CONNECTIONS - Tell Your Story - Descendants of the Monte Verdi Legacy

In 1841, Julien Sidney Devereux and his wife, Sarah Landrum Devereux, settled in southern Rusk County on what would become a 10,700-acre antebellum plantation known as Monte Verdi. Their odyssey began in Georgia and moved through Alabama before ending in Texas. While much is documented concerning the Devereux’s, less is known about Scott and Tabby, two enslaved persons born in 1792 and 1787, respectively, who were taken, along with their children and grandchildren, on this same journey. The 1856 Probate records of Julien Devereux listed the 80 slaves who served on the estate. After obtaining their freedom in 1865, some, but not all, stayed in the area, working and living in communities on lands formerly part of Monte Verdi.

With the celebrations surrounding the placing of a Texas historical marker in 2018, honoring the Monte Verdi Slave Family Legacy, families were brought together from across the country, and connections were realized. Six women, Aldra Henry Allison, Barbara Spencer Dunn, Jeri Waddell Mills, Patricia Bowens Scott, Brenda Gail Spencer, and Marilyn Williams, conceived the idea of collecting as many stories and artifacts as possible from the community. They called themselves the Monte Verdi 80, and their stories are collected in a book.

What followed were many conversations with God, much tutoring on Word and Canva, multigenerational knowledge, cheerleading, and support, the wisdom of the elders, and the technical skills of the youth. The continued effort to realize the vision and mission agreed upon in 2018 resulted in a beautifully complete compilation of biographies, stories, documents, DNA research, and family histories.

The first edition was printed by Highly Favored Publishing in 2025, and a copy was presented to the Rusk County Historical Commission by one of the original six, Mrs. Marilyn Williams. It currently resides in the Dulin Archives at the Depot Museum and History Center.