DOWN.
PARENTS COULD BE JAILED IF THEY REFUSED TO HAND THEIR CHILDREN OVER. WHEN KIDS ARRIVED AT THEIR
SCHOOLS, THEIR TRADITIONAL LONG HAIR WAS SHAVED OFF. IF THEY TRIED TO SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE, THEY WERE OFTEN
PUNISHED. >> THEY PUT ME IN A DARK ROOM LIKE THAT. THEY SHUT THE DOOR.
THEN THEY TAKE OFF THE LIGHT. ALL I HAD TO LOOK THROUGH WAS THIS MUCH LIGHT, LIKE I WAS IN JAIL.
>> SHE SAYS THE ABUSE MANY KIDS IN MUSKOWEKWAN SUFFERED FROM THE CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND NUNS WASN'T JUST PHYSICAL.
>> FATHER JOYAL WAS FOND LG THE GIRLS HERE. THIS USED TO BE A SICK BAY. THEY USED TO HAVE A BED HERE.
>> AND HE WOULD TAKE GIRLS INTO THE BED. >> YES. HE TOOK MY COUSIN.
>> HOW OLD WAS SHE? >> SHE WAS ONLY EIGHT. I GREW UP A VERY, VERY MEAN WOMAN BECAUSE OF ALL WHAT
HAPPENED TO ME. >> YOU LEARNED THAT HERE, YOU THINK. >> YEAH.
>> SHE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE. MORE THAN 150,000 CHILDREN WERE SENT TO RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS, WHICH CANADA'S FIRST PRIME
MINISTER SUPPORTED TO, IN HIS WORDS, SEVER CHILDREN FROM THE TRIBE AND CIVILIZE THEM. FOR MUCH OF THE 20th CENTURY,
THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED THAT MISSION. THIS REPORT AIRED IN 1955. >> THEY LEARN NOT ONLY GAMES AND
TRADITIONS, SUCH AS THE CELEBRATION OF SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY, BUT THE MASTERY OF WORDS. >> THE IDEA FOR THE SCHOOLS CAME
IN PART FROM THE UNITED STATES. IN 1879, THE CARLISLE INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL OPENED IN PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE THIS PHOTO
WAS TAKEN OF NATIVE AMERICAN CHILDREN WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED. THIS IS THEM FOUR MONTHS LATER.
THE SCHOOL'S MOTTO WAS, KILL THE INDIAN, SAVE THE MAN. >> CONSEQUENTLY, OURS WAS, KILL THE INDIAN IN THE CHILD.
>> KILL THE INDIAN IN THE CHILD? >> MM-HM. >> THAT WAS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE HERE IN CANADA?
>> YEAH. >> CHIEF WILTON LITTLECHILD, WHO IS CREE, WAS SIX YEARS OLD, WHEN HE WAS TAKEN TO THIS RESIDENTIAL
SCHOOL IN ALBERTA. THEN, HE SAYS, HE WAS GIVEN A NEW NAME. >> MY NAME WAS NUMBER 65 FOR ALL
THOSE YEARS. >> JUST A NUMBER? >> JUST A NUMBER, YEAH. 65, PICK THAT UP, STUPID.
OR 65, WHY DID YOU DO THAT, IDIOT? >> WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE AT SIX YEARS OLD TO BE CALLED A NUMBER?
>> I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE TRAUMA BEGINS. NOT JUST PHYSICAL ABUSE. PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE, SPIRITUAL
ABUSE, AND WORST OF ALL, SEXUAL ABUSE. >> YOU WERE SEXUALLY ABUSED? >> YES.
I THINK THAT'S WHERE MY ANGER BEGAN, AS A YOUNG BOY. >> CHIEF LITTLECHILD SAYS HE WAS ABLE TO TAKE SOME OF THAT ANGER
OUT ON THE SCHOOL'S HOCKEY RINK. HE WON A SCHOLARSHIP TO UNIVERSITY AND GRADUATED, EVENTUALLY GOING ON TO A
DISTINGUISHED CAREER IN LAW. BUT HIS STORY IS THE EXCEPTION. >> THEY DIDN'T KILL MY SPIRIT, SO I'M STILL CREE.
I'M STILL WHO I AM. I'M NOT 65. MY NAME IS -- THEY DIDN'T KILL MY SPIRIT.
