The James Monroe
and Emily (Byrd) Lee Family

This exploration of the Lee Family's experiences is rooted in the family's archival and genealogical research, oral history, and photographs, among other sources. This history centers the voices of the Lee family through oral history excerpts, as well as direct quotations from the family's history compiled in the 1998 Lee Family Reunion Souvenir Booklet, written by Lt. Col. George R. Lee with research by Ms. Rosa Lee. Direct quotations are from this booklet, unless otherwise stated.

Read on to explore the Lee Family's resilience and fortitude as they endured slavery, dispossession from their land and livelihoods by the U.S. Navy, and the harsh realities of the Jim Crow South.  Click here to learn more about the Lee family's research and how they have commemorated their family's legacy through art and music.

James Monroe Lee
Photo Courtesy: Lee Family

Mr. James Monroe Lee 

James Monroe Lee exhibited great resilience amid adversity throughout his lifetime. He was born into slavery to David and Flora/Floria (Collins/Collier) Lee circa August 1840. According to oral histories and the family's genealogical research, James Monroe and his brother, David (born May 1830), may have been enslaved on the Tinsley Farm Plantation, along the York River near Williamsburg and Yorktown, Virginia, although family historians continue to research these connections. When asked who had enslaved James Monroe Lee, descendant Alexander Lee explained, "I never knew, he never talked much about the master, but his master taught him a trade of carpentry and boat building. He did both." According to descendants Harris and Alexander Lee, David appears to have escaped from slavery and was living in Massachusets before the Civil War began, although he would never talk about how he had escaped, not even to his brother James Monroe.

Descendant Harris Lee Sr. recalled that, with the onset of the Civil War, James Monroe Lee was forced to fight for the Confederacy. Living in MA, David joined the Union forces, and Harris Lee Sr. explained in a 1976 oral history that the brothers "fought against each other in the same battles." Despite the traumas of enslavement and war, James Monroe Lee forged a new life following Emancipation and established himself as a skilled carpenter and active community member in the Reservation. David returned to Virginia and also lived in the Reservation.

Sources: Alexander Lee (1984:18); Harris Lee (1976)



Emily Byrd 




Emily Byrd was born in 1842 to Adam Byrd (born 1826) and Mourning Byrd (born 1815) and lived in upper James City County, now known as the Toano/Croaker region. She had two sisters, Sarah "Sallie" Byrd (1841-1919), who married Benjamin Davis (1848-) and Rebecca Byrd (born 1844), who married John Boswell (1830-) and one brother, Edwin F. Byrd (born 1849), who married Mary Ellen Fleming (1861-). 

As a young woman, Emily had a relationship with Mr. Samuel Minkins, who was known for his strength, size, and strong character. Samuel was enslaved and thus not allowed to legally marry; yet Emily and Samuel still built a family amid this adversity and had one child, Alexander Minkins. Their family, however, was soon torn apart when Emily's husband was traded for a grinding organ after beating his taskmaster and was taken further south. Despite this tragedy, the family's ties endured as Alexander carried the Minkins name throughout his life.

Building a Livelihood and Community on the Reservation

James Monroe Lee and Emily Byrd Minkins married on December 5, 1867. According to 1976 and 1984 oral histories from Mr. Harris Lee Sr., James Monroe first found work, likely as a sharecropper, on the Helm Farm after Emancipation. As Harris Lee explains, "there was forty men living off this farm--the farm and the river: fishing, oystering, clamming, and so forth. The only way they had of making a living" (Lee, Harris, 1984, pg 1). On the Helm farm, James Monroe and Emily started to raise a family. 

When Mr. Helm died, his son, Gustav, decided "they had to get off there - he made them get off and get out and get something for yourselves" (Lee, Harris 1984:2). According to Mr. Harris Lee, Sr., this is how James Monroe accessed his first piece of land, likely during the 1880s. Gustav Helm, whose farm was "hundreds of acres," "gave them all a piece of land"  of about 3-4 acres each (1984:2). With land and freedom, James Monroe and Emily built a life and livelihood togther. Together, they raised Alexander Minkins and were further blessed with one daughter and four sons.

James Monroe Lee and Emily Byrd's Marriage Certificate, 1867.
Courtesy: The Lee Family

Descendants Mrs. Redell King, Mrs. Everlean Thompson, and Mrs. Lucille Minkins recall Emily Byrd and Monroe Lee had nicknames.
Source: Oral History collected by Molly Robinson, April 26, 2022, The Village Initiative Collection.

A Carpenter for His Community 

Like many formerly enslaved residents on the Reservation, James Monroe Lee practiced the trades he learned during enslavement but now to enrich his own family and community, rather than that of his enslaver. He was a carpenter and boat builder who contributed his skills to the betterment of his family and the community. 

