I originally published this information about the 1898 Wilmington Massacre in my Family Jewels blog in September 2022. Because of the current political climate and tension that many have been experiencing with this election, I felt that people sometimes need a reminder that history repeats itself.
January 6, 2021 wasn’t the first political riot aimed at overthrowing the party in power. Thoughout American history, riots have happened for various reasons. Contrary to popular belief, rioting was not invented by African Americans; we learned by example. Race riots have scarred America’s past, starting with the treatment of the Native Americans. White supremacists feared Black political and economic power. This fear, arguably stemming from the potential for retribution due to slavery, was real no matter how irrational. Fearing Black control of city and county politcs, whites orchestrated campaigns of violence and intimidation.
Hamburg, South Carolina
The Hamburg Massacre, also known as the Red Shirt Massacre, took place in July 1876. Southern Democrats aimed to regain control of the majority Black Republican district of Edgefield in Aiken County, South Carolina. They sought to suppress Black voting and civil rights through intimidation and violence. The Red Shirts, members of white supremacist rifle clubs, wanted to reclaim control due to “negro rule.” “Negro rule” was Blacks holding city political power through elections and appointments during the Reconstruction era. Several incidents preceded the massacre, including an attack by over 100 Red Shirts on 30 Black National Guardsmen at an armory, the torture and murder of four Black militiamen, and the killing of 100 Black citizens of Ellenton in Aiken County, South Carolina.
Wilmington Massacre
Another similar incident hits closer to home for me— the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. Wilmington, North Carolina, thrived as an integrated port city with a significant Black middle class. The city of Wilmington had a biracial Fusionist government. The Fusionist Party, formed in the 1890s through an alliance between the Populist Party and the Republican Party. It aimed to challenge the Democratic Party’s dominance. The Democratic Party (different from today’s party) enacted policies disenfranchising African Americans and marginalizing poor white farmers. The Fusionists promoted economic reforms, improved public education, and ensured fair political representation for all citizens, regardless of race. In the 1894 and 1896 elections, the Fusionists gained significant political power in North Carolina, leading to the election of a multiracial government in Wilmington.
Fearing the political and economic power of Black citizens, white supremacists conspiredto overthrow the elected government if it didn’t favor them. On November 10, 1898, around 2,000 white men, led by the “Secret Nine” and the Red Shirts, attacked the city. They burned down the office of the Black-owned newspaper, The Daily Record, and expelled Black and white political Fusionist party leaders from Wilmington. The white supremacists ousted those in power, overthrew the city government and installed their own mayor, police chief and other city officials. The violence resulted in an estimated 14 to 300 deaths of Black residents and detroyed proprty in the thriving Black community. The riot displaced thousands of African Americans, most of whom fled north.
The coup transformed North Carolina politics, ushering in more severe racial segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans. In response to this event, North Carolina enacted some of the harshest Jim Crow laws in the country, which persisted until the Civil Rights Movement over 65 years later. It stands as the only successful coup d’état in U.S. history.
To learn more about the 1898 Wilmington Massacre, click these links for History.com and PBS.
Happy Juneteenth! I hope you do something special to celebrate this momentous holiday. This link gives you some suggestions on how to make your Juneteenth special: Juneteenth celebration.
Do you need help with planning your family’s reunion? I’ve got some helpful tips to hold a fantastic and memorable family reunion.
Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter. Make sure you add one or two of these items to your list of summer adventures:
Visit a historic site in your town or in the town, city or state that your ancestor lived
Research your great grandparents and create a narrative to tell their story
Plan a trip to a museum that you’ve always wanted to go to
See what your local library has in their local history or genealogy sections that could help you with your family’s history
SIGN UP FOR THIS MASTERCLASS!
Have you always wanted to research your family tree but didn’t know where to start? Another Genealogy MasterClass is being offered for beginning researchers on Saturday June 3, 2023 from 1pm-2:30pm. Sign up for this class! I promise to keep it interesting and fun. When you sign up, you will receive a free Family Matters Genealogy downloadable workbook. Also, we will have a free AncestryDNA kit giveaway during the class. Only a few days left to register so click here to sign up today!
Researching the 1940 census
There were minor changes from the 1930 census to the 1940 census. The 1940 census deleted the questions about the radio set and the ability to read or write. The 1940 census included more extensive questions about residency and employment. Because the government began focusing on housing, this census asked questions because of interest in the housing market. Columns 17 through 20 asked where citizens lived five years prior to the 1940 census, tracking city and rural living and migration patterns. Columns 21 through 33 tracked employment and (unemployment) status – occupation, professions, business ownership, sources of income, and number of weeks worked.
Several columns shifted to supplemental questions that were answered by those enumerated on lines 4 and 40 only:
Column 15: Age at 1st marriage
Column 19: Father’s Birthplace
Column 20: Mother’s Birthplace
Column 21: Mother tongue
Columns 30 & 31: Veterans information
Looking for Long Lost Relatives?
If you have an interest in researching your family history (and I strongly encourage everyone to do so) and don’t have the time or knowledge to do it yourself, I would be happy to assist. I offer several affordable packages depending on your research needs. If you are an amateur genealogist/family historian, I can create a research plan to guide you in the right direction.
Did You Know That Slavery Existed After Juneteenth?
Before 2021, many people did not know the significance of June 19, 1865, renamed Juneteenth. So when it became a federal holiday, EVERYONE learned the history and why it is celebrated. However, did you know that slavery still existed after this date? Let’s talk about this!
Juneteenth The Holiday
The Emancipation Proclamation declared that on January 1, 1863 all enslaved people in Confederate states were legally free. Unfortunately, many western Confederate states (especially Texas) did not abide by this rule and continued business (and slavery) as usual until June 19, 1865 when Union soldiers rode through the state on horseback declaring that all enslaved people were free. Surprisingly, slavery was still legal in the states of Delaware, Kentucky and New Jersey until the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery officially in all states on December 18, 1865 – another six months after Juneteenth! New Jersey had up to 400 enslaved African Americans after the end of the Civil War. Delaware did not ratify the 13th amendment until 1901; Kentucky would not ratify it until 1976!
