Mary Chamberlin, who along with her husband Mark owns Hundley Hall in Dunnsville, Essex County, will speak Saturday on her research, “Identifying African-Americans Who Lived and Worked at Hundley Hall.”

Her address will take place at 11 a.m. in a virtual meeting of the Middle Peninsula African American Genealogical and Historical Society.
Chamberlin is researching the families who once called Hundley Hall, built c. 1820, home.

She is exploring the lives of all of Hundley Hall’s inhabitants, not just those who owned the property, but the African Americans who were enslaved there and those who lived and worked there as servants after the Civil War. A release said she will talk about the importance of researching the African-American inhabitants, the challenges associated with this work, and she will share some of her discoveries. Since May of 2023, Chamberlin has chronicled the history of Hundley Hall and the adjacent Hoskins Country Store on her Hundley Hall Facebook page.

Chamberlin is an amateur genealogist who focuses on understanding the lives of the persons she is researching, the meeting notice said. A former small business owner, she currently is a Community Engagement Specialist for The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District.

To receive an invitation for the virtual meeting or for further information about MPAAGHS, email mpaaghs.va@gmail.com or call 804-651-8753.

Mary Chamberlin, at left, will give a presentation Saturday on “Identifying African-Americans Who Lived and Worked at Hundley Hall.” The program on the Essex County home, right, is being held virtually by the Middle Peninsula African American Genealogical Society.