Author: Christina
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Vincent Allen Flowers
From 1923 to 1927, Vincent Allen Flowers, Rachel’s youngest brother, attended Messiah Academy, the institution’s high school. Hierald Osorto also honored Vincent during the college’s centennial celebration. Based on the 1910 Federal Census, a four year old Vincent was born between 1905 to 1906. On the 1920 Federal Census, a 14 year old…
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“If Person is of African Descent, Cut Off This Corner”
My research began with Rachel; however, I quickly began to study each member on the Flowers family tree. This post is about her eldest brother, Chauncey Sawyer Flowers. Chauncey Sawyer Flowers was born on April 13, 1895 in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1917, he was drafted into the First World War. Chauncey lived on 504 Brown…
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Research Notes: Who is Rachel Flowers?
I pause to share my findings. Rachel Flowers was born between 1901-1905. Four different sources give me FOUR different birth years: The College: In her enrollment record, Rachel’s birth date was listed as August 2, 1905. When her brother enrolled at Messiah Academy his date of birth was also 1905. They were not twins. The…
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Black Troops in the American Civil War
In Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era, John David Smith stated that approximately 10% of the soldiers in the Union Army were Black. Among the 10% was Rachel’s father, Harry F. Flowers. According to his enlistment record, H. Flowers was born in Putnam County, Florida around 1846. His occupation-farmer.…
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Research Note.
Researching the life of Rachel Flowers is more difficult than I initially thought. It is quite a headache, a good, yet frustrating headache. Searching for a person born at the turn of the twentieth century, a black person, a black woman, holds many limitations. I truly hope to find a family member, one of her…
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1920 Census: The Household of Harry Flowers
Year: 1920; Census Place: Monroe, Cumberland, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1557; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 29 In 1910, the Flowers children lived with their mother, a Mrs. N.J.P. Flowers, in Jacksonville, Florida. A decade later, Rachel, Vincent, Gladys, and Hilda resided with their father, Harry F. Flowers (H-Head of Household), in Monroe Township, Pennsylvania (outside…
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1910 Census: The Household of N.J.P. Flowers
This slide served as my research’s starting point. From Osorto’s findings, I knew four things: (1) Rachel Flowers relocated from Florida to Boiling Springs, PA with her father and three siblings in the early 1900s. (2) A Harry F. Flowers was her father. (3) Beginning in fall 1916, she attended Messiah Academy. (4) In…
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Rachel Flowers (1900-1988)
This slide was created by various faculty members sharing information found about Rachel Flowers, the first African American student to attend my college.
Diary of a Historian 