Apprenticeships and Labor Contracts
Many African Americans men, women and children worked for their former enslavers after Emancipation. The signed labor contracts in which the former enslavers created terms with time limits under which their formely enslaved would worked for them. Their “employers” were supposed to pay fair wages for their work. These contracts were filed with the Freedmen’s Bureau. Many freed adults could not read so they were unaware of the terms and conditions that these contracts outlined. Often, freed adults did hard work for months but were denied wages because of unfair contract requirements that weren’t met or for many other bogus reasons.
Children worked for free as apprentices of their former enslavers, under the guise of teaching them a viable skill to be productive citizens. These children worked for several years, sometimes until adulthood, under these apprenticeship term.
Penal Labor As Allowed by the 13th Amendment
Penal labor or prison labor was allowed by the 13th Amendment, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Police accused African American men and women of minor infractions and violations of Jim Crow laws, often being falsely accused in order to convict and imprison them. While in prison, they did hard labor – working farms, building railroads and other infrastructures and in manufacturing warehouses. Many prisons, like Angola in Louisiana, were former slave plantations. Penal labor became slavery reinvented.
CLIENT CORNER – CATHY C. SMITH
Thank you so very much Tanya for an outstanding Family Matters Genealogy Master Class [Saturday, March 18, 2023]. I gained valuable knowledge from the tips, tools and historical resources shared to trace my family ancestry back to 1850. Your guidance has helped me to bring my ancestors alive in the 21st Century. Learning about their lives has brought a sense of connectedness to the past and has sparked marathon storytelling conversations with my family. I can’t thank you enough for assisting me with unleashing my maternal and paternal ancestors.
FEATURED ARTICLE – RANDOMNESS IS MY SPECIALTY
Sanders Family Cemetery
I was talking to a historical society friend who is the county historian and genealogist recently about where I lived. When I told him, he stated, “that’s the Old Humphrey Plantation.” My interest peaked! I lived on a former plantation, converted to a family farm and now a new housing development. You know me…let the research commence! Every day, I drive past a small cemetery about 1 mile from my house and had no interest. Now, my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know the connection of this cemetery to the former owners of my land. I decided to stop by after work one day to read gravestones and take pictures.
Surprising Discovery
The cemetery has about 16 marked headstones. Thinking that the interned were Humphrey descendants, it surprised me to learn that they were not! They were Sanders descendants. I was not aware of the Sanders Family owning land in and around my area. I’m always testing my research skills so my goal was to determine the relationship of everyone buried in the cemetery. Birth certificates, death certificates, census records and/or marriage records were used to determine the dates and relationships. Here is what I found!
The Beginning of the Sanders Family
The oldest headstones marked the beginning of this branch of the family. Brothers Pvt. James E. Sanders (1826-1862) and (2) Pvt. Shepard Sanders (1825-1862) were Confederate soldiers. James was a turpentine farmer and Shepard was a farmer. Pvt. James E. Sanders died in Goldsboro during the Civil War. His wife (Mary Sanders – not buried there) filed a claim for his pay on Nov 1863 according to his military record. According to the 1860 census, James and Mary had three children – his son was Samuel E. Sanders.
The Main Ingredient
These are the direct descendants of Pvt. James E. Sanders:
(3) Samuel Edens Sanders (Sept 27, 1859 – June 1931) married (4) Sarah Mandy Hansley (27 Sep 1859-29 Jun 1931) on 9 Mar 1879 in Onslow County. They had 9 children according to the 1900 census – Mary Milisie, John William, Deanie Laura, and Samuel Dolphus. Coy Roscoe appeared on the 1910 census.
(5) Mary [Milisie] Sanders [Mobley Williams] was born 18 Mar 1882 and died 9 Apr 1962. Neither of her husbands (Ernest Mobley and S.J. Williams) were interned with her.
(6) John William Sanders (18 Dec 1885-10 May 1947) married (7) Queenie Caroline Whaley (9 Jan 1891-9 May 1989) on 5 Dec 1908 in Onslow County. They had a daughter, (8) Betty Gray Sanders (9 Sep 1923-24 Sep 1997).
(9) Deanie Laura Sanders (24 Aug 1889-8 Oct 1958) married (10) George Henry Taylor on 27 Nov 1907 in Onslow County.
(11) Samuel Dolphus Sanders (21 May 1892-16 Aug 1943).
(12) Coy Roscoe Sanders (2 Apr 1901-23 Feb 1982) married (13) Emma E. Taylor on 13 Aug 1921 in Onslow County.
(14) Darwin Edward Sanders, Sr. (15 Sep 1922-3 Feb 1987) was the grandson of Samuel Edens Sanders. His father was Thomas Francis Sanders (not interned in the cemetery).
The Unknowns
The connection between (15) Baby Boy Thompson (10 May 1936-10 May 1936) and (16) Pee Wee Sanders (2001-2014) could not be determined. Trust me, I tried every trick in my genealogy arsenal! To be continued…
Upgrading Your Family Reunion
I am looking forward to my family reunion this summer! I can’t wait to fellowship with my family and eat Cape Verdean food until I pass out from a food coma. Family reunions are more than just food and fun; it’s an opportunity to capture the living history of your elders and the family members that remember your ancestors. Take this time to upgrade your family reunion. How do you do this? Here’s some helpful hints.
Do something different – create a Remembrance Ceremony that honors the past, celebrates the present and prepares the future.
Family photo booth – hire a professional photographer to take a reunion picture and a group picture of each family. Have them hold a picture of the grandparents or great grandparents to make a generational photo.
Interview sessions – using your cell phone’s video or audio, record a family elder answering questions about what their lives were like growing up. Have them tell stories about the family and upload it to Youtube for all the family members.
Family cookbook – if you’re trying to raise funds for the next reunion, collect family recipes and create a cookbook to sell to family members. Try to get the elders to include all the secret recipes that they hold tight to the vest (it might be the only way they get passed down)! Make sure to include family stories and genealogical information.
Reels and Tik Toks – have the youngest generation plan Tik Toks that everyone can participate in no matter what the age. Everyone will have a fun time being on social media.
Have fun, know your people and be inspired by them.
Editor’s Note – Love, Peace and Genealogy
This is the last newsletter before my summer hiatus. I have had a lot of personal issues to come up in May so I was unable to have a May newsletter ready. I hope you don’t mind that my June newsletter is a little longer than normal. I’m looking forward to doing research, visiting some historic places and museums, working with clients and attending my Fernandes Family Reunion in July. I miss my family and look forward to seeing everyone. It’s unfortunate that the last time we were all togther was for a funeral but we decided to change that since COVID restrictions are over. Family is important – knowing them and the paths they walked will bring you to knowing who you are. Love, Peace and Genealogy
This month’s newsletter is a milestone! The first edition of The Family Jewels newsletter occurred April 2022. It was a new adventure for me and I admit, sometimes I struggled with it. Now it has become something I really enjoy. This month, we will focus on a woman’s issue that I address in my Instagram reel and Masterclass ALL THE TIME!
As always, thank you for subscribing to the newsletter! This year, try to make researching your family history a priority. If you would like to discuss a specific topic or you have a genealogical question, send me a message and I will feature it in the next newsletter. I will continue to be random and quirky and give you interesting historical facts and genealogy tips.
I’M TEACHING ANOTHER MASTERCLASS!
I’m teaching another Genealogy MasterClass for beginners on Saturday June 3, 2023 from 1pm-2:30pm. Have you always wanted to research your family tree but didn’t know where to start? Sign up for this class! I promise to keep it interesting and fun. When you sign up, you will receive a free Family Matters Genealogy downloadable workbook. Also, we will have a free AncestryDNA kit giveaway during the class. Only 25 spots are available so click here to sign up today!
Researching the 1930 census
The 1930 federal census had more additions than the 1920 census. The federal government added back the schedule for Indian populations, realizing its importance in counting Native Americans. Color or Race was still a category; however, the rules of determining ethnicity changed. Specific instructions were given to record ethnicity: the designation of Black changed to Negro; Mulatto (mixed race people who are black mixed with white or Native American) was no longer an option; instead they were classified as the race of the non-white parent. Only Negroes that associated with a tribe could be classified as Indian.
Column 9 – The government wanted to know if its citizens owned a radio with this Radio set column. At first considered a luxury item, the radio opened doors to the technology we have today. It became an important part of the entire family with instructional classes and entertaining stories. Retail stores and manufacturers advertised their businesses on the radio to reach a larger audience.
Column 15 – The 1920 census deleted the column for the number of years married. It was added back to the 1930 census as the column titled Age at First Marriage. This sort of gives a researcher a date when the marriage occurred…but only of the first marriage. If you know that your ancestors were married more than once, make sure you research a marriage records database to get the full marriage dates.
Column 24 – Immigration and naturalization information was important. The additional column wanted to know if new immigrants were making the effort to learn English on arrival to the United States.
Column 30 – The government wanted to track veterans who were involved in conflict and/or wars
Column 31 – The government wanted to know which wars the veterans fought in. By 1930, there were six wars that veterans could have been in combat – World War I (1914-1918), Civil War (1861-1865), Philippine-American War (1899-1902), Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901). Spanish-American War (1898), and Pancho Villa Expedition (1917-1918).
Looking for Long Lost Relatives?
If you have an interest in researching your family history (and I strongly encourage everyone to do so), let me know and I can assist you. I offer several affordable packages depending on your research needs. If you are an amateur genealogist/family historian, I can create a research plan to guide you in the right direction.
Did you know that enslavers were able to purchase insurance policies for their enslaved? Well, it’s completely true. The Baltimore Life Insurance Company of Maryland existed from 1830-1867 and became one of the first companies that offered insurance policies for the enslaved in southern states, especially in Virginia. Slave owners worried about injuries and death of their most valuable enslaved “property” because they considered slaves and the institution of slavery an important part of their business and economic prosperity.
Enslavers bought policies for those doing valuable or dangerous skilled occupations such as artisans, house slaves, carpentry, shoemakers, factory workers or coal miners. Surprisingly enough, enslaver did not take out policies for field hands. Then again, they weren’t difficult to replace if one died. Almost 60% of their policies between 1854 to 1860 covered the enslaved at ⅔ of the face value of the policy. Since the insurance companies wouldn’t let an enslaver take out more than one policy on their slave, many enslavers took out policies using several companies. The limit on policy terms could not exceed 7 years. The average term for slave insurance in the 1830s was 2.5 years and increased to 5.5 years in the 1850s.
In the 1840s and 1850s, other companies saw the lucrative insurance industry and opened up agencies in the south to insure the enslaved – North Carolina Mutual, the Mutual Benefit Life and Fire of Louisiana, Virginia Life Insurance Company and Greensboro Mutual Life. Northern insurance agencies also benefited from slave insurance such as Nautilus Mutual Life Insurance (renamed New York Life), Aetna and US Life. In total, there were approximately 40 firms that sold slave insurance in the south prior to the Civil War; several of these companies still exist today.
Slavery Era Insurance Registry is an excellent resource for the names of the enslaved who were insured and include the names of their enslavers.
