Cool your jets, Jim and others who have knee-jerk reactions.
For the record, I'm white. It is possible that some of my Scots-Irish or Polish progenitors were slaves. It is not an exclusively Black experience. By the way, I have not the foggiest idea WHO William Ellison is/was, but I will correct that soon.
ONE reason Blacks kept slaves was because that was one way to KEEP THEIR FAMILIES TOGETHER.
I don't know where you are, Jim, but you should see if you can stream episodes of two US TV shows that I highly recommend.
The first is Finding Your Roots, which is hosted by Educator Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The second is Who Do You Think You Are? an American genealogy documentary series that is an adaptation of the British BBC series of the same name.
It was episodes of these shows that opened my eyes to why owning a slave can, in some circumstances, be an ACT OF LOVE.
Good luck in your continuing search for answers.