Genealogy Data Page 127 (Notes Pages)

Spiers Adam [Male] b. 14 FEB 1797 Prince George Co, Virginia, USA - d. 1864

He was an orchardist and farmer, made cider, vinegar and brandy for family use and that of his special friends. He married twice. His second marriage was late in life. There were no children from this marriage.

"The Confessions of Nat Turner" by William Styron is a fictional account of a
factual event which occurred in August 1831 in Southampton Co., Va. (very close to Sussex and Prince George Counties). Nat Turner, a slave, led a massacre of 55 white people. The people in the area were terriorized by this event. Styron gives an interesting of the farming conditions in this area of Virginia at that time which might be related to Adam Spiers, Jr.. This area was plagued by a severe drought starting around 1825 and lasting for several years. The land in this area was already overfarmed and depleted of essential nutrients. The poor land combined with the drought resulted in vety lean years for crop production (e.g., tobacco). Many of the plantations had been failing before this time. Slaves were sold off and numerous landowners were moving to the deep South (e.g., Alabama, Mississippi). Toward the latter part of the 1820's many farmers turned from raising crops to producing alcoholic beverages, which was a legal enterprise at that time. They built large stills and generated alcohol which they sold in Petersburg and Richmond. This was the sole income for many families at this time.

(DES) - Adam Spiers Jr. may have produced cider and brandy for this purpose.

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