Client Corner – Ebony Merritt Harrison
I had a good awareness of my paternal family history but I needed assistance learning more about my maternal history. I had the typical problems that most people have. The matriarchs/patriarchs have passed away without leaving thorough documentation of the family history. Most of the information that I learned was through partial stories and pictures with no concrete documentation. The unexpected benefit that I experienced from using Family Matters Genealogy is an increased desire to speak with my remaining family about our history. This communication has helped to strengthen relationships and foster the same desire in other family members. Excellent! The enthusiasm shown, depth of research and the final presentation/product were excellent! I would recommend Family Matters Genealogy to anyone wanting to learn more about their family history. Family Matters Genealogy is a great resource. I highly recommend them – you will not regret it.
Featured Article – Researching Women in History
In honor of Black Women’s History Month, we will discuss a HUGE woman’s issue for me as a genealogist. I have preached from the mountain tops that women should keep their maiden names on documents after marriage. Most genealogists and family historians have a hard time tracing female ancestors because women haven given up their maiden names after marriage. I usually find maiden names on death certificates because the parents are listed on the document (including the mother’s maiden name). However, vital records only became required after the beginning of the 20th century (each state varied; check your state’s website for the official year) so tracing your female ancestors before then is dificult. Why did women change their names after marriage? Let’s examine this!
The Name Change
Long story short, last names became important in European society in the Middle Ages, because of social hierachy. Because their society was based on patriarchal practices, women had no rights and fell under the rules of coverture. Coverture is the legal status in which a married women are under the authority and protection of their husbands. Authority and protection meant that their husbands handled all of their affairs – they could not own property, sign a contract or make decisions on their own. Women had no legal identity. Since they were under the authority of their husband, they were identified with him and required to have his surname.
Fixing the Problem and Finding Your Relatives
My maiden name is included in my legal name (not hyphenated). Of course, I did this – I’m a genealogist and want my descendants to find me 100 years from now. My problem is that I am researching women who lived over 125 years ago. So how can you find them? Here are a few hints to help you:
A marriage bond was an official legal document that stated the engagement of a couple. The groom went to the courthouse with a bondsman who would guarantee payment if the wedding didn’t occur. The bondsman was either the father or brother of the bride, which would give you the maiden name of the bride.
Marriage banns were church announcements similar to a marriage bond. The banns were recorded by the church and read three consecutive Sundays during service until the wedding occurred. The banns had the name of the bride, groom and their parents.
Married women used a middle initial when signing their name. Most often, that middle initial was from their maiden name, not their official middle name.
If you know who the siblings of the female ancestors were, use the surname of her brother, especially the one closest to her in age (in case their mother remarried and had more children).
For African American ancestors, look for cohabitation records after Emancipation. The enslaved had to officially marry after 1865 in order to make their unions legitimate, even though many were living as husband and wife before that. Cohabitation records (vary from state to state) will often state the original date when the couple officially started living together as husband and wife and the legal date they married. These records will often include the maiden name of the wife.
Church record books list marriages and will have the full name of the bride and groom and their parents’ names as well as witnesses and the officiant’s name.
Many countries do not require women to legally change their names after marriage – this includes Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, Korea and Malaysia. Thankfully, the times have changed and women have options now more than before.
Ask Me Anything!
Familial Relationships
Q: I saw my cousin at a funeral but don’t know how we are related. How can I find out?
A: Good question! It’s either one of two things – you are actually related by blood or your families were so close that they “made” you cousins. You can figure it out either one of two ways. The first and fastest way to find out is to take a DNA test from the same company. If you are DNA relatives, you will “match” each other and your degree of relation will be known (1st cousin, 3rd cousin, etc.). The second way is to create your family trees and find the common ancestor – the person that you both share as a relative. If you find you’re not DNA relatives, most likely your ancestors were neighbors, connected through marriage or worked together and were the best of friends. Review the census records of your grandparents and great grandparents. Look to see if they were neighbors. If so, you’re “play cousins.”
Hide and Seek
Q: I’ve scoured the censuses and cannot find my grandmother on any census records. What am I doing wrong?
A: You’re not doing anything wrong! It might be as simple as not having the correct name. If you looked under your grandmother’s first, try using her middle name (sometimes children were called by their middle names because there’s someone else in the family with the same name). Still can’t find it? Look under a nickname. My aunt was nicknamed Jolly and for years I didn’t know her given name was Betty! Still can’t find it? Enumerators (census takers) weren’t always well educated and might not have known the correct spelling so check every variation of your ancestor’s name. Also, look under your ancestor’s first and middle initials. Oftentimes, men were listed by their initials, especially when they were a ‘junior’ or ‘third’ in the family.
Editor’s Note – Make Sure the Legacy Continues
Hello My Peoples! The spring brings many things, including get togethers. Since we are officially out of COVID restrictions, families are starting to plan their reunions again. Make sure you include some genealogical information in your reunion book. What…you say you don’t have a reunion book? CREATE ONE!!! Include a family chart, stories about your ancestors, and a family directory. Make sure family keeps in touch – social media, family group texts and Facebook family groups. Throw some family recipes in your reunion book! Stop with the secret ingredient in the sweet potato pie or the names of cheeses in the Mac & Cheese! Share, share, share!! Why are we holding these precious things a secret? Pass them down so that the legacy continues. Love, Peace and Genealogy.
February is Black History Month! Although Black History is American History, February is a time to showcase Black Excellence in our history and culture. The newsletter is a little longer this month but I hope you read through it all and learn something important. Thank you for subscribing to The Family Jewels monthly newsletter. This year, try to make researching your family history a priority. If you would like to discuss a specific topic or have a genealogical question, send me a message and I will feature it in the next newsletter.
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!
We should make that a greeting the entire month of February like “Happy New Year” or “Happy Valentine’s Day.” This year’s Black History Month theme is Black Resistance. When people think of Black Resistance they think of the absolute worst…but I know better. Don’t let anyone tell you that Black Resistance is just rioting and the destruction of property. No one remembers the injustices that African Americans have experienced in this country since our forced migration here, our forced and unpaid labor and dealing with discrimination through no fault of our own. What I want everyone to know is this:
Black Resistance is slave rebellion and the desire to be free. It is fighting for our civil rights. Black Resistance is pushing to teach the correct history in schools and editing the current biased history that children are taught today. It is fighting for the right not to be killed when arrested. Black Resistance is bringing attention to the way society does Black People wrong. Black resistance is Black Lives Matter.
