HOLLYWOOD, Md. — Historic Sotterley announced the launch of “The Kane Family: Slavery to Freedom at Sotterley,” a new book compiling and editing the research writings of genealogist Agnes Kane Callum, with Dave G. Brown serving as compiler and editor. The publication preserves Callum’s extensive documentation of her family’s history tied to the plantation, where her paternal grandfather, Henry Kane, was born enslaved in 1860.
The book became available in late December 2025, with the announcement appearing in local reports around December 22, 2025. It collects Callum’s original writings on the Kane family, presented in her wording, supplemented by Brown’s added context, commentary, and post-passing findings. Two forewords come from her descendants: her daughter, Agnes Lightfoot, and her cousin Gwendoline Bankins, who serves as the current President of Historic Sotterley’s Board of Trustees.
Callum, born February 24, 1925, in Baltimore and passing July 22, 2015, at age 90, traced her roots to Sotterley Plantation in St. Mary’s County after discovering her grandfather’s enslavement there. This revelation initiated decades of research that documented not only her lineage but also the histories of hundreds of descendants from enslaved individuals at the site, now spread worldwide. She published works including “Kane-Butler Genealogy: History of a Black Family” in 1979, multiple pamphlets, and 25 volumes of the genealogical journal “Flower of the Forest,” named for a St. Mary’s County land tract owned by related family members for nearly 125 years. Her contributions extended to the “Slavery to Freedom” educational program at Sotterley, based on her research into slave life on the plantation.
Brown stated, “My purpose for this book is to preserve the one family story that has been documented about the lives of enslaved people at Sotterley. Given the passage of time and the difficulty of documenting slave family histories, it seems unlikely that the story of another of the dozen enslaved families at Sotterley will be researched as Agnes Kane Callum did her family. So, preserving the Kane family story is important.”
Brown, a former decade-long member of Historic Sotterley’s Board of Trustees, has authored several books on the plantation, including “Sotterley: Her People and Their Worlds: Three Hundred Years of a Maryland Plantation,” “George Plater of Sotterley,” and “The Barber Family: From Slavery, Through Segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement.” His work focuses on interpreting and documenting the stories of people associated with Sotterley, emphasizing enslaved individuals and their descendants.
Callum joined Sotterley’s Board of Trustees in the mid-1990s, later named Trustee Emeritus in 2012. She was a founding member of the Baltimore Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (renamed the Agnes Kane Callum chapter in 2007), a columnist for The Catholic Review on colonial Maryland and African American history, and a founding member of the Commission to Coordinate the Study, Commemoration and Impact of Slavery’s History and Legacy in Maryland. In 2008, St. Mary’s College of Maryland awarded her an honorary doctorate in history, and in 2014, she entered the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame. The 1830s slave cabin exhibit at Sotterley was dedicated to her memory in 2017, recognizing her role in fostering descendant connections and interpretive programs.
Sotterley Plantation, located in Hollywood along the Patuxent River, spans centuries from its origins in the colonial period through the tobacco era, slavery, and post-emancipation changes. The site, preserved as a historic museum, incorporates descendant voices in its narrative, influenced significantly by Callum’s pioneering efforts. Her research aided restoration projects, including efforts to save structures like the original slave cabin, and supported educational initiatives that connect visitors to the lives of those who labored there.
The book serves as both preservation effort and memorial, highlighting the challenges of tracing enslaved family histories due to limited records and the passage of time. It underscores Sotterley’s evolution in storytelling, shifting to include fuller accounts of enslaved people and their descendants.
“The Kane Family: Slavery to Freedom at Sotterley” is available exclusively through Historic Sotterley for $20 in person at the office or shipped for a fee by emailing officemanager@sotterley.org. This availability supports the organization’s mission to educate on the plantation’s full history, including its African American heritage.
