Who Do You Think You Are?

NBC has a new show on called "Who Do You Think You Are?" The show is an American spin off of the 6 year old British show that traces the ancestry of national celebrities. In each episode, a celebrity goes on a journey to trace his or her family tree.

The premier show featured actress, Sarah Jessica Parker. She traced her ancestor with the surname Hodge from Cincinnati, Ohio to El Dorado County, California in the Gold County. She also traced an earlier ancestor, Elwell back to Salem, Massachusetts and discovered that she was part of the infamous Salem witch trials. I actually visited Salem, Massachusetts several years back and viewed some of the victims graves. It was quite eerie.

In general, I like the show and I am glad that there is now a Genealogy program that will hopefully encourage individuals to trace their family history.

My only criticism is that the show seemed unnecessarily "scripted." The reactions of Ms. Parker to finding out about her ancestry seemed unnatural and exaggerated and her words seemed as though they came from a cue card. It was clear that the show was trying to relay to the audience reasons why they would want to trace their ancestry, but from my almost 20 years of experience in Genealogy, people are naturally excited when they find out about themselves and the message comes across more clearly.

However, as mentioned, I still think the show is wonderful and I am looking forward to future episodes.

The Poor House or the Poor Farm

Frederick County Poor Farm, Frederick County, Virginia


2008 has proven to be a year of hard economic times. Record housing foreclosures, skyrocketing gas prices and plummeting drops in the Stock Market, have caused some to compare this era to that of the Great Depression.

There are many who have fallen on hard times. Families who have lost their dreams of home ownership, former millionaires who have seen their interest melt into nothing and everyday people living day to day just trying to make ends meet sometimes having to skip meals or other needs just to put gas in their cars in order to get to work are commonplace.

Homeless shelters and government programs are inundated with people in need of help.

But thank God for blessings. Unlike the times of the Great Depression, the Government is stepping in to help in the form of Corporate and Housing Market Bailouts, Special Loans, Stimulus Packages, and other programs all in the effort to keep the country afloat and from falling into the an economic abyss that resembles that of the past.

Hence, comes the topic of this blog. A fellow researcher ran across a census report that contained the names of individuals that was housed in a "Poor Farm." She was astonished as I to find the names of several families listed. We recalled how as children, how our parents used to say things like, "You better turn off those lights or be more financially aware or you are going to land us in the "Poor House or the Poor Farm." Neither of us actually realized that it was an actual place. I thought my mother was just being "melodramatic."

I researched it and found that a poorhouse or workhouse was a government-run facility for the support and housing of dependent or needy persons, typically run by a local government entity such as a county or municipality.

During the Victorian era, poverty was viewed as a dishonourable state caused by a lack of the moral virtue of industriousness or laziness.

A Poorhouse often resembled a reformatory and house children, either with families or alone, or a penal labour regime to give the poor work at manual labour and subject them to physical punishment.

The term is commonly applied to such a facility that houses the destitute elderly; institutions of this nature were widespread in the United States prior to the adoption of the Social Security program in the 1930s. Facilities housing indigents who are not elderly are typically referred to as homeless shelters, or simply "shelters," in current usage.

Often the poorhouse was situated on the grounds of a poor farm on which able-bodied residents were required to work; such farms were common in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries; it could even be part of the same economic complex as a prison farm and other penal or charitable public institutions.

Poor farms were county or town-run residences where paupers (mainly elderly and disabled people) were supported at public expense. They were common in the United States beginning in the middle of the 19th century and declined in use after the Social Security Act took effect in 1935 with most disappearing completely by about 1950.

Most were working farms that produced at least some of the produce, grain, and livestock they consumed. Residents were expected to provide labor to the extent that their health would allow, both in the fields and in providing housekeeping and care for other residents. Rules were strict and accommodations minimal.

I guess they would be today's equivalent of a homeless shelter.

Below is an extract from a 1900 Census that show residents of a "Poor Farm" in Falls County, Texas.

Household Members: Age/Race/Marital status
Nettles Head
Nettles Wife
Baze Chism 49 / Black /Widow
Rachel Edwards 75/Black /Widow
Mary Hayword 30/ Black /Widow
Sarrah Jones 28/Black/Widow
Mathew Williams 50/Black/Single
Norah May 46/Black/Single
Lizzie Duglas 35/ Black/Widow
West Duglas 6 months/Black/Single
Mary Phone 35/White/Single
Lizzie Lee 52/White/Single
Lu Williams 25/White/Widow
Orlee Williams 11months/white/Single
John Popeb 67 White/widow

This farm appears to have been run by a gentleman with the surname Nettles and his wife. No other vital information was given about them. The residents were comprised of both whites and blacks many of whom were widowed with children.

