Last updated: March 6, 2025
Person
Pap Dandridge aka Uncle Stephen
Courtesy of Stewart Bell Jr. Archives, Handley Regional Library
Quick Facts
Significance:
Formerly Enslaved
Place of Birth:
Unknown
Date of Birth:
Unknown
Place of Death:
Unknown
Date of Death:
Unknown
This African American man was enslaved in the Shenandoah Valley before the Civil War. After emancipation, he chose to remain in the region the rest of his life.
Although the date of this photograph is uncertain, the Stewart Bell Jr. Archives at Handley Regional Library (Winchester, Virginia) approximates it was taken between 1880-1910. The archives describe him as Pap Dandridge, aka "Uncle Stephen". His full identity remains unrecorded. The 1860 census lists an enslaved population of 24,779 in the Shenandoah Valley, which was 20.4% of the total population.
Please contact Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park if you have any more information about this person.