Buckingham Notables: The Austin Family, Part V
Slate River Lands for Sale!
In 1843, concurrent with Grace Austin’s advertisement for the sale of her lands, her son, Dr. James M. Austin, also advertised in the Richmond newspapers, offering for sale his farm on Slate River.
As is often the case, these advertisements, rich in detail, give us a window into life in 19th century Buckingham County.
SLATE RIVER LANDS FOR SALE!
The subscriber offers for sale his Lands near Buckingham Court house. This land consists of two separate tracks, containing together 730 acres, and lie each about two miles from Buckingham, Court-house, near enough to each other to work both places with the same hands. 12 or 15 hands may be worked to advantage. The Slate river track contains 350 acres, 250 cleared – one hundred acres of this is first rate Slate river bottom, surpassed by none in richness and fertility on the stream. The high land is undulating as most of the land on the river is, but very durable and free from washing, possessing a quality highly retentive of manure, and well adapted to clover and plaster. The improvements on this farm consists of a good two story dwelling house, with 8 rooms, passage, &c., barn and threshing machine, tobacco houses, ice house, and other necessary houses, an excellent spring of pure water, and a young orchard of well selected fruit trees, garden, &c. The other farm contains 380 acres — lies remarkably well, and well watered with two strong and bold branches running through it, affording some fine meadow land, also plant land. There is not more than one hundred and forty acres of this cleared, the balance finely timbered. — This land produces fine tobacco, and of the fine manufacturing kind, and produces wheat remarkably well. I invite those who may wish to purchase such property to come and view it. If this property should not be sold privately, it will be exposed to sale, by public auction, on the 1st of September next.
JAMES AUSTIN
Buckingham, July 4, 1843.
Buckingham County’s land tax records indicate that, in 1847, Dr. James M. Austin transferred 346 acres on Slate River, two miles northeast of Buckingham Courthouse, to John W. Haskins, attorney. This was the tract containing his dwelling house.
Coming Next: Richmond Hill a.k.a. Derby
slate river ramblings . . . . 
Dear Reader,
My family sold 1,000 acres near Slate River in 1847. This property was named by the buyer: Col. Elijah Hanes, who named it “Humanity Hall.” This property included the present house located on that tract and barns, stable, an office–all with slate roofs. The property brought $10,000. This included the Charlton place, Hanes’ Chapel, “Humanity Hall,” the Taylor place, and Eldridge Mills. The only land between this and Slate River was the property of the Chambers family called “Highland House.” Seventy-five percent of this property being sold was in the name of “William Holman, Estate” and the other portion was in the name of ” Col. Jesse B. Holman, Estate.” The sellers were Tandy Holman, William Holman, Ambrose Ford, Mrs. Virginia (Col. R. H.) Gilliam, and Capt. Nathan Holman.
Harry Stuart Holman
We must always remember the Holmans at Humanity Hall!