Grandson Harris Lee Sr. (b. 1908) recalled that James Monroe built homes for his children and canoes they could take onto the water and build careers as oystermen: "The market folks would be out in the river to buy [oysters], so all they had to do was catch them, put them on his little boat, and that’s another thing, too; my granddaddy built them a 32’ canoe for each one of them boys." James Monroe was able to make a good living through carpentry, as Harris Lee Sr. remembers: "He made good money carpentering because he built a lot of homes in through here" in the Reservation community.

Another grandson, Alexander Lee, recalled James Monroe's skills in a 1991 oral history: "My grandfather was a carpenter. His brother [David] was a painter and a sailor. He could build boats and sail boats. My grandfather...built houses, and he carpented until his death in 1917." 

St. John Baptist Church, 1884, located in the Reservation community
Courtesy: The Lee Family

Wood planer owned and used by James Monroe Lee
Courtesy: Allen Stephens and Betty (Lee) Martin

James Monroe Lee's initials carved into his wood planer
Courtesy: Allen Stephens and Betty (Lee) Martin

Family documents recall that James Monroe "built coffins for children and those who could not afford factory-made coffins. He provided this service to the Black community until his death.” James Monroe Lee also used his skills to build the initial St. John Baptist Church in 1884. In a 1988 news article, Grandson Alexander Lee recalled James Monroe's contributions to St. John Baptist Church: "My grandfather went into the woods and cut the logs for the church." Family oral histories demonstrate that James Monroe passed his carpentry skills, financial autonomy, and dedication to community down to future Lee generations.

Descendants Curtis Lassiter, Christine James, and Mary Lassiter speak about David and James Monroe Lee's skills and trades.

Oral History, April 24, 2022, The Village Initiative Collection

"A Mover and a Shaker"

James Monroe Lee was "a mover and a shaker", as described by descendent Mary Lassiter. He was "a man of faith" who used his skills, position, and knowledge to build community and establish autonomy. Records from St. John Baptist Church suggest that James Monroe was one of the church's first deacons, setting a long-standing legacy for Lee family involvement in St. John Baptist, which continues today. When the church's mortgage was foreclosed, James Monroe Lee "put his home at stake for its debt because of his love for the church." Despite the hardships and barriers he encountered, James Monroe Lee continued to sacrifice and dedicate himself to his community.

In addition to his role as a church leader, James Monroe Lee was also a "mover and a shaker" with regards to his understanding of the legal system. Despite growing up enslaved when it was illegal for him to learn to read and write, grandson Harris Lee Sr. realled that James Monroe was literate and used his skills to navigate the legal system. For example, in the property deed below, James Monroe Lee used the legal system to secure title to land that was in dispute with a neighbor, Jacob Holmes.

Property Deed, May 3, 1898
Courtesy: Bernie Vaughan

In this oral history, his descendants (L to R), Curtis Lassiter, Christine James, and Mary Lassiter, demonstrate how James Monroe Lee used his knowledge and intelligence to acquire resources and establish self-sufficiency. 

Courtesy: The Village Initiative Collection

Emily passed away on August 25, 1905. As the family history explains, "James Monroe Lee remained on the Reservation and lived with his daughter and sons until his death on October 25, 1917," just a few years before his family would be forced to relocate. James Monroe is buried in the Cheesecake Cemetery in the Reservation.

James Monroe Lee, Probate papers, listing sons William M. Lee, Humphrey Lee, and John H. Lee as administrators of his estate
Courtesy: Bernie Vaughan
Source: Ancestry.com. Virginia US Wills and Probate 1652-1900

James Monroe Lee's Death Certificate
Courtesy: The Lee family

James Monroe's family would be forced to move just a few years later when the U.S. government took their land. At this time, James Monroe's estate included 21.5 acres of land, which the U.S. government valued at $1256.00.

Their Children

It was James Monroe and Emily's children who were in the prime of their adult lives when they were forced by the U.S. Navy to move from their homes, livelihoods, and community. As the family recalls, "they shared and helped each other to rebuild when forced from the Reservation." 

The Lee family explains how this generation of Lees built "the foundation of the Lee's values and traditions," despite their displacement from the Reservation. "During this generation, the family witnessed the turbulence as the country fought World War I (1914-18), they struggled as the nation encountered its worst economic depression, and they again survived the impact as the country entered another war, World War II. In addition to these hard times, the second generation of Les, like other Black families, lived through a period of witnessing a steady decline in the racial climate of America. They were faced with the enforcement of Jim Crow laws, open KKK activities, and routine injustices by the courts, education, and employment systems." 

"This generation of Lees survived, just as their parents survived the ordeal of slavery."

Click on the photos below to learn how James Monroe and Emily's children rebuilt their livelihoods and community after their displacement from the Reservation.

1880-1950

Sources: