New novel explores Charlotte’s 1880s history, Civil War through enslaved narrator’s eyes

Savannah, Charleston and New Orleans – the South’s most-storied cities – claim prominence in so much historical fiction about the region.

Now Charlotte takes a rare role as a setting for a mid-19th Century novel, one thick with themes of war, servitude and perseverance.

In “Unbound Gifts,” Henry, who later goes by Henry Freeman, is an enslaved youth whose unusual mental ability lifts him from the plantation to a home on North Tryon Street and ultimately the grim rigors of the Civil War.

This debut novel by Doug Young of Cornelius benefits from an intriguing storyline and meticulous research into 1800s society, local landmarks and even medical practices.

Young, who spent his career in medical research and has a PhD in cellular biology, spent six years diving into archives ranging from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room to the Library of Congress to achieve the factual detail he wanted.

“I wanted to be accurate,” Young told the Charlotte Observer. “As scientists, we used to joke that when you graduated, doing research was what you knew best.”

Among the Charlotte landmarks with cameos in the story are First Presbyterian Church (where Blacks were restricted to the balcony), Mecklenburg Iron Works, the old Uptown gold mines, and the sprawling Mansion House Hotel.

Some of Charlotte’s more prominent citizens, such as William Phifer, also are featured in the book. Many believe Pfifer’s home on North Tryon Street was the site of the last Confederate Cabinet meeting.

Henry Freeman is the narrator of his story, telling it chronologically from his perspective in 1888.

His mother was a root doctor on the plantation, harvesting plants with medicinal applications that she would minister to other enslaved persons.

She passed on this knowledge to her son and counseled him never to reveal that he possessed a powerful photographic and aural memory because people might conclude it was dangerously unnatural.

But one day his talent was discovered, and the plantation’s owner, a Charlotte doctor named Robert Parker, took him from his mother at age 6. Intrigued by Henry’s intellect, he raised him in the family’s house where Henry did chores, mixed medications in the laboratory and served as playmate to the doctor’s cruel son, Matthew Parker.

Freeman came to believe that Dr. Parker liked having him around because he was intrigued by his talent.

“As an avid collector and natural scientist, he was fascinated by my abilities,” says Henry Freeman in quote pulled from the novel. “In the end, I believe I simply became another of his curiosities.”

Civil War rigors

In 1861, MatthewParker enlists to fight for the Confederacy, first with the 1st N.C. Volunteers and later with the 11th N.C. Regiment. Freeman is sent along as his body servant.

However, the younger Parker is injured during battle and ultimately dies at Gettysburg from his wounds. He survives long enough to have a good talk with Freeman and signs papers ending his enslavement

After burying Matthew at Gettysburg, the newly freed Henry flees to Philadelphia, where takes and officially begins using his last name.

There he meets abolitionist Robert Purvis, who recognizes Henry’s brilliance and enrolls him at the Ashmun Institute, one of the first schools of higher education for Black students in the nation.

After the war, Freeman struggles to decide whether to remain in Philadelphia or return to North Carolina in search of his mother.

His journey may leave readers with a realization that nags two centuries later: How many people could have achieved greatness if only their special talents had been recognized and they were given the opportunity to develop them?

About the novel

“Unbound Gifts”

Doug Young

405 pages

A.K. Classics, $19.95

Release: Sept. 24, Amazon