Black residents made up over half of the population at the town of Appomattox Court House in 1860. This small village of less than 200 residents would serve as the stage upon which one of the most important events in American history unfolded. The events of April 8-12, 1865 that occurred there made "Appomattox" a household name. Another name made famous by those events was Wilmer McLean- the “poor farmer' who “escaped” Manassas to settle down at quiet, quaint Appomattox Court House only to have the Civil War show up on his doorstep before he showed it into his parlor that Sunday afternoon in 1865. Yet, the names of the men and women who swept that doorstep, who tidied the parlor before the generals were shown in, who minded the house and the children and the affairs of the McLean family- these enslaved women and children; their names have gone unspoken, unknown. Until recently. After years of research by descendants and Appomattox Court House Park Staff- some of the names of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived in this historic site can be said. They are known. One was Betsy. Betsy Love Stewart was born enslaved at Bloom’s Grove in Prince William County Virginia about 1832. From historical records such as censuses and the Virginia Slave Birth Index, it appears that Betsy had at least 5 children: Lucy born circa 1851, John born July 5, 1856 Henry Eugene born 1859, William born 1866 and Fannie born 1869. In recent years, it has been discovered that Virginia McLean and family, lived in Lunenburg County, Virginia for a short while before landing in Appomattox Court House. Lunenburg County Personal Tax records for 1863 identify the household of "McLain, Wilmoth"- Wilmer Mclean. The McLean family was taxed for 9 enslaved souls assigned a value of $5,500, and one clock valued at $50. Betsy married Henry Stewart, a formerly enslaved man born in Lunenburg, County around 1835. Following the war, Henry and Betsy moved into Lynchburg where Henry worked as a brakeman on the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio railroad. Henry died in a tragic accident on the railroad in 1874. From Appomattox, Betsy’s children went on to live, thrive and prosper in Lynchburg, New York, Boston. Mary Ann was another enslaved woman in the McLean home. Mary Ann had at least 3 children: a daughter born October 5, 1853 whose name is yet unknown to us, Maria born about October 30, 1856, and Rachael born 1858.