Descendants
“We talked about that history; her people, my people. We came forward in a positive way. We link our ancestry…to teach lessons, and to preserve this whole story here.”
- John Hanson Briscoe, Trustee Emeritus, Sotterley Descendant.
The mission of the Descendants' Project is to grow an official registry of all people whose ancestry is connected to our site’s 300-year history, whether landowners, the enslaved, workers, free, or allied families.
Following in the footsteps of trailblazers Agnes Kane Callum and John Hanson Briscoe, we provide a safe space to find connection through our shared history. We empower Descendants and their families to help shape the mission and vision of Historic Sotterley as we journey forward.
How it started
Historic Sotterley trailblazers Agnes Kane Callum and John Hanson Briscoe built a strong foundation and set a tone for our Descendant program which was formalized in 2017.
At the heart of why Historic Sotterley is both important and truly unique, is the involvement of our Descendants in our day-to-day interpretative and preservation decisions, activities and events and in the development of our educational programming.
Our Descendants model to the greater world how people from disparate backgrounds and who have experienced different realities can come together to foster understanding and healing in these troubled times. Their ancestors defined Historic Sotterley’s past, but it is our Descendants who are shaping our present and our future.
Milestones
- We currently have over 300 self-identified Descendant’s living in 30 states and across 6 countries.
- Four Descendants currently sit on our Board of Trustees representing ancestors who were enslaved, owners and 20th Century laborers.
- Our Descendants are involved in projects across the county including the Africatown "Clotilda Descendants", Riversdale House Museum, Cremona Plantation, Dela Brooke Plantation, Deep Falls, White Marsh Manor, GU272 Descendants Association, James Madison's Montpelier, Concord House Museum and the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference.
- Descendants are involved in the Big Conversation.
- In August 2024, our Descendants will be involved in a first of its kind archaeological study of our Slave Dwelling which will aid in the interpretation of this unique building.
The Descendant Project is formally launched during the Slave Dwelling dedication to Trustee Emeritus and Sotterley Descendant Agnes Kane Callum.
The Slave Dwelling exhibit awarded the Maryland Preservation.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Nu Zeta Omega Chapter recognised Descendants at the Martin Luther King Day of Service at St Mary's College of Maryland for our work as a 'Community Connecting Link'.
Descendants and Common Ground programs awarded the 2021 Free Press Prize for Leadership by the Underground Railroad Free Press.
Descendants asked to speak at the 2021 Slave Dwelling Project conference.
Descendants asked to speak as a panel at the American Alliance of Museums Conference in Boston.
Descendants attended the Maryland Estonian Exchange Council, Inc delegation visit establishing a sister city link between St Mary's County and the Parnu County in Estonia.
Two Descendants participated in the first Descendant Community Social Lab at Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
The program today
Descendants are presenters in our Common Ground programming, and their willingness to share their stories allows for a more personal connection to, and understanding of, the realities of our shared past. Descendants have their own private Facebook page, allowing them to strengthen their ties to Sotterley and to each other.
Our Descendants serve on many of our volunteer committees and take leadership roles in our Interpretative and programming decisions.
Whether you know you are descended from Historic Sotterley’s people or suspect you might be, you are welcome to join our Descendants’ Registry, visit and keep in touch.
Sotterley Descendants Portrait Project: Sharing our Common Humanity
Artist Nicole Stewart has embarked on a two-year journey to paint as many registered Sotterley descendants as possible (somewhere between 50 and 100) for upcoming museum exhibitions. (Dates and locations of exhibitions to be announced.)
You can follow Nicole Stewart on this journey on her social media below.
If you would like to support this project to help pay exhibitions costs, you can do so through the following QR code or by clicking this link. Anything not used for in-state or out-of-state exhibitions will revert to Historic Sotterley general funds.
