Slave Biographies
Documents and archaeological findings reveal most of what is known about Poplar Forest slaves, who left few written records of their own. Although Jefferson and his overseers wrote mainly about work schedules, births, deaths, and the economics of running a large plantation, these accounts contain a few glimpses into the slaves' private world.
Archaeological research has revealed the size, materials and layout of slave cabins and yards, the types of belongings people owned, the foods they ate, and what they did at home. Excavations hint at their participation in the local economy, their creation of privacy, and their views of the world around them.
Click on the highlighted family members to learn more about lives of members of the Hubbard family. The biographies were written by Dr. Barbara Heath, University of Tennessee.