Oats, Will
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Title
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Oats, Will
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Gender
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Male
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Biography
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Will had three sisters and two brothers: Lucy Wilson, Frances Phillips, Alice Branton, Jim Coffey, and Lige Coffey. Lewis Oats and his sister enslaved Will on a 230-acre farm near Monticello in Wayne County, Kentucky. There were six enslaved to Lewis Oats, but it is unclear how many of his family were counted in this number. He lived with his siblings, mother, and grandmother. As a child, Will’s chores primarily included chopping and moving wood and feeding and milking animals. According to Will, they ate well and were clothed well for the weather. He and his family did not learn to read or write, nor did they have a church they could attend. After abolition, Will’s grandmother walked from Monticello to Camp Nelson in Jessamine County (about 68 miles) to obtain freedom papers for herself and her family. Will’s grandmother purchased a house for them. He moved out and eventually moved to Mercer County.
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Member
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Oats family
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Relationship
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Slaveholder(s): Oats, Lewis; unknown Female, Oats