Air Force Veteran Discovers Family History at Sharswood

Fred Miller, an Air Force veteran, bought a white, Gothic Revival-style house near his childhood home in southern Virginia. Seeking ample space for family gatherings, he did not anticipate uncovering hidden aspects of his family’s past.

Unknown to Miller, his new property was formerly a plantation named Sharswood, built in the 1850s by slave-owning relatives who shared his surname. Miller, reflecting on the discovery, told 60 Minutes in 2022, “If I had known there was a ‘Miller Plantation,’ I maybe could have made the connection with the last name Miller and that plantation. But I’d never heard of a ‘Miller Plantation’ or a ‘Miller’ anything.”

Fred’s sister, Karen Dixon-Rexroth, initially encouraged him to buy the property, along with his cousins Dexter Miller and Sonya Womack-Miranda, who conducted extensive research into Sharswood’s history. “Something drew me to knowing the history of this place,” Dixon-Rexroth said to Stahl. “I knew it was an old place from the 1800s, so I started from there, as far as looking at the previous owners, and also any records that were available online.”

Through their investigation and assistance from local historian Karice Luck-Brimmer, the Millers found documents revealing their ancestors were enslaved at Sharswood. Miller remarked, “Since the revelation… I know that when the slaves brought food into the main house, they came up through the basement stairs. And there’s a distinct wear on the basement stairs from years and years of traffic. I’m thinking, ‘Wow, these are my people.'”

During an earlier visit by the 60 Minutes producing team, Dexter Miller questioned Bill Thompson, whose family owned the property for over a century, about the slave cemetery’s location. Thompson pointed it out near a cluster of trees just beyond Fred’s property line, unveiling the likely burial site of their enslaved ancestors.

Lesley Stahl joined Fred, who resided in California at the time, and Karen in visiting the cemetery. “It was heart-wrenching,” Fred Miller shared about seeing the site. “Just to think that all these years of me wondering, and it was right under my nose the entire time, right here.”

Following the airing of the 60 Minutes story, Fred Miller returned to Virginia, establishing the Sharswood Foundation to preserve the slave quarters and cemetery. He also facilitates tours of the house.