Comingtee Plantation, Fortune Ford

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Description:

Photograph of a Black man identified as Fortune Ford standing in the workyard at Comingtee Plantation. He is wearing a white apron over a long sleeved shirt and dark pants. Printed from a glass plate negative held in the Musuem's archives labeled, "Coming Tee #12 'Fortune Ford' a faithful and beloved servant of the Porcher family."
Gift of the Laura Porcher White Estate.

Edward Ball notes in "Slaves in the Family" that Ford was "probably, the son of Fortune, a field hand on Comingtee in his twenties at the end of slavery."

Laura Porcher White recounts in the "Porcher Family History" book (held in the South Carolina Historical Society), "Fortune worked with the Family first at 'Coming Tee' and later at 'Mulberry' - always a faithful and loyal friend. He had charge of the Diary, skiming [sic] the big pans of milk and churning the butter. In the Basement at Mulberry he made the sausages -- those long links, some mild for the children and red hot ones for the grown-ups.
"He kept the Brasses shinning [sic], fed all the Dogs and chickens, and many, many other plantation things.
"The children were devoted to him, and was so trusted that he had charge of the 'Corn House Key' - an important position on a plantation.
"When Fortune died his family wanted to carry him back to his own family 'Burying ground' at 'Coming Tee.' His family and friends put him on one of the long Rice 'Flats', rowed with long oars, down the cooper with the Tide to Strawberry landing. I wish I could remember how long the journey took, but there were many oars-men and the tide was swift."