History Forum / General / General Topics / December 2006

Uncle Jeff's Cabin and Judith's Creek

Uncle Jeff was an elderly Black man who lived in a cabin just past the
bridge on Trent's Ferry Road in Lynchburg, Virginia that crossed
Judith's Creek, which now marks the border between the City of
Lynchburg and Bedford County. To reach the cabin, one needed to cross
the bridge and then turn right onto Fox Hill Road. The cabin would be
on a hillock to the immediate right.

Uncle Jeff had been born into slavery and he had lots of children,
grand children, great-grand children and great-great-grandchildren,
more than a hundred in all, who could always be seen around the cabin
every time I drove past.

The cabin has since been demolished. I believe that his descendants
still live on the land or in the immediate vicinity, which is now a
wealthy, high-class area where the rich people live.

I never got to meet Uncle Jeff, because he was already more than one
hundred years old when I lived near there and he never left the house.
I do not know when he died but he was still alive in 1962 when I went
off to college.

In researching the lives of the slaves of Thomas Jefferson, it has
occurred to me that Uncle Jeff might have had something to do with
Thomas Jefferson, hence the name Uncle Jeff.

Also, Thomas Jefferson kept some of his slaves at a place named
Judith's Creek. This is mentioned on page 7 of the Farm Book by Thomas
Jefferson as "Judith's Creek or Dunlora". Thomas Jefferson had nine
slaves there.

However, the Judith's Creek is several miles long. It empties into the
James River less than a mile from Uncle Jeff's former cabin. It is not
clear exactly where Thomas Jefferson kept those nine slaves. Does
anybody know?

Sam Sloan