I’M TEACHING ANOTHER MASTERCLASS!
I’m teaching another Genealogy MasterClass for beginners on Saturday March 18, 2023 from 5pm-6:30pm. Have you always wanted to research your family tree but didn’t know where to start? Sign up for this class! I promise to keep it interesting and fun. When you sign up, you will receive a free Family Matters Genealogy downloadable workbook. Also, we will have three big giveaways during the class. Only 25 spots are available so click here to sign up today!
Researching the 1920 Census
Minor changes existed between the 1910 and 1920 federal censuses. The Department of Agriculture requested the date change from April 15th to January 1st. The new date coincides with the completion of harvest season which was the most significant change.
Deletions
Employment – unemployment status at the time of the census.
Children – number of children born to the mother and number of children now living (2 columns).
Marriage – the number of years married.
Military service – information about a person’s military service in the Civil War.
Native Americans – there was no separate Indian Schedule
Additions – Citizenship questions
Prior to 1920, Enumerators counted people wherever they were – including their employer or anyone they might have been visiting. In 1920, the enumerator included people in the household where they belonged, including people who were temporarily absent from their household.
The 1920 census included four new columns to track immigrants and their status as they arrived and lived in the United States:
Column 15 – year of naturalization (what year the enumerated became a citizen)
Column 20 – mother tongue of person
Column 22 – mother tongue of Father
Column 24 – mother tongue of Mother
FEATURED ARTICLE
There have been so many heroes that have paved the way for African Americans. It was through their resistance to the “norm” they we achieved the status we have today. Although there is more work to do, we need to acknowledge those that fought for us from the very beginning.
Araminta Ross aka Harriet Tubman
Araminta Ross, also known as Harriet Tubman, was the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a system of travel, safe locations and abolitionists that led many slaves to freedom in the northern states. She was born into slavery in Dorchester County Maryland in March 1822. Her enslaver was cruel, inflicting head trauma on her when she was young. She yearned to be free and escaped to Philadelphia in 1849.
Although she could have enjoyed her life of freedom, she decided to go back to rescue her family members. She traveled in secrecy with small groups at night, depending on the help of abolitionists and safe houses along her route. Harriet got her “passengers” as far North as Canada, working against the enactment of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. She helped the formerly enslaved find jobs and housing to jumpstart their new lives. During the Civil War, she worked as a nurse and cook for the Union and eventually became a spy. Her assistance led to raids that freed hundreds of enslaved men & women.
After Emancipation, she changed her focus to the women’s suffrage movement until her death. She died March 10, 1913, in Auburn NY where she had purchased land in 1859 and established an African American nursing home. Mrs. Tubman resisted the bonds of slavery and risked her own freedom to help other slaves.
Nat Turner
As more laws were enacted to legitimize and legalize the institution of slavery, the enslaved knew that the only way they could seek freedom was either to flee or fight. Many chose to flee, taking their chances by escaping North either by themselves or with their families. Others chose to fight, planning rebellions and revolts against their enslavers.
Since it was against the law for the enslaved to possess guns or weapons, they had to fight by any means necessary – stealing guns and artillery or using whatever was available like pots, pans, pieces of wood, whips, knives, etc. The opportunity to be free was greater than the fear of being captured. One of the most famous slave rebellions was in Virginia in August 1831. Nat Turner and 70 slaves hatched a plan to kill white planters in order to demand their freedom. The rebels killed Nat’s enslaver and his family as well as many other neighboring white families. Patrols caught Nat two months later and tortured, hanged and defiled his body instead of giving him a trial. There were many other slave rebellions and revolts that occurred. To learn more, here is a link from my favorite historian and genealogist, Dr. Henry Louis Gates: https://www.pbs.org/…/did-african-american-slaves-rebel/.
The United States Color Troops (USCT) were African American soldiers that fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. They chose the side that would end slavery. The United States Congress passed the Confiscation Act of 1862, freeing slaves whose owners fought on the side of the Confederacy. The Militia Act of 1862 empowered President Lincoln to use free blacks and former slaves from Confederate states to fight for the Union. These acts led to the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing any slaves in rebellious states as of January 1, 1863. Mass recruitment of blacks went into effect on this date.
The United States War Department issued General Order 143 establishing a Bureau of Colored Troops to recruit and train the new Black soldiers. There were approximately 175 regiments containing 178,000 free blacks and freedmen that served in the Civil War between 1863 to 1865. Along with the USCT, there were Black volunteer groups in several states that mobilized to fight for the Union. The formerly enslaved believed that fighting for the Union meant that freedom was within reach…and they were right!
The Supreme Court case of Brown v. The Board of Education was due to a brave African American father, Oliver Brown who fought the “separate but equal” law when he wanted to enroll his daughter in an elementary school that was close to their home in Topeka, Kansas in 1951.
According to the law, Brown’s daughter was to attend the segregated Black school that was farther away. Brown, along with 12 other families from the same neighborhood, challenged the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court ruling that racial segregation laws did not violate the US Constitution. The Brown decision proved that “separate but equal” was never the case and became a major victory in the Civil Rights Movement by paving the way for integration laws throughout the country. The execution of the ruling was slow-paced and met with violent White resistance, but African Americans still prevailed. Choosing to resist a Supreme Court decision paved the way for African Americans to attend their schools of choice, choose careers that previously were available to them and live in places where they were previously denied.
Mildred Jeter Loving and Richard Loving
Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving resisted a law that determined who we could love and marry. Because discrimination and segregation laws in the south, miscegenation was prohibited and a punishable offense in Virginia . The law was created because it was believed that race mixing would cause the diminishing of the white race and therefore make the Black race the majority and more superior.
Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, both Virginia residents and childhood sweethearts, married in 1958 in DC. Once they returned to Virginia, they were charged with the violation of Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law because it banned interracial marriage. They were both found guilty & sentenced to 1 year in jail. The judge agreed to suspend their sentences if they left Virginia and didn’t return for 25 years. They resisted the move and decided to fight the law. Their case went all the way up to the Supreme Court and on June 12, 1967, a unanimous decision stated that Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, “Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.”
Theresa Ann Walker
Theresa Ann Walker was the wife of Rev. Wyatt Lee Walker, the executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, chief of staff. On June 21, 1961, she boarded a Trailways bus from Atlanta to Jackson Mississippi as a Freedom Rider. The minute the bus pulled into the station, the police were waiting to take them to jail. At that time, Walker was the mother of 4 young children. She knew the importance of desegregation & civil rights and fought to make a better life for her children. Mrs. Walker will be 95 this year. Learn more at https://richmondmagazine.com/…/she-rode-for-freedom/
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X
Although their approach in the fight for civil rights were completely different, both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X took the same stand against Jim Crow laws, racism and the unjust and improper treatment of African Americans.
Many focus on the contrast between the two leaders on their views on how to make change; however, no one compares how similar they were in their fight. Both believed in Black empowerment, racial justice and equality, human rights and instilling racial pride. Both believed that African Americans deserved their place in society and in the world and that the laws of the land should reflect that. They both believed that racism and discrimination had no place in America.
Although Dr. King’s approach was non-violence and civil disobedience while Malcolm X advocated Black Power and Black Nationalism by any means necessary, their collective resistance helped move the Civil Rights Movement forward by mobilizing all African Americans.
The Crown Act
Lately, the fight for African American girls and women in schools and the workplace has been over their hair…HAIR?!?! Unbelievable right? Who would have thought that anyone could use something as simple as a hairstyle as a tool to discriminate against a whole race of women? Well, it happened:
17-year-old Asia Simo was kicked off her cheerleading team because her thick hair could not conform to the cheering standard of “half up, half down.”
High school senior DeAndre Arnold could not walk during graduation unless he cut his dreads.
Women have been asked to “tone down their hairstyles or straighten their hair in workplace situations, management citing their hair “distracted” others or was considered “unprofessional.”
Thankfully, The Crown Act protects African American women from being discriminated against in the workplace because the way they style their hair does not conform to the Caucasian standard of beauty. Employers could not discriminate against employees with ethnic styles like braids, locs, twists, afros, or natural hair. Studies have shown that employers judge African American women by the way they wear their hair. This impacts their opportunities for employment or professional advancement.
Black resistance manifested differently depending on the situation. However, one lessons ring true – stand up for something or you will fall for anything.
Client Corner – Tantara Hardin Reese
The search for my paternal ancestral history came about out of medical curiosity. I thought that looking into the past would help me to better understand what was happening here in the present. When Tanya agreed to help me find info on my father’s siblings and my grandparents, I was relieved to know that I could possibly find answers regarding their health that would help me to understand my own. I have to say that I was not prepared for the in-depth research that Tanya provided me. It is taking me time to truly understand the gravity of all of the information she provided to me. There was so much information and so many ancestors that I would never have known anything about without her help.
Looking for Lost Ancestors?
If you are interested in researching your family history (and I strongly encourage everyone to do so), let me know and I can assist you. For the month of March 2023, I will give you up to 2 FREE HOURS of research as a consultation BEFORE signing you on as a client! What does that mean? I will research your family for free for up to 2 hours. After you receive my Fact Finding Report, you can decide if you want to hire me for further research. I offer several affordable packages depending on your research needs. If you are an amateur genealogist/family historian, I can create a research plan to guide you in the right direction. Send me a message and put FREEBIE as the Email Subject to book a consultation!
Did You Know About This Ancient Chinese Secret?
Did you know there were African Chinese that existed as early as the 4th century A.D.? The Chinese traded with East African countries during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), providing economic opportunities that led Africans to migrate to China. In the 7th century A.D., Arabs brought African slaves to China, adding them to an already existing social hierarchy that included Chinese slaves. The African slaves, called Kunlun, were preferred by the wealthy Chinese because of their exotic nature. African slavery continued through the Tang Dynasty.
The Kunlun
The Chinese treated the Kunlun as badly as the slaves in America. However, not all Africans were slaves; free Africans lived in China that were respected by the wealthy class. During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), African slavery increased dramatically, especially from the Madagascar and Comoros Islands. An East African merchant and trader, Zhengjiani, and his entourage received honor and respect especially from the Chinese Emperor Shenzong and who considered them ambassadors of China. Zhengjiani created a profitable trade with China, importing highly sought after products such as ivory, rhinoceros horns, tortoise shells and frankincense.
Trade increased through the next two dynasties – Yuan (1271-1368 A.D. and Ming (1368-1644 A.D.), expanding the African trade to more East African countries and increasing import products to include amber and exotic animals. In turn, the Chinese exported silk, porcelain and lacquer to Africa. Starting in the 17th century, the Europeans increased their countries’ trade relationships and colonization efforts, marginalizing the relationship between China and East Africa trading. Both countries started trading with the Europeans, leaving each other behind.
DNA Proof
Going deeper into the crossover of Chinese and African cultures, many historians and geneticists have argued that the Chinese descend from Africans. Although many do not believe this, it has now been proven that the first inhabitants of China were of African descent.
Editor’s Note
Happy Black History Month
Thank you for your patience. Sorry for the lateness of the February newsletter – I had a rough month, taking care of personal business in January and February so that I could not focus on anything else. My wonderful husband gently reminded me that I did not have a newsletter this month…during Black History Month! Being a genealogist and historian that focuses on African American history, this could not happen! Of course, I had to refocus, redirect and do something. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I have posted every few days (an edited version of those posts is included in this newsletter).