This really puts things in prospective for me. Even in the hard ecomonic times of 2008, we should still be grateful for government programs such as social security widow's and children survival benefits, general welfare, health programs, food programs and the like.

I am still both astonished and saddened to know that the "Poor House" or "Poor Farm," was not just a figure of speech that our parents used to make us exercise more financial consciousness in order to save them money.

The Black Loyalists

Black Loyalists were former slaves or free negroes who in exchange for the promise of freedom by the British Government during the American Revolutionary War, promised to fight against the American Colonies. Although, some were slaves of white Loyalists. In an effort to fortify the British forces, some of the Generals issued proclamations that slaves who joined the British Armies would be freed despite threats from outraged Virginia slave owners who decreed that runaway slaves would be executed.

Slavery in England had been abolished in 1772 after a decision from Lord Mansfield, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, but this decision did not apply in the colonies.

The Black recruits formed regiments such as the Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment, Sir Clinton's Black Pioneers, Jersey Shore Volunteers, the King's American Dragoons, the Jamaica Rangers, and the Mosquito Shore Volunteers. Many of these regiments won key battles.

However, as history records it, the British lost the War to the Americans and unfortunately many former British Black Loyalists were returned to their former Masters or sold back into slavery. In addition, the approximate 2500 slaves of White Loyalists, remained slaves until 1834 when slavery ended in the entire British Empire. Hence, the British did not hold up to their end of the bargain that they made to these former slaves.

However, some generals were insistent that the former Black British soldiers be rewarded for their service. There were over 3,000 free African Americans who migrated to Nova Scotia primarily and are listed in the Book of Negroes, a book that documents the Black Loyalists. In 1793, these Blacks were taken to Florida, Nova Scotia and England as free men and women. Their names were recorded in the "Book of Negroes" by General Carleton. The group of refugees who arrived in Nova Scotia were the largest group of people of African descent to arrive there at any one time. Included in the "Book of Negroes" was a Mary Braveboy. Please recall that is one of my ancestral paternal names. Mary was aged 44 at the time of her relocation and she traveled on the ship,"Thames Abraham Ingram," to St. Johns River which in New Brunswick. I must say I was surprised because I have an acquaintance who traced her family back to the Black Loyalists and never knew that there might be a connection in my family as well.

From many of these free and enslaved Africans descended the Black Canadian culture which exists today. They have made a significant impact on the Canadian culture. There is documented evidence, that game of Hockey was created by descendants of these Africans. The story is documented in George and Darril Fosty's book,"Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes." They populated towns such as Halifax, Annapolis, Birchtown, Shelburne and New Brunswich.

However, after the war many Black Loyalists were evacuated to London and were included in the population of the Black Poor. About 4,000 of these former Black Loyalists migrated to Sierra Leone in 1787 and about 1100 more migrated there directly from Canada and are known as the Nova Scotian settlers. Today, their descendants are known as the Sierra Leone Creole people of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

These Black Warriors had a very proud history. They demonstrated tremendous bravery in their quest for freedom although for many, it never came.

Julie Andrew's favorite things about aging!

Julie Andrews Turns 69,


To commemorate her birthday , actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP.
One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary movie 'Sound Of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >> > > > > > > > >
(Sing It!) - If you sing it, its especially hysterical!!!

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting ,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

She received thunderous applause, a 4 minute standing ovation and muliple encores!

Slave Cuisine

A lot of the foods that we eat here in the United States especially among the African American communities, have roots that stem from slavery.

Along with the African slaves kidnapped and brought to the U.S. in slaves vessels for the purpose of bondage came many foods that were native to their home environment. Records reveal that most of the slave cargo ships carried with them food goods directly from Africa for the enslaved passengers to consume during their journey across the Ocean.

Some ships carried foods central to the African diet, such as rice, okra, tania, black-eyed peas, cassava, yams, kidney and lima beans, peanuts, millet, sorghum, guinea melon, watermelon, and sesame (benne). The ship logs of the slave vessel Elizabeth, bound for Rhode Island in 1754, listed provisions of "yams, plantain, bread [cornbread], fish and rice."

