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North Carolina families united by shared slave history connect

A man and woman recently discovered a link in their family history. His ancestors were slave owners, and her ancestors were those enslaved.

Posted Updated

By
Bryan Mims
, WRAL reporter
FAIR BLUFF, N.C. — A man and woman recently discovered a link in their family history. His ancestors were slave owners, and her ancestors were those enslaved.

Chandler Worley, 66, was on a tractor readying a corn field at his family's produce farm in Columbus County when his cellphone rang.

On the line was a Fayetteville woman named Christian Worley Proffitt.

"I did the craziest thing," said Proffitt, 22, who spent two years searching Google and Ancestry.com to find out where she came from. "I contacted the descendants of my family's slave owners."

A man and woman recently discovered a link in their family history. His ancestors were slave owners, and her ancestors were their slaves.

Using the name of her third great-grandfather, Proffitt had searched "slavery, Columbus County, 1815." She said she has always loved history but discovered the hard truth when she traced her lineage to an enslaved family at a North Carolina plantation owned by one Elijah Worley.

"When I found out that my family did descend from slaves, it was a lot of anger, naturally -- a lot of resentment," Proffitt said.

Proffitt found Chandler Worley's number and called him to ask if he would mind talking about his ancestors. He said, "No, I'd be happy to talk to you."

"At first it was very nerve-wracking," Proffitt said. "I didn't know if he was going to be angry with me."

"She called me out of the blue," Worley said. "If I can help her, I'm going to help her."

Worley did more than just talk with Proffitt -- on Sunday, he invited her family to walk the land with him.

"I was afraid he was going to be one of those people who just completely brushed it under the rug, didn't want to talk about it," Proffitt said. "But he was the exact opposite -- very helpful, very excited to help. It was as if he was waiting for me to come the whole time -- he had everything ready."

North Carolina families united by shared slave history connect

Worley also welcomed WRAL News reporter Bryan Mims to his 200-year-old house, where he still has the original bill of sale for an enslaved person. Worley also has a list of some individuals who were enslaved on the farm, including ancestors of Proffitt.

He offered to make copies of the documents to share with Proffitt's family.

"I was just filled with so much tranquility, so much serenity," Proffitt said. "That's the best word I can use to describe it. I just felt so much peace. I felt as though I was literally able to walk where my ancestors walked and be able to see what they saw."

This isn't Worley's first reunion. Twenty years ago, descendants of the people enslaved on his ancestors' farm invited him to a family reunion. He was apprehensive at first but said it was a wonderful experience.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a day "when the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." Now, on a farm bearing much fruit, the table is set.

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