In 2022, the Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church approached the McKinney Center about a state historic marker in honor of John, Peg, Edward, Larking, and Rhonda Ford, their fight for freedom and the inheritance that was left to them by their father and enslaver Lloyd Ford, Sr. This ask grew into a partnership that resulted in a Neighborhood Story project grant from Humanities Tennessee.

Members of the Neighborhood Story Project researched the history behind the Ford vs. Ford court case. After Lloyd Ford, Sr. died in 1843, he left most of his large estate to his enslaved children. He also freed them. His other children, led by Lloyd Ford, Jr., contested the will and the freedom of their formerly enslaved half siblings, and the case went all the way to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Phoebe Stuart served as “Next Friend” on behalf of John Ford and his siblings since they were not allowed to testify in court. After several court dates and appeals, the five African American Ford children won their freedom and their inheritance in 1850.

The “Freed African Americans Win First Inheritance Suit” historic marker will be unveiled at the Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Emancipation Day, Thursday, August 8 th at 11:00 am. The church is located at 136 Bob Jobe Road in Gray, Tennessee. The church is located adjacent to the original Ford property. Following the unveiling, there will be a small reception hosted by the church. The McKinney Center invites the public to come and honor the legacy of John, Peg, Edward, Larking, and Rhonda Ford. This was a pivotal moment not only in Washington County’s history, but also in the history of the state and country. This project and marker were funded through a grant from Humanities Tennessee. Emancipation Day recognizes the day that then Vice President Andrew Johnson manumitted his enslaved people on August 8, 1863.