Records from the slave ship Othello (1768-69) listed hundreds of baskets of yams taken on board as provisions along with lesser quantities of plantains, limes, pepper, palm oil, and gobbagobs (goobers or peanuts). However, most ships did not provide an adequate ration of these foods to last the entire journey. As a result many of the captives died.

Of course, the slaves on these ships were extremely fortunate. Other ships provided only small portions of rice and beans with a "slabber" sauce, made from old beef, rotten fish and salt, which was poured over the rice and beans in an attempt to fill the slave's stomachs. As you might have guessed, this often resulted in the death of many slaves from the obvious food poisoning. Its a wonder that only about 1/3 of the original captives on some ships actually made it alive to America.

However, as previously mentioned many crops that had been native to Africa made their way into the Southern cuisine and became staples on the slave menu.

The ordeals of the slaves were many. Many slaveowners did little to see to their comfort or well-being. For those who did, more often than not, it was not the result of any genuine concern for the slave per se. Rather, they had their own interests in mind since they viewed the slaves as an investment and their own livelihood depended on the ability of the slave to perform the free labor needed for the owner to prosper.

Despite this, many provided the slaves with just enough food to produce the energy to complete a day's work. Of course, in those days, the average workday was from sunrise to sunset. For many, this meant a full day of working in the fields performing hard labor in extreme weather conditions. Providing the slaves with just enough food for energy was a good case scenario. Many did not provide adequate rations of food to the slaves. Many slaves who tolled for the benefit of their Masters were nearly starved and subsisted only on meager helpings of food.

In most instances, the slaves raised crops and procured meats for the subsistance of the Master and his family and were not allowed to partake of these foods themselves. For instance, if they butcherd a hog or a cow, the Master would get all the prime cuts of meat such as the shank for ham, bacon, pork chops, steak and the like. The slaves would get all the parts of the hog or cow that the Master would not eat and parts that were traditionally thrown away such as the intestines, feet, neck, ribs(carcass), liver, ears, tongue, tails and such.

But God always has a way of turning something that Satan meant for bad into something good. From these scraps came the genesis of the African American cuisine that today is known as "Soul Food." Many of the sisters that were brought here from Africa brought with them their culinary talents that they had learned in the Mother Land which enabled them to turn the scraps they were given into something next to wonderful. After all, their very survival depended on it.

Hence came the creation of such dishes as chiterlings, pig feet, tails and ears, neckbones, barbeque ribs, hogshead cheese and ham hocks. Add to these, their native yams, okra, black-eyed peas other crops such as greens, rice and beans, it made for some good eating and became slave delicacies.

In addition, dishes make from grains such as skillet and hot water cornbread and grits became slave staples.

When they did get to eat more traditional cuts of meat, you were looking at some cooking. They created such dishes as smothered pork chops, glazed hams, steak with gravy, fried catfish, turkey and dressing and fried chicken.

At Christmas, many slaves described the killing of hogs, turkeys and chicken with plenty of side dishes and desserts to go around. However, during most of the year, this was not the norm. Normally, their food was rationed but again, the slaves made the best with what they were given.

Most of the dishes that the slaves conjured up are still being enjoyed today although many now have modified the ingredients because of today's health concerns, myself included. The prevalence of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and heart problems especially amongst the African American population have caused many to substitute meats such as pork with chicken or turkey and grill rather than fry meats and vegetables.

Remember, slaves for the most part consumed pork because their survival and the survival of their future generations required them to do so. Prior to them arriving in America, many of them did not consume pork. Instead their diets consisted mainly of other small portions of other meats and mostly vegetables. Many Africans today still do not eat pork. Could our ancestors have known the adverse effects that prolonged consumption of pork could have on their bodies? The Bible, in Deuteronomy teaches it is unclean to consume swine or any animal that has divided hoof and/or chews a cud.

As for myself, I consume pork maybe 3 times a year, ham at Easter and Christmas and 4th of July Ribs. Other than that, it is turkey, chicken and fish, all cuts but I work these meats into the traditional dishes originated by African slaves.

Whatever, your preference, if you enjoy "Soul Food," you have the slaves to thank for its origin.


