DOC A Heritage of Woe: The Civil War Diary of Grace Brown Elmore; 1861-1868 (Southern Voices from the Past: Women's Letters; Diaries; and Writings Ser.) by From Elmore in History

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What does one contested account of an enslaved woman tell us about our difficult racial past? Part history; part anthropology; and part detective story; The Accidental Slaveowner traces; from the 1850s to the present day; how different groups of people have struggled with one powerful story about slavery.For over a century and a half; residents of Oxford; Georgia (“the birthplace of Emory University”); have told and retold stories of the enslaved woman known as “Kitty” and her owner; Methodist bishop James Osgood Andrew; first president of Emory’s board of trustees. Bishop Andrew’s ownership of Miss Kitty and other enslaved persons triggered the 1844 great national schism of the Methodist Episcopal Church; presaging the Civil War. For many local whites; Bishop Andrew was only “accidentally” a slaveholder; and when offered her freedom; Kitty willingly remained in slavery out of loyalty to her master. Local African Americans; in contrast; tend to insist that Miss Kitty was the Bishop’s coerced lover and that she was denied her basic freedoms throughout her life.Mark Auslander approaches these opposing narratives as “myths;” not as falsehoods but as deeply meaningful and resonant accounts that illuminate profound enigmas in American history and culture. After considering the multiple; powerful ways that the Andrew-Kitty myths have shaped perceptions of race in Oxford; at Emory; and among southern Methodists; Auslander sets out to uncover the “real” story of Kitty and her family. His years-long feat of collaborative detective work results in a series of discoveries and helps open up important arenas for reconciliation; restorative justice; and social healing.