March 2023 Newsletter
Next month’s newsletter will be available on March 15th for Women’s History Month. A reader asked if I could do “random research” again and follow someone’s genealogy. If you are interested in tracing one of your female ancestors, send me a messagewith the Email Subject RANDOM and I will feature your ancestor in the next newsletter! The first person to email me will get the opportunity! By April 1st, I will be back on track for the newsletters to be available on the 1st of the month.
Thank you for your interest in my newsletters. I’m so happy you are showing an interest in getting to know your ancestors. Peace, Love and Genealogy.
Happy New Year! Thank you for subscribing to The Family Jewel’s monthly newsletter! When you make your resolutions for the new year, we hope researching your family’s history is on that list!
If you would like us to discuss a specific topic or have a genealogical question, send me a message and I will feature it in the next newsletter.
I’M TEACHING A MASTERCLASS!
I’m teaching my first Genealogy MasterClass for beginners on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 from 7pm-8:30pm. Have you always wanted to research your family tree but didn’t know where to start? Sign up for this class! I promise to keep it interesting and fun. When you sign up, you will receive a free Family Matters Genealogy downloadable workbook plus entry into three big giveaways during the class. Additionally, the first person to sign up will have the opportunity to have a free family tree reveal live during the Masterclass! Only 25 spots available so click here to sign up today!
Researching the 1910 Census
Some things change as some things stay the same. This goes for census records too. In previous newsletters, we’ve examined how each census record contains different information. The 1900 and 1910 federal census records were similar except for three additional columns.
Column 30 – Civil War Survivor
The enumerator questioned all men 50 years old and older, whether native or foreign-born, about their involvement in the Civil War. Union Army (UA), Union Navy (UN), Confederate Army (CA), and Confederate Navy (CN) were the official designation for this column. A blank column meant no military service.
Columns 31 & 32 – Disabilities
The federal government began reporting infirmities and disabilities. Column 31 reported totally or partially blind persons as “BI,” and subsequently Column 32 reported both deaf and dumb as “DD.” Originally, a disability question appeared on every census starting with the 1840 census except for 1900. Could this be a precursor to social service programs for the disabled? Possibly. In 1812, parents in Connecticut solicited church ministers to take a census of deaf individuals in their area. Through their efforts, The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opened in 1817.
Native American Census Records
Additionally, the 1910 census included a questionnaire for the Indian population. The federal census only included taxed citizens, excluding Native Americans living on reservations or as tribal groups. The 1910 Indian Schedule included Native Americans living on reservations and had tribal affiliations. It also included counties within states that had large Native American populations.
WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!The winner of the free Ancestry DNA kit for a lucky Family Matters Genealogy newsletter subscriber was bootneylee2000@gmail.com. Congratulations! Your kit will be sent to you as soon we receive your mailing address!
FEATURED ARTICLE
Mount Zion cemetery in Washington, DC Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
The Fate of HBCUs – Historically Black CemeteriesUnearthed
With new interest in genealogy, family history, and African American history, Historically Black Cemeteries are being unearthed, sometimes with shocking results. Access has been denied to family members whose cemetery property is near a company that limits access. This is the case in Thoroughfare, VA. A locked gate barred access to a family because the nearby brewery owned access to the property, but not the cemetery. The brewery has allowed the family to visit but they must enter through the brewery entrance to gain access to the cemetery.
In other cases, Black cemeteries have been neglected. Developers have built shopping centers on top of largely African American burial grounds in Maryland and Florida. A former slave cemetery was discovered in the 1980s beneath a gas station in Virginia. Owners walked away from their cemeteries as in St. Louis. Due to no available spaces for burials, income dried up and so did the landscaping and maintenance. The owner declared bankruptcy and the property became the responsibility of the county. The county did nothing and it fell into disrepair. A non-profit historical preservation association took over and restored the cemetery to the beauty it once was. They mobilized volunteers to remove garbage, upright headstones and fix it up. How does this happen? Let’s examine the history of how this could happen.
History of Cemeteries
The word ‘cemetery’ is derived from the Greek word,koimeterion, which means ‘sleeping place.’ Colonial families buried their dead in the ground with a cloth wrapping and a prayer. There was no fanfare, pomp and circumstance, or gravemarkers. It wasn’t until the late 1600s that people engraved tombstones to mark the burial place of their loved ones. The religious buried their loved ones on the church’s grounds (graveyards). Those that owned property buried their family members in private plots on family land (cemetery). The invention of the casket came in the late 19th century. Oftentimes, the local undertaker was also the local furniture maker who made the caskets by request. During the Civil War, there was a need to ship the dead back home and the easiest way to do so was in a casket. From then, it became the norm.
Official cemeteries started around the 1830s. As cities and individuals’ wealth grew, people bought plots of land specific for burial within the city limits. But this became a problem too. These burial grounds were small and could not contain the number of burials. Church graveyards and city cemeteries often stacked coffins 5-6 deep. Extremely heavy rains would cause the coffins to rise and float above the ground, sometimes spilling decomposing bodies onto the streets (picture it: zombie apocalypse before it was a thing). Landscape architects created cemeteries as beautiful, park-like spaces on larger pieces of land outside city limits in more rural areas. Diseases and epidemics such as yellow fever and cholera made this necessary to prevent the spread of the disease. It wasn’t until the 1900s that cemeteries became a big business, incorporating funeral homes, insurance, and family burial plots.
Racism in Death
Before the Civil War, the enslaved buried their dead on the land of their enslavers, marking their burial with a yucca plant, wooden board, household items like a toy or bowl, or a large rock. After Emancipation, African Americans buried their dead wherever they could. Unfortunately, racism and segregation followed, even after death. With the creation of Jim Crow laws in the South, African Americans could not be buried with whites. As separate but equal became the law of the land, segregation included cemeteries. African Americans and benevolent white purchased or gave land to African Americans to use as a burial ground. These deeds often went undocumented or were misrepresented so ownership became questionable. In the North, cemeteries had “black sections.” In some cases, prominent African Americans bought land and created cemeteries run by a society or board of trustees.
