After finding Nelson's land deed transaction with Charles Kavanaugh that indicated that Nelson received both his freedom and his land, I was not sure where to look for him next since there was no surname for him in the land deed. The same is true for the emancipation papers that I eventually found for him.
My next step was to just try googling him. I entered the following string of keywords and did not hope for much: Nelson, "freed slave," "Madison County." I was surprised when hits for a Nelson Kavanaugh in the Republic of Texas popped up. In the link blurbs, I could see references to "freed slave" and "Madison County, Kentucky." What I found in that information was that a Nelson Kavanaugh, who had been emancipated in Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky, was a barber in Houston, Texas. He turned up in the records because he petitioned the Republic of Texas to allow him to remain in the state at a time when the state was evicting free black because of a fear that they would join with abolitionists and stir up trouble. Nelson Kavaugh petitioned the Republic of Texas twice, requesting that he be allowed to stay, and was evidently rejected twice.
I read several summaries of his petitions and a handful of quotes from them. The next step was to track down the original documents. As usual, they are more illuminating that the secondary references to them.
The first petition was dated 25 April 1838. What I notice here is that the document has a signature for Nelson without the usual notation - his mark. The difference in the signature and the handwriting in the document leads me to think that Nelson could write.
Another part of the petition consists of several white men vouching for Nelson Kavanaugh's character. There is a lead in this document of an additional area to search, and that is Hinds County, Mississippi, specifically the Clinton area, between 1830 and 1838. Also, each of the men who signed needs to be researched.
This 1838 petition was rejected. It was followed by another petition that was also rejected. That second petition is undated, but based on the following newspaper item it would seem that Nelson Kavanaugh petitioned on 24 December 1841.
The second petition details that Nelson Kavanaugh was emancipated in Richmond, Kentucky, was unmarried and without children, and was a barber.
An additional document contained another group of men vouching for Nelson, and some of them had known him before he came to Texas.
The information in these petitions points to this Nelson Kavanaugh being the same Nelson I am looking for. However, the petitions raise several questions. Why did Nelson go to Mississippi after he was freed, rather than going north? Can any records of him be found in Mississippi? Where did Nelson go after he left Texas?
Nelson Kavanaugh, a Slave in the Family
Nelson Kavanaugh Gets His Freedom and His Land
Nelson Kavanaugh's Emancipation
Nelson Kavanaugh Loses His Papers
Nelson Kavanaugh Owes Land Tax
This journey is so interesting! Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to see what you find out next.
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