Psalm 146:5-7

5Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

6Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:

7Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:

Magnifying the Text on your Computer Screen

Like a lot of my fellow Genealogists and other readers, as my years increase, my eyesight decreases. This is a realization that I am relunctantly admitting to. However, it has become more painfully apparent. I can no longer view the now seemingly tiny little print on certain sites and even in my blogs, I may proofread them several times and still overlook errors because of my declining vision but to the reader not aware of that, the reason for my errors may not be apparent.


You're probably thinking, time for glasses! And, you would be right but there is another alternative that I would like to share with you as a quick fix alternative.


If you hold down the "control key" and the " +" symbol located on the far right of your keyboard by the number pad simultaneously, you can magnify the text on your screen to make it more readable. Conversely, if you simultaneously hold down the
"control key" and the " -"symbol, you can decrease the size of the text.


Just a little tool I thought I would share with fellow genealogy buffs gracefully becoming visually impaired!

US Colored Troops-True American Heroes

The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were comprised of African-American soldiers mostly former slaves.

The U.S. Congress passed a confiscation act in July 1862 that freed slaves of owners in rebellion against the United States, i.e. those states in the South that had seceded from the Union. Hence, a militia act was passed that empowered the President to use freed slaves in any capacity in the army.

In September 1862 Lincoln issued his preliminary proclamation that all slaves in rebellious states would be free as of January 1. Recruitment of colored regiments began in full force following the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863.

The United States War Department issued General Order Number 143 on May 22, 1863, establishing a "Bureau of Colored Troops" to facilitate the recruitment of African-American soldiers to fight for the Union Army comprised of many regiments, including infantry, cavalry, light artillery, and heavy artillery units.

Former slaves and freed blacks rushed to sign up to secure the promise of freedom and deliverance from the life of bondage and oppression that so many knew. They were recruited from all states of the Union and became known as the United States Colored Troops (USCT). Approximately 175 regiments of over 178,000 free blacks and freed slaves served during the last two years of the war, and bolstered the Union war effort at a critical time. By war's end, the USCT were approximately a tenth of all Union troops. There were 2,751 USCT combat casualties during the war, and 68,178 losses from all causes.

The reason I am writing about and remembering these brave men is because Ancestry.com has a site that you can search for the names of your ancestors and other relatives who may have served. However, it does not stop there. A lot of the original documents contain personal information like who their former owners were, who to contact in case of an emergency, promotions, whether they were wounded, hospitalized or died. It is a virtual diary of their military experience. As such, I urge you to explore it and see what you come up with.

As mentioned in the title of this blog, these were true American heroes. These men put their lives on the lines not just for themselves but for the millions of other African Americans formerly enslaved and the countless number of future generations of African Americans in this country.

Their contribution to this country has over the years been mimimized, concealed and kept from even their own descendants and relatives. They received few accolades after the war in part due to the fact that many returned home to the bitter South still pining over the loss of the war and to those who did not care to hear about the heroics of blacks responsible for their sudden change in lifestyle. Hence, many former soldiers kept their service under wraps for fear of lynching or worse. Therefore, you would not have seen too many former soldiers marching around town in Union war uniforms or bearing medals. As well, there were no monuments in the South following the war commemorating United States Colored Troops.

As a result, the legacy of who they were and what they did for their country has to a great extent has been lost to even their own descendants and other relatives but
they should be highly regarded, saluted and honored for an eternity for their priceless contribution.

With that said, you can assess the site by going to the Ancestry.com opening page and then viewing all records under "Military Service" in the right sidebar. The database is listed towards the bottom under "U.S. Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865." Once you pull up and view the original document, you can click next at the top and you can view all the records on the individual.

Tribute:
To the US Colored Troops who have all now passed on to Glory-Thank you for your sacrifice and war efforts which have allowed so many to enjoy the freedoms that many of you early on were denied. Thank you for your willingness to lay down your lives for the benefit of countless others. You would be happy to know that your efforts were
not in vain. Many are still reaping the benefits of your selfless acts. May you enjoy the peace and freedom in heaven that you fought so hard to bring about for your fellow brothers and sisters on Earth. Eternally Grateful, Karen Burney

Slaves in the Carribean Islands

For those of you that are of Carribean or British West Indies ancestry, Ancestry.com has a massive search site which lists the names of former slaves as well as their slave owners.

It is listed as below under:

Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812-1834 Census & Voter Lists Antigua and Barbuda.

