![]() Photo courtesy of Mark Person.īut the place where Person felt his family’s history the most was always Persons United Methodist Church, the church that had been founded by his ancestor who had shown Nat Turner kindness. Persons United Methodist Church, founded in 1838. Many of Person’s ancestors were decorated generals and held other important places in American history. The Person lineage was a long and intricate one, tracing its roots back to the first settlers to come to America from England. After settling into college life his sophomore year and realizing much of the baseball team was in Lambda Chi Alpha, Person took the plunge to become a member.įar before college and Lambda Chi, though, Person’s time was spent researching his family history. Mark Person attended Randolph-Macon College on a baseball scholarship. There he would stay while the rebellion came to life on paper and there too his beloved bible stayed. When finally caught, he surrendered peacefully, confessing everything to a lawyer from the Southhampton County Courthouse. Two of the house slaves hid Lavinia in the cubby in the attic, stashing her away under blankets, ultimately saving her life.įollowing the rebellion, many followers were caught and executed, but Nat eluded capture for two months. However, Lavinia was eight months pregnant and her husband, Nathaniel, was nowhere to be found. They then came for Lavinia Francis, as she was also connected to the Travis family. In the early morning of the rebellion, Nat Turner and his followers started by killing the Travis family (Sally Moore, who was now married to Joseph Travis, was the wife of one of Nat’s owners, Thomas Moore). When Nat witnessed a solar eclipse in August of 1831, he believed it was a sign from above and so he struck. It was because of his devout faith that led to what is considered as “one of the bloodiest and most effective” rebellions in American history. So there, in Persons Mill Pond, Nat Turner was baptized, his bible close at hand. Nat was finally allowed baptismal rights on the land of John Person, where in 1838 he would found Persons United Methodist Church.Īccording to Person, anyone was welcome on his land. He often preached around the county, but was shunned from churches. Through it all, Nat maintained his deep faith. His world became completely different, expected to work in the fields all hours of the day, nothing like the kindness he had known from Elizabeth. When Benjamin passed away, Nat was turned over to his son, Samuel. Early in his life, Nat was given a simple bible from Elizabeth, which he learned to read and cherished for the rest of his life. Though a slave, Nat was believed to have been schooled along with the Turner children. ![]() Nat Turner was born into slavery to Benjamin and Elizabeth Turner in Southhampton County, Virginia. On October 2, 1800, a day like any other, a figure was born who would later play a hand in changing the course of American history. “A Story to be Shared”: The True Story of Nat Turner’s Bible and the Lambda Chi Connection Behind Itįeatured image courtesy of The New York Times
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