‘Last Seen’: searching for lost family after slavery

Slavery in America ripped a million Black families apart as they were sold, and often resold in the years leading up to the Civil War. After emancipation, desperate mothers, fathers and children placed advertisements in and wrote letters to newspapers looking for their lost loved ones. Many of their searches continued for decades, into the 20th century.

Judith Giesberg has created a digital archive of the ads and letters and highlighted ten of these personal stories in her new book, Last Seen. They are an inspiring testament to the power of family and freedom and cruel realities of slavery.

This week, the lost and found legacy of family separation. Judith Giesberg is a professor of history at Villanova University. Also joining us is Adrienne Whaley, an educator and genealogist.