>> IN 2008, AFTER THOUSANDS OF SCHOOL SURVIVORS FILED LAWSUITS, THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT FORMALLY APOLL
APOLOGIZED FOR ITS POLICIES. IT ALSO SET UP A $1.9 BILLION COMPENSATION FUND, AND ESTABLISHED A TRUTH AND
RECONCILIATION COMMISSION THAT CHIEF LITTLECHILD HELPED LEAD. FOR SIX YEARS, THE COMMISSION HEARD TESTIMONY FROM SURVIVORS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. >> AND YOU PUT ME UNDER WATER, SLAPPING ME AND HITTING ME, SLAPPING ME AND HITTING ME AND
PUNCHING ME AND PUNCHING ME AND HOLDING ME UNDER WATER, PULLING MY HAIR. AND I THOUGHT, GOD, SHE'S GOING
TO KILL ME. I'M GOING TO DIE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. >> WE, AS LITTLE BOYS AND LITTLE
GIRLS, WE LOST OUR INNOCENCE. >> IN 2015, THE COMMISSION CONCLUDED WHAT HAPPENED WAS CULTURAL GENOCIDE.
IT IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 3,000 CHILDREN WHO DIED FROM DISEASE DUE TO OVERCROWDING, MALNUTRITION, AND POOR
SANITATION, OR DIED AFTER BEING ABUSED OR TRYING TO RUN AWAY. A GOVERNMENT STUDY IN 1909 FOUND THE DEATH RATE IN SOME SCHOOLS
WAS AS HIGH AS 20 TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. MOST SCHOOLS HAD THEIR OWN CEMETERIES.
AND SOMETIMES, WHEN CHILDREN DIED, THEIR PARENTS WERE NEVER INFORMED. >> IT'S REALLY TRAUMATIC FOR
THOSE FAMILIES WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR CHILD OR RELATIVE IN THE SCHOOLS. >> WHY WEREN'T KIDS WHO DIED AT
THE SCHOOLS, WHY WEREN'T THEY SENT HOME? >> TO SAVE MONEY. >> ARCHAEOLOGISTS DETECTED WHAT
THEY SAID COULD BE 200 UNMARKED GRAVES AT THIS SCHOOL IN CAM CAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA. THERE WAS ONCE A CATHOLIC
CEMETERY HERE, BUT THE HEADSTONES WERE BULLDOZED IN THE 1960s BY A PRIEST AFTER A DISPUTE WITH THE FORMER CHIEF.
>> AND WHAT WERE THESE LISTS FOR? >> A SMALL TEAM OF RESEARCHERS HAS BEEN TRYING TO DISCOVER THE
NAMES OF THOSE CHILDREN BURIED HERE. BUT FOR DECADES, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE CHURCH HAVE BEEN
RELUCTANT TO SHARE THEIR RECORDS. >> DO YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE ALL CHILDREN?
>> WE CAN'T VERIFY HOW MUCH ARE CHILDREN, BUT BASED ON THE RESEARCH WE'RE DOING, A LOT OF THEM WERE CHILDREN THAT WERE
FORCED TO GO TO THE MARYBEL RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL AND DIED THERE. >> THE DISCOVERIES OF THE GRAVES
OPENED DEEP WOUNDS. MORE THAN A DOZEN CHURCHES HAVE BEEN VANDALIZED OR DESTROYED, AND THOUSANDS HAVE MARCHED,
DEMANDING THE POPE APOLOGIZE AND THE CHURCHES OPEN ARCHIVES TO HELP IDENTIFY ANY MISSING CHILDREN.
INDIGENOUS INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE BEGUN CONDUCTING THEIR OWN SEARCHES
USING GROUND PENETRATING RADAR. ARCHAEOLOGIST KISHA SUPERNANT AND TERRY CLARK SAY 35 UNMARKED GRAVES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AT
THE MUSKOWEKWAN SCHOOL. >> THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON THERE. THAT'S NOT NATURAL.
>> WE WERE THERE IN OCTOBER 2021, THEY FOUND WHAT APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER. ACCORDING TO SURVIVOR ACCOUNTS,
CHILDREN SOMETIMES HAD TO DIG THEIR CLASSMATES' GRAVES. >> THE PRIESTS OR THE SCHOOL OFFICIALS WOULD FORCE THE KIDS
TO DIG OTHER CHILDREN'S GRAVES? >> YEAH, CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING 10 OR 11 AND DIGGING A GRAVE FOR YOUR CLASSMATE, WHAT THAT MUST
HAVE BEEN LIKE? >> KISHA SUPERNANT SAYS THE SEARCH FOR UNMARKED GRAVES WILL CONTINUE FOR YEARS.