To get to the site,
1. Pull up Ancestry.com's main page
2. Click search all databases
3. Click on "Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812-1834"
4. Enter slave's surname and/or first name
5. You can narrow your search by colony dependency and/or parish

Coloney dependencies search options include Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Berbice, Dominica, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Mauritius, Nevis, Sri Lanka, St. Christopher, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago, Trinidad and Virgin Islands.

This is a great site and an invaluable resources for those of you in search of your Carribean ancestry.

Louisiana African American Heritage Trail

A friend recently shared with me some information regarding Louisiana African American Heritage Trails.

Apparently, Louisiana tourism officials have unveiled the first 26 sites on an African American Heritage Trail running from New Orleans to northern Louisiana.

According to Chuck Morse, assistant secretary of the Louisiana Office of Tourism said in a recent article, "It will tell the stories of African Americans who have made contributions to Louisiana, to America and to the world."

However, it is a means of boosting the economy.

Initially, there will be 26 stops on the trail but there are plans for expansion.
The trail tours will include plantations with details about slaves' lives, and the early roots of jazz and unexpected stops such as Melrose Plantation, built and owned and operated by a former slave, who in turn became a slave owner.

Heritage tourism trails are routes that lead visitors to specialty points of interest. They constitute a fast-growing type of tourism, Morse said. Louisiana is in the process of developing a series of such trails, ranging from a Culinary Trail to a Civil War Trail.

These tours are designed to attract travelers who are seeking the authentic American experience offered through cultural and heritage tourism.

Other places on the trail include the Hermione Museum in Tallulah, which is currently hosting an exhibit on the famously successful hair-care entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, who was born in Delta, Louisiana, in 1867, shortly after slavery ended; the state capitol in Baton Rouge, where, in the 1870s, P.B.S. Pinchback briefly served as the first black governor in U.S. history; and Congo Square, in New Orleans, where slaves were permitted to assemble on Sundays. The St. Augustine Catholic Church in Natchez, Louisiana, and the St. Augustine Church in New Orleans' Treme neighborhood have both been spiritual centers for the black community for generations. Grambling State University in Grambling, and Southern University in Baton Rouge, both traditionally black colleges, are also on the list. The schools celebrate their rivalry at an annual football game called the Bayou Classic.

Some of the sites on the trail are associated with prominent individuals, such as the great gospel singer Mahalia Jackson's grave in Providence Park Cemetery in Metairie; and the Arna Bontemps African American Heritage Museum in Alexandria, the family home for a writer who went on to become important in the Harlem Renaissance.

Other places on the trail in New Orleans are the New Orleans African American Museum, St. Louis Cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2, the French Market and the Amistad Research Center. Elsewhere in the state, the list also includes Laura Plantation, Vacherie; Evergreen Plantation, Wallace; River Road African American Museum, Donaldsonville; Tangipahoa African American Heritage Museum, Hammond; Port Hudson Battlefield, Jackson; the African American Museum, St. Martinville; the Black Heritage Art Gallery, Central School Arts and Humanities Center, Lake Charles; the Creole Heritage Folk Life Center, Opelousas; the Cane River Creole National Historic Park-Creole Center, Natchitoches; the Multicultural Center of the South, Shreveport; Southern University Museum of Art, Shreveport; and the Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum, Monroe.

It all sounds very interesting and being a Louisiana native, I plan to explore the new tour. I will let you know how it goes!

ANCESTRAL COUNT

As the generations passes, every person's ancestors doubles as follows:

(1st generation) YOURSELF 1
(2nd generation) PARENTS 2
(3rd generation) GRANDPARENTS 4
(4th generation) GREAT-GRANDPARENTS 8
(5th generation) 2G GRANDPARENTS 16

(6th generation) 3G GRANDPARENTS 32
(7th generation) 4G GRANDPARENTS 64
(8th generation) 5G GRANDPARENTS 128
(9th generation) 6G GRANDPARENTS 256
(10 generations)7G GRANDPARENTS 512

(11 generations) 8G GRANDPARENTS 1024
(12 generations) 9G GRANDPARENTS 2048
(13 generations) 10G GRANDPARENTS 4096
(14 generations) 11G GRANDPARENTS 8192
(15 generations) 12G GRANDPARENTS 16,384

(16 generations) 13G GRANDPARENTS 32,768
(17 generations) 14G GRANDPARENTS 65,536
(18 generations) 15G GRANDPARENTS 131,072
(19 generations) 16G GRANDPARENTS 262,144
(20 generations) 17G GRANDPARENTS 564,288
---------

TOTAL NUMBER OF ANCESTORS 1,048,574

That means that every person at least the ones living now has had 1,048,574 ancestors in the last 20 generations. That is a lot of grandparents. So, as you can see the likelihood of one person being related to the next is highly probable.

