Venus

Venus was the caretaker for David and Mira’s children.  Like 11 other enslaved men, women, and children, Venus was auctioned at the 1844 estate sale.  According to Robert Vance, Venus carried baby Hannah, the youngest Vance child, to the auction block and declared that anyone who bought Venus would take her child.  With no contest from anyone in the crowd, Mira Vance repurchased Venus from her husband’s estate for $1.  While the truth of this family legend is unclear, we can verify that Mira did purchase Venus for $1.

Unfortunately, we do not know much else about Venus.  She may have had children of her own or spent all her life raising her future enslavers.  We also do not know when she was born or whether any of her family members were enslaved in the Reems Creek Valley.  Since she does not appear on the 1850 slave schedule for Mira Vance, it is assumed that Venus died sometime between 1844 and 1850.