>> THIS IS VERY EMOTIONAL WORK. IT'S DEVASTATING WORK. IT'S HEARTBREAKING FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.
>> YOU FEEL THAT TOO. >> I DO. OUR COMMUNITIES STILL FEEL THE IMPACTS OF THESE INSTITUTIONS IN
OUR EVERYDAY LIVES. WE'RE WAY OVERREPRESENTED IN CHILD WELFARE AND ADOPTIONS AND FOSTER CARE.
WE'RE WAY OVERREPRESENTED IN THE PRISONS. YOU CAN DRAW A DIRECT LINE WITH THAT TO THESE PLACES.
AND THE PAIN OF THAT THAT HAS BEEN PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. >> I STARTED SCHOOL HERE IN
1958. >> ED BITTERNOSE, WHO'S CREE, UNDERSTANDS THAT PAIN. HE WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD WHEN HE
WAS TAKEN TO THE MUSKOWEKWAN SCHOOL. HIS PARENTS LIVED WITHIN SIGHT OF THE SCHOOL.
AND WHEN HE TRIED TO RUN AWAY, HE SAYS THE PRIEST FORCED HIM TO KNEEL ON A BROOM HANDLE FOR THREE DAYS.
>> I WOULD SIT HERE AND WONDER WHY I COULDN'T BE HOME. >> THAT MUST HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING.
>> YEAH. >> IT WASN'T ONLY ADULTS HE FEARED. SOME STUDENTS THEMSELVES,
VICTIMS OF ABUSE, PREYED ON OTHER CHILDREN. >> WERE YOU ABUSED HERE? >> YEP, ACTUALLY IN THIS ROOM
HERE BY ONE OF THE BOYS. >> IN THIS VERY ROOM? >> THIS VERY AREA HERE. >> LATER, HE SAYS HE WAS ALSO
SEXUALLY MOLESTED BY A SON. WHEN HE LEFT SCHOOL, HE WAS RUDDERLESS AND VIOLENT AND TURNED TO ALCOHOL.
WHEN HE GOT MARRIED, HE SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO SHOW AFFECTION. >> YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT LOVE
WAS? >> NO, NO. I NEVER FELT IT HERE. I DIDN'T START SAYING I LOVED
HER UNTIL WE WERE MARRIED ABOUT 40 YEARS. AND THEN I WAS VERY CAREFUL HOW I SAID IT.
>> YOU DIDN'T SAY TO YOUR WIFE FOR 40 YEARS THAT YOU LOVED HER? >> MM-HM, YEAH. >> HE SAYS HIS LIFE CHANGED WHEN
HE BEGAN REDISCOVERING HIS CREE CULTURE, RAISING BUFFALO AND SHARING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE WITH CHILDREN BROUGHT HEALING
AND FINALLY AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD LOVE. >> YOU CAN SAY THAT NOW? >> I CAN SAY THAT NOW.
AND IT FEELS GOOD. I STILL JOKE WITH MY WIFE ABOUT THAT, DON'T SAY THAT TOO LOUD. >> SO, YOU CAN SAY IT.
YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO SAY IT TOO LOUD. >> YES. UH-HUH.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING. >> THAT'S WHAT SHE SAYS. >> AS FOR LEONA WOLF, HER LIFE
AND THE LIVES OF HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY VIOLENCE AND SUBSTANCE USE.
INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA, SHE SAYS THAT BEGAN THE DAY HER OWN MOTHER WAS SENT TO SCHOOL AT MUSKOWEKWAN.
>> DID YOU SEE THE IMPACT OF THIS PLACE ON YOUR MOM? >> YEAH. >> HOW?
>> BY DRINKING A LOT, BEING MEAN TO ME. AND IT IMPACT US, ME AND MY BROTHER AND MY SIBLINGS.
>> WHAT WAS DONE TO HER, SHE PASSED ON TO YOU. >> TO ME. >> AND WHAT WAS DONE TO YOU AND
OTHERS HERE -- >> WAS PASSED ON TO MY CHILDREN. THIS IS WHY SOMETIMES I GO INTO MY RAGE OF ANGER AND I CRY.
BECAUSE IT WAS DONE TO ALL OF US. BUT IT'S GOING TO STOP NOW. YOU KNOW?
