Charles Thomas Morehouse Oliver was ushered into this world at 7:14 AM on Thursday April 14, 1805, the fourth child and only son of Sir Thomas and Lady Oliver. He was immediately given the name of his paternal grandfather Sir Charles Oliver, Earl of Northumberland.

The attending physician, Dr. Howard Riley had been sent for at 5 AM, and soon thereafter horses hoofs could be heard on the cobbled streets of foggy old London as the good doctor made his way to the Oliver estate. Dr. Riley was met at the entrance by Olivia, the family’s maid, whom he found had everything in readiness for the baby’s birth. The delivery had gone smoothly and soon Dr. Riley found himself drinking a toast with the grateful Sir Thomas.

Five days later the vicar Dean Richards and Mrs Richards would visit the Oliver home, Mrs Richards excited to see the new baby and have tea with Lady Oliver, The Vicar to discuss plans for the child’s baptism on Whitsuntide.

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A sailor poked his head around the door of the captain’s cabin, “the wench just had her baby, a boy, she’ll fetch a good price when we get to America”. The captain of the Sarah Marie grinned, “aye that she will, did you give her some rags to cover him with? We don’t want him coming down with a cold before the auction“.

Anna held her baby tightly in her arms. She didn’t understand what these men were saying anymore than the other seventy or so other men, women and children who were being held in chains onboard the Sarah Marie. Out of nowhere these men had appeared and now she had no idea where they were, only that they had been onboard the ship for what seemed like weeks. She had been afraid that they would take her baby, but the men actually seemed pleased, and even treated her and the baby with something akin to kindness.

Three days later they arrived in America, where the blacks were sold at a public auction. As Anna and her baby were being led away by a man from the deep south, cotton country, he yelled back “have these two got a name”? The man on the stage stopped for a second, “we call the wench Anna, you can call the boy Tom, if you don’t mind wastin’ the name on a slave”.