Slave marriages

During slavery, most slaves were not able to legally marry since they were considered property and therefore less than human. They were however, in many cases encouraged by slave-owners to informally marry since it was believed that married men was less likely to be rebellious or to run away. Also, the slavemaster felt that marriage meant the procreation of children and some even offered freedom to slaves who produced at least 15 children.

This is a sad and awful truth that our ancestors had to endure. In addition, since slave marriages had no legal standing, it meant no protection from the abuses and restrictions imposed on them by slaveowners. Slave husbands and wives, without legal recourse, could be separated or sold at their master's will.

Couples who resided on different plantations were often only allowed to visit with the consent of their owners. However, in some of the slave narratives that I have read, the men preferred it that way. As John Anderson explained: "I did not want to marry a girl belonging to my own place, because I knew I could not bear to see her ill-treated." Moses Grandy agreed he wrote: "no colored man wishes to live at the house where his wife lives, for he has to endure the continual misery of seeing her flogged and abused without daring to say a word in her defence." As Henry Bibb pointed out: "If my wife must be exposed to the insults and licentious passions of wicked slave-drivers and overseers. Heaven forbid that I should be compelled to witness the sight."

Most slaves married without the benefit of clergy but instead the marriage ceremony was often performed by other family members and only with the master's permission.

It also was not like the other traditional marriages that took place during that time. Instead, most slaves "jumped the broom." This was a practice in which the couple before being pronounced as man and wife, they literally jumped over one or in some cases 2 brooms, one for each person into the land of "holy matrimony."

These were the lucky ones, some marriages consisted only of the slaves simply getting the master's permission and moving into a cabin together." Hence, comes the term, "shacking up."

After emancipation, a lot of slaves became legally married even though by that time, they often already had a house full of kids.

The federal government also established the Freedmen's Bureau to help former slaves get established in the society as free men. One of the services provided by the Bureau was to record marriages that had taken place during slavery.

Several of my own ancestors did just that even though in a lot of cases, they already had grown kids.

These are some of the ones like became legally married after slavery ended:

1. Oliver and Edy Williams Clayton "re-married" 7/24/1869 in Caddo parish after slavery ended and they already at least 3 children at this time. The oldest known was 8 years old so they had been together at least that long.

2. Levi and Mary Clay Green renewed their vows on September 24, 1872 in Bossier Parish. At that time, they had about 8 kids.

3. David and Mariah Pressley Hines (Hinds) exchanged their vows again on April 1, 1873 in DeSoto Parish. They already had at least 3 children at that time and another (My g-grandpapa Isam) on the way.

We have definitely come a long way from back then and we are truly blessed for having come so far. It must have had so much meaning for these former slave couples as was the case for many others to legalize their marriages.

However, I believe that in the eyes of God, they were already bonded and their love and commitment to each other and their families are eternal!

Click on the image below to see a testimony of their joy!

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King

FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, FREE AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bonnie and Clyde's Louisiana connection

The infamous Bonnie and Clyde had a Louisiana connection. Although, the pair was originally from the Dallas, Texas area, they made several robbery sprees and had hideouts in Louisiana which is where they eventually met their end at the hands of Texas Rangers.

My mother remembers hearing stories as a child of how they had been reported to have been in the area of her hometown of Plain Dealing, Louisiana. My research revealed that the couple did in fact land in Plain Dealing on several occasions and had a hiding place for passing notes between themselves and other members of the Barrow gang.

My mother says that she heard the "Old folks" talk about how Bonnie and Clyde rode through Plain Dealing one day, and as they drove through town, they commenced to throwing money (bills)out of the window of their car. She was told that people was scrambling to pick it up since this occurred around 1933-1934 during the height of the Great Depression. My mom said that people talked about it for years. In fact, she said that one of my great grandpa's said he and several other negro men were standing around the vicinity of the present day Piggly Wiggley and they initially thought the money was counterfeit and once they picked it up and started comparing it to the few dollars they had between them, they confirmed it was real. One man went a step further and went into the Turnley store to buy something to see if any "eyebrows raised" and they took it with no problems.