IT IS. >> YOU BELIEVE THAT? >> I'M BREAKING THE CYCLE WITH MY GREAT GRANDCHILDREN.
♪ HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE ♪ >> LEONA WOLF HAS RETURNED TO HER TRADITIONS AS WELL. WALKING THE HALLS OF
MUSKOWEKWAN, SHE BEGAN TO SING "HAIL MARY," A PRAYER SHE WAS FORCED TO LEARN HERE LONG AGO. NOW, SHE SINGS IT HER OWN WAY.
♪ HEY-A, HEY-A ♪ >> THAT'S NOW HOW YOU SANG IT HERE WHILE YOU WERE IN SCHOOL HERE.
>> NOPE. >> YOU MADE PEACE WITH THE VIRGIN MARY SINGING THAT SONG. >> YEAH, AND I MADE PEACE WITH
MYSELF. >>> SINCE OUR STORY FIRST AIRED, POPE FRANCIS TRAVELLED TO CANADA FOR WHAT HE CALLED A PILGRIMAGE.
HE APOLOGIZED AND BEGGED FOR FORGIVENESS FOR THE DEPLORABLE ABUSES INDIGENOUS PEOPLE SUFFERED IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS.
JUST OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAT A GRAND WHITE HOUSE CALLED SHARSWOOD, SILENTLY HOLDING SECRETS FROM THE PAST, WAITING
FOR A NEW OWNER TO UNCOVER THEM. SOUNDS LIKE THE OPENING LINE OF A SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL. BUT AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN MAY
OF LAST YEAR, THIS STORY IS ABOUT A REAL FAMILY AND A REAL HOUSE. THIS COUNTRY'S HISTORY, AND A
MAN WHO FOUND HIMSELF AT THE CENTER OF FAR MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR. THE MAN IS FRED MILLER, A
57-YEAR-OLD AIR FORCE VETERAN WHO WAS LOOKING TO BUY PROPERTY IN HIS VIRGINIA HOMETOWN FOR HIS LARGE █EXTENDED FAMILY'S FREQUET
GET TOGETHERS. HE HAD NEVER HEARD THE NAME, SHARSWOOD, AND YET THIS OLD HOUSE WOULD LEAD HIM ON A
JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY, WITH SURPRISES AND REVELATIONS THAT SEEMED BOTH IMPOSSIBLE AND INEVITABLE ALL AT ONCE.
THESE ARE THE GENTLE HILLS OF VIRGINIA, ONCE PRODUCED MORE TOBACCO THAN ANY COUNTY IN THE STATE.
FRED MILLER GREW UP HERE IN A CLOSE FAMILY THAT LIKES GETTING TOGETHER REGULARLY FOR BIRTHDAYS, FISH FRIES, AND AS
HIS COUSIN ADAM MILLER TOLD US, JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. >> WE PLAY GAMES, A LOT OF FOOD COMPETITIONS.
>> I HEAR THE FOOD IS MAINLY CAKE. >> TOO MANY CAKES. >> FRED'S COUSIN, TONYA MILLER
POPE, AND HIS SISTER, DEBRA COLES, TOLD US IT'S A BIG FAMILY. FRED'S MOTHER BETTY AND HIS AUNT
BRENDA WERE TWO OF 11. >> HOW MANY COUSINS? >> HUNDREDS. >> SO, NO WONDER FRED NEEDED TO
FIND A PLACE. >> EXACTLY. >> FRED LIVES IN CALIFORNIA, WHERE HE WORKS AS A CIVIL
ENGINEER FOR THE AIR FORCE. BUT HE VISITS THE FAMILY IN VIRGINIA OFTEN. >> ONE DAY OUT OF THE BLUE, MY
SISTER TOLD ME ABOUT A BIG HOUSE UP THE ROAD FOR SALE. >> THIS SISTER RIGHT HERE? >> YEAH.
>> KAREN DIXON, FRED'S BABY SISTER, HAD SPOTTED IT. >> ME AND MY MOM WAS RIDING PAST THE HOUSE, AND I SAW THE FOR
SALE SIGN. I SAID, OH, MY GOODNESS, WE HAVE TO GET THIS HOUSE. I SAID, FRED, THIS HOUSE IS FOR
SALE. HE SAID, WHAT HOUSE? I SAID, YOU KNOW THE HOUSE. THE SCARY HOUSE, I CALL IT.
