African-American group schedules Zoom talk on “White Man’s Paradise”

Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society (MPAAGHS) will conduct a virtual meeting 11 a.m. Saturday, March 13. The meeting will feature a talk by Allison Thomas and Maria Montgomery entitled, “How Gwynn’s Island Came to be Known as the ‘White Man’s Paradise.’ ” Maria Montgomery and Allison Thomas are cousins, linked by enslavement: Allison’s ancestors enslaved Maria’s on Gwynn’s Island in Eastern Virginia’s Mathews County. Currently, Maria lives in Norfolk, while Allison lives in Los Angeles.

Together Allison and Maria have researched the history of the Black families who were enslaved on Gwynn’s Island and those driven off the Island between 1916 and 1920. This flight was sparked by a bar fight on Christmas Eve 1915 involving Maria’s great-grandfather. Allison and Maria wanted to find out what happened and conducted extensive research into court records, land deeds, and genealogical information.