Reopening of James A. Fields House

Saturday, January 1, 2022

1-3 pm

James A. Fields House

617-27th Street

Newport News, Virginia 23607

 

Fields Descendants Visit Home of Their Ancestors

On Saturday, September 12, 2015, several descendants of James A. Fields (1844-1903) and his wife Carrie (1860-1956) visited their ancestral home at the historic James A. Fields House, 617-27th Street in Newport News, Virginia.

Fields Family, descendants Dr. Sterling Fields, who was the eldest son of James A. and Carrie Fields.

 

Dr. Saundra Cherry, owner of the Fields House shares how her husband, Gregory Cherry, renovated the Fields House.

 

Ajena Rogers, a great-great granddaughter of James A. and Carrie Fields updates the Fields family tree.

 

 

Flight to Freedom Performance at Hampton History Museum

Flight to Freedom

Excerpts from Flight to Freedom Program

Ajena Rogers, a descendant of James A. Fields and Drusilla Pair, Genealogy Researcher and Local Historian, will be presenting “Flight to Freedom” for the College of William and Mary's Lemon Project on Friday, March 15, 2013 at 6:00 PM. The event will be held at the Bruton Heights School in Williamsburg, VA. Here are some clips from their performance we did at Fort Monroe last August. Rogers and Pair will be presenting “Flight to Freedom” again May at Fort Monroe and again at the Hanover County, VA Tavern in November. We are extremely excited particularly about the tavern engagement because her ancestor Martha Fields worked there as a Cook when she was enslaved by the Winston family.

Flight to Freedom Program at Fort Monroe

Genealogist Drusilla Pair (left) and Fields descendant and Park Ranger Ajena Rogers  (right)  presented the "Flight to Freedom Program" at Fort Monroe on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

Flight to Freedom:  The Fields Family and Freedom's Fortress program was conducted at Fort Monroe on Saturday, August 11, 2012 with Ms. Drusilla Pair, genealogical researcher and Park Ranger, Ms. Ajena Rogers, historical interpreter and a Fields family descendant.  The program was a dramatic interpretation of the Fields family’s escape from enslavement in Hanover County, VA to freedom at Fort Monroe, VA during the Civil War.  

On August 12, 2012, The Virginian Pilot Newspaper published an article about the Flight to Freedom Program:  "Descendant Chronicles Life of Slave at Fort Monroe."  

 Drusilla Pair waiting for her cue.

Ajena Rogers portraying her ancestor, Martha Ann Berkeley Fields (1813-1891)

Flight to Freedom: The Fields Family and Freedom's Fortress, will be held twice on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM at the historic Fort Monroe by Ms. Drusilla Pair, a local family historian and Ms. Ajena C. Rogers, a descendant of James A. Fields.  Mr. Fields was a part of the first graduating class of Hampton Normal and Agricultural and Institute (now Hampton University) in 1871.  The event is free to the public.

For more information on the Flight to Freedom production, click here to visit this website.