>> THE SCARY HOUSE WAS LESS THAN A MILE UP THE ROAD FROM THEIR MOM'S. THEY PASSED IT EVERY DAY AS KIDS
ON THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL. >> WHAT DID YOU KNOW ABOUT SHARS WOOD? >> ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
>> JUST KNEW IT WAS A BIG HOUSE. >> HE WAS DEBATING, SHOULD WE PUT IN A BID FOR IT? I SAID, YES, ABSOLUTELY.
LET'S DO IT. >> DID SHE TWIST YOUR ARM? >> TOOK ALL THE TWISTING SHE COULD DO.
I DIDN'T WANT TO BUY IT. >> BUT THINKING HIS BID WOULD BE REJECTED ANYWAY, HE MADE AN OFFER OF JUST ABOVE THE $220,000
ASKING PRICE. >> WHY DID YOU THINK THEY WEREN'T GOING TO ACCEPT THE OFFER?
>> WELL, I MEAN, INITIALLY TO ME I THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE I WAS BLACK, THEY WOULD NEVER -- SURELY THEY WOULD NEVER SALE
THIS HOUSE TO SOMEBODY THAT'S BLACK. SO, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO OWN THIS THING, I THOUGHT IT WOULD
NEVER HAPPEN IN A MILLION YEARS. >> SO GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? A MILLION YEARS. >> A MILLION YEARS.
>> YES, YES, ABSOLUTELY. >> SO, IN MAY OF 2020, FRED MILLER PURCHASED THE FULLY FURNISHED HOUSE PLUS TEN AND A
HALF ACRES OF LAND FROM A FAMILY CALLED THE THOMPSONS, WHO HAD OWNED IT SINCE 1917. >> FIRST TIME I DROVE UP TO THE
PLACE. ALL I COULD DO WAS STOP AT THE EDGE OF THE ROAD AND JUST LOOK UP IN AMAZEMENT LIKE, WOW, THIS
IS MINE. >> THIS IS AN ORIGINAL ROOM FROM THE 1800s. >> KAREN SAYS SHE GOT OBSESSED
WITH THE HOUSE, SPENDING NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS ONLINE RESEARCHING ITS SECRETS. >> HIDING SPOTS THEY SAY FROM
THE CIVIL WAR. SO, THEY WOULD HIDE THEIR VALUABLES. >> SECRET HIDING SPOTS.
>> YES, SECRET HIDING SPOTS. >> SHE DISCOVERED THE HOUSE HAD BEEN BUILT AROUND 1850 IN THE GOTHIC REVIVAL STYLE BY A
WELL-KNOWN NEW YORK ARCHITECT. AND SHE LEARNED AND TOLD HER FAMILY THAT ITS NAME HAD BEEN SHARSWOOD.
>> EVERY DAY SHE WAS CALLING ME WITH NEW INFORMATION. I'M LIKE, OH, MY GOODNESS, OKAY. RELAX.
>> ARE YOU EXAGGERATING? >> NO, I'M NOT EXAGGERATING AT ALL. >> BUT THEN KAREN TURNED UP
SOMETHING THAT STUNNED HER. IN THE 1800s, SHARSWOOD HAD BEEN THE SEAT OF A MAJOR 1,300 ACRE PLANTATION, ONE OF THE LARGER
ONES IN THE COUNTY. >> WHAT DID YOU THINK OF YOU OWNING A PLANTATION? >> I WAS A LITTLE BIT -- LITTLE
SHOCKED BY IT, I WOULD SAY, BECAUSE I JUST WANTED SOMEWHERE TO HAVE FAMILY GATHERINGS. >> WHEN I FOUND OUT IT WAS A
PLANTATION, AND I'M LIKE, FRED JUST OWNED A PLANTATION. >> I WAS LIKE, WE OWN IT NOW. WHAT WE GONE DO?
>> SO, IT WAS JUST A FEELING OF POWER. IT WAS JUST A POWERFUL FEELING. >> IT IS.
>> POWERFUL. BUT OF COURSE, PLANTATION IMPLIES SLAVERY. AND BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, THE
COUNTY HELD MORE THAN 14,000 ENSLAVED PEOPLE. THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, JUST UNDER 500,000.