Bonnie and Clyde met their actual demise in Gibsland, Louisiana after being tipped off by the father of one of the Barrow Gang.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed in their car on May 23, 1934 by 4 Texas officials and 2 local Louisiana officers at the tender ages of 23, and 24. There were 167 rounds fired into the vehicle they were driving and about 50 rounds that went into their bodies.

Years later, while plowing his field, one of my grandfather's friends found a bag of money that had been buried and turned it in to authorities.

Could that have belonged to Clyde? Very, possibly since we now know that he was in fact in that area.

As well, my mother shared that in the 1940's, my great-grandfather whom we called "Big Daddy" who was a sharecropper on the Old Bass Place in Plain Dealing, was awakened by the sound of shovels and men digging in the wee hours of the morning. As he peered through the curtain with the lights still out and he witnessed 4 men feverously digging on the side of the property with several lanterns and guns in hands. He related that the digging went on for about an hour until he heard one exclaim, "there it is!" He watched silently as they jointly lifted a big black steel trunk out of the ground. He continued to peer at them and saw them pry it open and to his amazement, they pulled out a LOT of money. He watched as they counted it out and divided it up amongst themselves. Once done they started filling the massive hole back with dirt but soon tired and abandoned that effort. The four climbed into 3
1940's style cars and sped off.

My great-grandpa waited until dawn and then went to alert the Sheriff who came with some other law enforcement officers and took down his story and surveyed the hole that resembled a freshly dug grave. My mother had stayed the night and although asleep at the time the actual event occurred, she did view the hole.

It was theorized by officials that the men were probably members of the Barrow gang that had been released from prison or some other ban2k robbers maybe Charlie Frazier or his crew who had robbed the Plain Dealing Bank some years earlier who had buried the money and come back for it. It is unknown whether anyone was ever apprehended but at that time, they were long gone.

In the case of Bonnie and Clyde, it was a tragic end to two young lives. However, their story though tragic and violent serves as a lesson for future generations of right and wrong and illustrates the hard lessons learned when following the wrong path.

Their decision to live a life of crime with total disregard for the lives of 12 other human beings was ultimately why they got about 5 times what they gave since they received almost 5 bullets into their own bodies for every one of the 12 people they had shot.

At a time when the country as a whole had sank into the worst economic times in US history, during the Great Depression, people overall were suffering and trying to feed their families. However, most did the best they could with what they had including taking on extra jobs, planting and tending their own crops, whole families pitched in from young and old to ease the stress of hard times. Even with that, a lot of bellies went hungry.

Both Bonnie and Clyde grew up very poor. Bonnie was raised by a single mother with 3 kids so times must have been rough. They both undoubtedly received a lot of taunting from those who were maybe a little more fortunate than themselves maybe about their living situations or their clothing or lack of food. Maybe their decision to commit robberies by any means necessary was not only to satify their own needs but they may have viewed it as a means of gaining what they percieved to be respect especially since they were also notorious for their stylish ill-gotten clothes. Nice clothing at that time as is now to a certain degree was a definite status symbol. However, there is NO respect for someone who takes the life of another to satisy his or her own needs or psyche, even during hard times.

There were many other people in the same financial situation as they were but unlike Bonnie and Clyde, they did not all resort to stealing from and killing others to satify their personal own needs. Others chose to work hard and do their best to make ends means. These are these real heroes and much respect goes out to all the men and women who roughed out the Great Depression which includes my own ancestors who chose the honest path whatever the consequences and in doing so passed down some honest values to their children that can be further handed down through the generations. Their "high road" choices illustrates that that even when times get hard, you still have to choose the the right road to follow by using the talents God gave you to alter your circumstances and not preying on others to improve your standing in life.

Still my heart goes out to the families of Bonnie and Clyde since history has it that Bonnie's mother especially grieved greatly at the loss of her young daughter.

The bible best tells us:

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

This holds true throughout the generations yet it is also up to each of us young and old to choose the right paths to follow.


And so ends the story of Bonnie and Clyde and their encounter with the small town of Plain Dealing, Louisiana.







Karen Burney
Louisiana Lineage Legacies