Hello, I hope this finds you well. “Polly” Gilmore’s last name, I think, was probably Blackstone, some records indicate Braxton. She lived in Orange County, VA with her husband George Gilmore, who was enslaved on the Montpelier plantation. Our family became prominent in the area- if you’re from Madison / RadiantVirginia I’m going to bet you know us. I’m interested in any possible mention of her as I attempt draw out the history of my mothers. Thanks for any help. I imagine she may have come to the area from south of VA, perhaps NC. See: Mary, Paula, Pauline, Polly. Braxton, Blaxton, Blackstone. Thank you.
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What exactly are you looking for in this query? The details are a bit vague, although it appears you are mentioning individuals that were enslaved in northeast Virginia, sometime prior to 1865. But, are you referring to just George here, or was Polly a slave as well?
However, for a little context, it should be pointed out that there were no Cherokees enslaved on Virginia plantations in the latter stages of the American chattel slavery system. Virginia was never part of traditional Cherokee territory. No villages or settlements were ever located in that state, and the last raids by Cherokee war parties in the extreme southwest part of the state were over by the early 1790s. After that point, there were no further expeditions or any large groups of Cherokees that could be found or operating within that location. In any event, it seems you’ve hit the point of enslavement of known ancestors. This will likely be very difficult to continue to trace back further generations, as records for slaves can be terribly limited (or non-existent). This is one thing that makes African American genealogy so challenging or difficult. Many lines cannot really be traced back much further than the generation that was first emancipated, particularly after 1865. .