>> I SAID, DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THIS IS? THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE. >> DEXTER MILLER, ONE OF FRED
AND KAREN'S MANY SECOND COUSINS, KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT SHARSWOOD BECAUSE YEARS AGO, HE'D BEEN COWORKERS WITH BILL THOMPSON,
WHOSE FAMILY THEN OWNED IT. BILL JOINED US FOR A CONVERSATION ON WHAT USED TO BE HIS CHILDHOOD PORCH.
>> YOU GREW UP IN THIS HOUSE? >> I DID. THIS WAS MY HOME. >> HE INHERITED MUCH OF THE
FARMLAND AND STILL LIVES UP THE ROAD. HIS SISTER INHERITED THE HOUSE AND SOLD IT TO FRED.
>> YOU KNOW, WHEN FRED WAS BUYING THE HOUSE, HE DID NOT THINK THAT THE HOUSE WOULD BE SOLD TO A BLACK PERSON.
>> WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT, FRED? >> PROBABLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN RURAL VIRGINIA, RIGHT?
>> WELL, THIS IS TRUE. >> FOR YEARS, DEXTER AND ANOTHER SECOND COUSIN, SONYA WOMACK MIRANDA, HAD BEEN TRYING TO
PIECE TOGETHER THE MILLER FAMILY'S ORIGINS, A NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TASK FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS BECAUSE RECORDS ARE
HARD TO COME BY, ESPECIALLY BEFORE 1865. >> IT REALLY WAS A HOBBY. >> IT WAS ADDICTIVE.
IT WAS ADDICTIVE. IT REALLY WAS. >> WE WERE LIKE PRIVATE EYES. >> YEAH.
>> THEY'D BEEN ABLE TO TRACE THE WHOLE MILLER CLAN BACK TO ONE WOMAN. >> IT'S DEXTER'S GREAT
GRANDMOTHER. IT'S MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDMOTHER, SARAH. >> SARAH MILLER.
>> YES. >> THEY HAD FOUND A PICTURE OF SARAH MILLER. >> THIS IS SARAH RIGHT HERE.
>> AND THEY'D GOTTEN HOLD OF HER DEATH CERTIFICATE, WHICH SHOWED THAT SHE'D BEEN BORN IN PITTS VAIN I CAN'T COUNTY IN 1868,
JUST THREE YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR. AND THEY FOUND AN EVEN BETTER RESOURCE, ONE OF THEIR OLDEST
LIVING RELATIVES, A BELOVED FORMER SCHOOLTEACHER NAMED MARIANNE KEYS. MS. KEYS RECENTLY TURNED 90.
>> SARAH MILLER WAS THE MATRIARCH OF THE FAMILY. >> YES, SHE WAS. >> DID YOU KNOW HER?
>> YES, I DID. >> TELL US ABOUT HER. >> SHE WOULD ALWAYS BE OUT THERE WITH A BROOM IN HER HAND AND SHE
WOULD BE WAITING FOR US. >> SHE REMEMBERS HER GREAT GRANDMOTHER, SARAH, AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
>> WHAT SHE WANTED YOU TO KNOW, YOU WERE GOING TO KNOW IT. >> WAS SHE PERSNICKETY, AS THEY SAY?
>> YES. >> DIFFICULT? >> YES. >> STERN?
>> VERY. SHE DIDN'T PLAY. SHE DIDN'T PLAY. BUT WE LOVED HER.
>> BUT THAT'S WHERE MS. KEYES KNOWLEDGE OF MILLER FAMILY HISTORY ENDED. SHE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT
THE GENERATIONS BEFORE EMANCIPATION. >> WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP, WHAT DID YOU LEARN OR HEAR FROM
YOUR PARENTS ABOUT SLAVERY? >> NOTHING. >> NOTHING? >> NOTHING.
THEY DID NOT TALK ABOUT IT. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY WERE AFRAID, WHETHER IT WAS TOO MISERABLE OR PAINFUL OR THEY
WANTED TO FORGET IT. I DON'T KNOW. BUT THEY DID NOT TALK TO US ABOUT IT AT ALL.
AND WE DIDN'T ASK THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. >> WHY NOT. >> WE WERE AFRAID TO.
>> WE HEARD THAT AGAIN AND AGAIN FROM MEMBERS OF THE MILLER FAMILY. >> SLAVERY WASN'T MENTIONED AT
ALL. >> WAS THERE ALMOST A CODE, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT SLAVERY, SO NOBODY DID?
