Posts Tagged african american history
Little Rock Nine Remembered
Posted by admin in Hatred, History, Racism/Discrimination, Videos, segregation on July 7th, 2010
Sorry if this is hard to watch but sometimes I want to revisit this part of our history. I watched in horror, sad, afraid, disappointed, but in the end I feel overwhelmingly thankful for where we are today. I don’t want to remember to illicit bitterness. I want to remember to stay grateful.
What emotions did this evoke in you? Big question – is forced integration a good thing in all circumstances? Let’s talk…
October is Family History Month
Posted by admin in Demographics and Statistics, History on October 10th, 2009
October is Family History Month. Federal, local and state governments (and genealogy services) are encouraging people to use the month of October to learn about their heritage and history. The 2002 resolution is here if you’re interested.
I shared in an earlier post that my first ancestor in America arrived via a slave ship from Africa in the mid 1700s. The ship landed in Annapolis, Maryland and my relative was sold to a tobacco farmer in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. When that farmer died in 1785, he left over two hundred slaves to his son, Richard Barnes. When Richard died in 1804, his will declared freedom for all of his slaves with the proviso that they take the surname Barnes. James Barnes, my great (times eight) grandfather was one of those freed slaves. I am fascinated by this story of my heritage and grateful to have this information.
The Catholic Church kept records of every birth, baptism and death, regardless of color. But just imagine, prior to the Emancipation, for the most part, African American slaves didn’t have surnames, marriage records, birth certificates, or any documentation of their existence.
Recently the search site Ancestry.com has added the records of more than 30,000 slaves from shipping manifests. The manifests document the movement of slaves from the Mid-Atlantic States to the Deep South in the 1810 to 1860 period. The records will help some African Americans search their roots.
I think all of this information reinforces to me how significant it is that my family came to this country as property. I know that makes so many people uncomfortable, but it is a fact. Not a fact that we should use as an excuse or cushion. But a fact that makes it more difficult for African Americans to search their roots. A fact that brings up emotions I don’t even want to address in this post. And maybe because of that fact in our history, we should use this month to begin a search of our ancestors.
What do you think? Have you traced your roots? If so, tell me about your family. Have you ever thought about a genealogy search? What road blocks have you encountered? Or are you one of those people who don’t think we should learn about all that stuff? Or, like my husband (whose father’s search shows a relationship to Celine Dion) doesn’t find his history interesting? If so, let me hear about that too. Let’s talk…
