listed in the 1817 slave list and later updates as having a mother called Statira: Flora (b. 1781) and Richard Robinson (b. 1810),. The 1820 return of 'increases' and 'decreases', the only one that provides dates, added Elizabeth (b. 17th of March 1818) and Thomas (6th of March 1820-1822). The 1826 return brought the total to five with the birth of Lewis (b. 1823). All but Flora were described as Mulatto.



There were two women called Statira on the estate. Old Statira (1749-1820) was described as creole (born in Jamaica) in the 1817 slave list, but when her death was registered in 1823, her place of birth was recorded as Africa. This isn't an uncommon pattern -- whoever compiled the record had guessed rather than asking around. 

The other Statira was born in 1788, and this means that Old Statira must have been Flora's mother. 

Flora had three children who survived to be recorded in the slave lists: Satilla (b. 1803), Emmanuel (b. 1807) and Harry (b. 6th of January 1819).




Old Statira died before Thomas and Lewis were born, but if her estimated age was correct, she couldn't have been the mother of Richard Robinson or Elizabeth either. All four must therefore have been the children of the younger Statira.
Possible (but unlikely) grandchildren for this younger Statira are discussed in 'A muddle of Elizabeths on Lansquinet'.

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