>> IT WAS SOMETHING THAT EVERY BLACK PERSON KNEW YOU DIDN'T TALK ABOUT. THE PARENTS TELL YOU NOT TO
DISCUSS GROWN PEOPLE BUSINESS. THAT'S WHAT THEY TELL YOU. THE FIRST TIME SLAVERY WAS DISCUSSED WAS I GUESS IN THE
'70s WHEN "ROOTS" CAME ABOUT. >> THAT'S THE FIRST TIME? WHEN "ROOTS" WAS ON TELEVISION? DID YOU READ ABOUT IT IN SCHOOL?
>> NOT MUCH. >> HIS FAMILY ALSO REMEMBERS "ROOTS" AS PIVOTAL. >> YES.
>> I THINK THAT'S -- >> THAT'S WHEN WE ALL -- >> THAT WAS AN EYE OPENER. >> EVEN AFTER "ROOTS," YOU
DIDN'T GO AND SAY, WHAT ABOUT OUR FAMILY? >> NO. >> NOT AT ALL.
>> WHAT HELD YOU BACK? >> I JUST DIDN'T THINK THEY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT? >> DIDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW?
>> I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE KNOWN. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE KNOWN. >> FRED'S PURCHASE OF SHARSWOOD WAS ABOUT TO GIVE HIM A CRASH
COURSE IN HIS HOMETOWN SLAVERY ROOTS. IT STARTED WITH A CALL FROM TWO ARCHAEOLOGISTS WHO WANTED TO DO
RESEARCH. >> WE START FROM THE IDEA THAT THESE PLACES MATTER. >> DENNIS POGUE ONCE WORKED AT
MOUNT VERNON, DOUG SANFORD AT MONTICELLO. THEY ASKED IF THEY COULD COME EXPLORE SHARSWOOD.
BUT THEY WEREN'T INTERESTED IN THE ORNATE HOUSE DESIGNED BY THAT FAMOUS ARCHITECT. WHAT THEY CARED ABOUT WAS THE
DILAPIDATED BUILDING WITH THE TIN ROOF PAST THE BIG OAK TREE BEHIND IT. THEY SUSPECTED IT HAD ONCE BEEN
SLAVE QUARTERS. >> THERE WERE ONCE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE BUILDINGS. THESE WERE ONE OF THE MOST
COMMON TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE IN VIRGINIA. >> LET ME GIVE YOU THE DIMENSIONS.
>> BUT NOW THESE BUILDINGS ARE RARE, WITH FEWER THAN 1,500 BELIEVED TO BE STILL STANDING. AND POGUE AND SANFORD STARTED A
PROJECT TO SEARCH FOR THEM. >> SO, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR -- >> FRED AND KAREN INVITED THEM TO COME AND INVESTIGATE.
THEY EXAMINED, MEASURED, AND SEARCHED FOR CLUES. >> YOU CAN SEE THE SIDING IS -- >> THEY SHOWED US SOME OF WHAT
THEY FOUND. >> THESE ARE THE KIND OF NAILS THAT WE EXPECT TO SEE ON BUILDINGS BEFORE 1800.
HAND MADE WROUGHT NAILS. >> HAND MADE. >> YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE HAMMER STROKES ON THE HEAD.
>> IS THIS THE ORIGINAL SIDING? >> THESE ARE REMNANTS OF THE ORIGINAL SIDING, ABSOLUTELY. >> THEY WORKED FROM NOON TO DUSK
AND FINALLY GAVE KAREN AND FRED THEIR CONCLUSION. >> IT'S GOT A COMPLEX HISTORY, BUT WE THINK PART OF THAT
HISTORY, A BIG PART OF THAT HISTORY, WAS A QUARTER FOR ENSLAVED FOLKS. >> THEY SAY IT'S ONE OF THE BEST
PRESERVED THEY'VE SEEN. THEY BELIEVE IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE LATE 1700s AS A HOUSE FOR A WHITE FAMILY.
>> THAT'S WHERE THE ORIGINAL DOOR WAS. >> AND WAS LATER DIVIDED INTO TWO SEPARATE SINGLE-ROOM SLAVE
DWELLINGS. >> TWO FAMILIES? >> YEAH. ONE HOUSEHOLD HERE, ANOTHER
ENSLAVED HOUSEHOLD OVER THERE. >> IT WAS TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. THIS BIG, BEAUTIFUL WORLD HERE. LAVISH.