The Problem
Families would volunteer to maintain the cemetery if it was a small family plot or a local cemetery. The problem became generations later, when family members either forget about the cemeteries or took no interest in maintaining them. The Great Migration of Blacks from the south meant that something had to be abandoned to make a new way of life in a more racially accepting location. This meant leaving their ancestors behind. The move diminished their ties to the ancestral burial grounds because most never returned. Many are not aware of the history of their ancestors and there is less care to maintain their family burial grounds.
Since the 1950s, people are more transient and often do not live in the same area where they grew up. Because of this, family cemeteries on private land or in small city and county cemeteries are not maintained and are eventually abandoned. Municipalities or private companies maintain bigger city cemeteries. Black Cemeteries were always vulnerable, suffering abuse, neglect, and destruction. African American cemeteries flourished until urban renewal came into play and developers needed the land for transportation or housing. Developers were SUPPOSED to reinter the bodies. Sometimes this happens, sometimes not. Sometimes all bodies are moved, sometimes not.
The threat from developers is constantly looming unless something is done. What often happens on newly developed land is bones or bodies are found on the property. Digging must halt until the developer performs a land survey and investigates the property. Developers research the original owners of the property to contact them to discuss previous land usage. Many of the societies and trustees that were responsible for these African American cemeteries have either disbanded or declared bankruptcy. City and county municipalities have the option to take over the maintenance but many do not because of the high cost of landscaping and irrigation.
The Solution
A Congressional bill sponsored by Alma S. Adams (NC-D-12) establishes the creation of a database of African American Cemeteries in the United States. This bill would make the National Parks Service (NPS) responsible for establishing the United States African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Program. This program would include funding education and preservation programs (H.R. 6805 was introduced on 2/2/22 and is in the subcommittee for review). This bill needs to pass! Take a moment and write your Congressional representative to show your support.
We can document every African American cemetery across the United States but the main problem of getting more people involved remains. Everyone has to give a helping hand and be a stakeholder in this effort – historians, preservationists, landscape architects, municipal governments, community members, and the descendants of the deceased. They must all come together to evaluate the worthiness of the location’s restoration. They can fix it up but without the stakeholders, they won’t be able to maintain it. It will fall into disrepair later on down the road.
Client Corner – Marion Patricia McPherson McLean
I had been given a written history of the Lee Alton McPherson (my father’s) family; however, there were some missing links that I was unable to connect. My family had roots in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina.
I needed to know the names of my paternal grandparents and their links to other families that are connected to us. My great grandfather, Daniel McPherson who was a slave and my grandfather was married twice who had no children with the first wife.
Tanya discovered our connection to the McDonald Family, which shows that we are interrelated with folks whom I had no idea were so closely related.
Tanya did an excellent job researching my roots and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is trying to research their family history. She is very thorough with her research. As she was researching my family, she met a cousin who lives in Maryland which added a little excitement for me. Tanya is exciting and loves what she does.
LOOKING FOR LONG LOST ANCESTORS?
If you want to research your family history (and I strongly encourage everyone to do so), let me know and I can assist you. I offer several affordable packages depending on your research needs. If you are an amateur genealogist/family historian, I can create a research plan to guide you in the right direction. I am always willing to help. Send me a message!
Did You Know That You Need A Plan for Your Family Research?
Most people plan for the inevitable like buying life insurance, creating a will or taking care of our own final arrangements. However, what happens to the family photo albums, memorabilia, digital pictures or the years of research done after our death? WHAT?!?! Surely, you’ve thought about this. No?!?! Well, it’s time!
“By Failing to Prepare, You Prepare to Fail”
This is a very important quote from Benjamin Franklin that can be parlayed into many things in life. If you are the family historian (like me), certainly you understand the importance of making a plan after your demise. Is there someone in the younger generation that will take up the cause? Does someone in the family show an interest in continuing the family research? Is there anyone who cares at all?? That’s what you need to find out NOW. Seek out the current family historian at the next family reunion. Make sure they know your interest in taking over after they have gone. Talk to your children to see who might take on this task because making a plan is the first and most important step. It guarantees that your family photos and records will be passed on after your death.
Make a Plan
If your Auntie/Grandpa/Mom/Dad agree to pass the family history torch to you, make sure they state it CLEARLY in their wills. Please make sure they let their heirs know NOW! We do not want surprises when the end comes and you try to unsuccesfully retrieve items promised. I would highly recommend that you ask your relatives to pass it down to you NOW, including their online family tree passwords.
Also, have them go through the family photo album with you. Have them tell you stories of the family members in the pictures (make sure you record it as oral history so you can write it down later). Additionally, make sure they go through their phones and computers to transfer any photos they might have stashed there. Encourage them to upload to a cloud service like Google Photos, Dropbox, shared drive, etc. If they are willing, ask them to share the usernames and passwords with you so you have access to it at all times. It’s the best gift you can give your future descendants and continue the family forward.
Editor’s Note – Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year!
The new year means new beginnings and new commitments. Last year on New Years Day, I committed to starting Family Matters Genealogy! It was the best decision that I could make. I’ve helped several clients discover their family histories. Sometimes the information isn’t so pretty but I present the information (the good, the bad and the ugly) with discretion and sensitivity.
For 2023, I committed to teaching three MasterClasses! I have scheduled the first class for February 1st, the first day of Black History Month which is significant for me. Several years ago, I posted genealogy tips which inspired many of my family and friends. They, in turn, inspired me to start my business. I want all African Americans to know and understand where we came from, that we can trace our ancestors and although our history is a hard pill to swallow, it’s significant and should be celebrated.
