Discussed will be Tabitha Arbuckle of the Virginia Shore, Mary Willing Byrd of a James River plantation, Mary Bolling, owner of Petersburg’s tobacco warehouses, and Sarah Jones of the Southside, who urged her husband to give up his slaves. The war brought upheaval to these women’s lives, forcing them to take on new roles. Two of them suspiciously remained when British generals used their homes as their headquarters. Another enjoyed British imports while they lasted, while the final one was the siren of Methodist itinerants, causing one to have himself castrated.

This program is for adults.