AND YOU GO RIGHT BEHIND THE HOUSE, AND IT WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY. IT'S KIND OF CRAZY FOR ME JUST
TO EVEN WALK AROUND OUT THERE. >> DO YOU OWN THAT? DO YOU OWN THE SLAVE HOUSE TOO? >> I OWN THE SLAVE HOUSE TOO.
I DO. THAT'S MINE. >> WOW. >> FRED MILLER'S PURCHASE
CONTINUES TO SURPRISE HIS FAMILY AND INTRIGUE HISTORIANS WHEN WE COME BACK.
>>> WHEN FRED MILLER UNWITTINGLY PURCHASED WHAT HE NOW KNOWS TO BE THE SHARSWOOD PLANTATION HOUSE WITH SLAVE QUARTERS BEHIND
IT, HE KNEW VIRTUALLY NOTHING ABOUT HIS FAMILY HISTORY. HE ALWAYS ASSUMED HIS ANCESTORS HAD BEEN ENSLAVED, BUT IT FELT
TO HIM LIKE AN UNKNOWABLE PART OF A DISTANT PAST. LEARNING ABOUT HIS GREAT GRANDMOTHER, SARAH MILLER, WHO
HIS MOTHER HAD KNOWN AS A CHILD, PIQUED HIS INTEREST. SO, WHEN HE FOUND OUT HER HOUSE WAS STILL STANDING JUST A FEW
MILES AWAY FROM SHARSWOOD, HE ASKED HIS MOTHER, BETTY DIXON, TO GO THERE WITH HIM. >> WE'RE GOING TO WALK DOWN
THROUGH HERE. >> EDDIE'S GRANDMOTHER SARAH HAD BEEN THE FIRST OF THE ANCESTORS TO BE BORN INTO FREEDOM SHORTLY
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. >> NO LIGHTS NO, ELECTRICITY. >> BETTY REMEMBERS VISITING AND SPENDING THE NIGHT HERE WITH HER
GRANDMOTHER AND COUSINS. >> WOAH. WHAT IS IT, ONE ROOM? >> SARAH'S HOUSE DIDN'T LOOK
MUCH BIGGER THAN THE SLAVE DWELLING, JUST A SINGLE ROOM WITH A SMALLER ONE ABOVE IT. AND NO INDOOR PLUMBING.
>> COME A LONG WAYS, HUH? >> SURE DID. >> GLAD I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIVE IN HERE.
>> WELL, HAD TO MAKE IT WORK. >> YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS WALLPAPER TO TAKE WITH YOU? >> YEAH.
>> HOPE THE LANDLORD DON'T SAY NOTHING. >> OH, LORD. THERE YOU GO.
>> SARAH MILLER IS BURIED IN THE CEMETERY OF THE CHURCH THE MILLER FAMILY STILL ATTENDS. >> I'M GLAD NOW I CAN ACTUALLY
COME IN AND SEE THIS. >> BUT UNBEKNOWNST TO THIS MILLER FAMILY, JUST FIVE MILES UP THE ROAD IN A DIFFERENT
CHURCH CEMETERY, WAS A TOMBSTONE THAT ALSO READ, MILLER, A FAR OLDER ONE, WITH NAMES FRED AND HIS FAMILY HAD NEVER HEARD OF,
BUT WERE ABOUT TO. IN KAREN'S SEARCH FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SHARSWOOD, SHE FOUND A DOCUMENT THAT MENTIONED
THEM. >> IT GAVE THE NAMES OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS, WHO WERE NATHANIEL CRENSHAW MILLER AND
CHARLES EDWIN MILLER. >> MILLER?
>>> "THE LAST MINUTE" OF "60 MINUTES" IS SPONSORED BY UNITED HEALTH CARE. GET MEDICARE WITH MORE.
>> TONIGHT'S STORIES INVITED US ON A JOURNEY TO REVISIT THE PAST. AS IS TRUE OF SO MANY HISTORY
LESSONS, OUR LOOKS AT BOTH SHARSWOOD AND CANADA'S RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS RESURRECTED PAINFUL AND SHAMEFUL ERAS.
BUT OTHER PARTS OF THOSE STORIES POINTED WAYS TO PROGRESS AND HEALING. THE LATE DAVID McCULLOUGH, WHO
CHRONICLED SO MUCH OF OUR HISTORY WROTE, HISTORY IS WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE ARE THE WAY WE ARE.
WE HOPE TONIGHT'S BROADCAST HAS HELPED ILLUMINATE SOME OF EACH. I'M LESLEY