Cross-posted from the AfriGeneas Forum

Posted By: Art Thomas
Date: Sunday, 18 September 2005, at 2:43 p.m.

Ready for a long story? Okay, here goes.

I’m looking for AA families surnamed LaForce, or have the LaForce surname in their ancestry. My LaForce ancestors were captured in the battle of Martin’s Station, Ky ( June 1780) during the Revolutionary War. They were the slaves of Rene and Agnes Moseby LaForce. Follwing that raid they (ancestors) were taken to Canada and dispersed among the British loyalists and the Native Americans, primarily the Shawnee Tribe.

I’ve been in contact with descendants of Rene and Agnes LaForce and have actually met them at a ‘Gathering’ of descendants of the captives from the Martin’s Station raid..

The LaForce family was released by the British in 1783 and returned to KY. I now find in the 1860 Census an AA family of LaForce’s living in Indiana that were originally from KY, with the matriarch, Winnie, a 77 y/o, her son Nelson, his wife, Mary, and children, Harriett, Fielding + Mahala (twins), Charles, Calvin, David, Elizabeth, Douglas & Mary J.. These AA LaForce’s are FPOC’s.

Could Winnie be a descendant of the slave family that was captured in 1780? Did the LaForce’s acquire ‘new’ slaves following their release by the British? When, Why and How did the AA LaForce’s become FPOC’s and migrate from KY to IN? These are questions I’m asking the AfriGeneas family to help me solve.

For more detail on my LaForce ancestors take a look at the Related Files Section of my FTM Home Page , URL below, and the file titled “LaForce Efforts to Recover Slaves”

Thanks for listening and any help/suggestions provided will be greatly appreciated.

Art Thomas