Category: Family History
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Bradley, Flowers, and Sams: A Blended Family
Lydia Bradley —/-— Harry Flowers Mary Samuel Josie Harry Flowers –/– Nancy Sawyer Chauncey Fred John Rachel Theodore Vincent Gladyce Hilda Nancy…
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Happy Birthday: An Open Letter to Mrs. Rachel Ellerbee (Flowers)
Rachel Flowers pictured at Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home (1916-18) Dear Rae, Happy birthday beautiful lady! You would have been 115 years old today. I meant 115 years young! It is strange to say that because I have only known you for three years and the only images I have of you are…
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Newspapers, Obituaries, and African American Genealogy
By the 20th century, the black press was a cornerstone in the black community giving voice to essentially Black America. It was the “Black Twitter” of the past. In the late 19th and throughout the 20th century, this was the source of black news in America, it was what the black community turned to for…
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The Inevitable: Cemetery Hunting
Now, I am at a standstill in my research. Next year will mark the centennial of Rachel Flowers’ enrollment at Messiah Missionary School and Training Home, known today as Messiah College, my alma mater. If you are new to my blog, welcome! To give you a brief background about Rachel, please read the bio marquee…
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Happy Memorial Day: A Tribute to the Flowers Family
Memorial Day, Owen Freeman War kills people and destroys human creation; but as though mocking war’s devastation, flowers inevitably bloom through its ruins. After a long siege, a prolonged bombardment for months from all around the harbor, and numerous fires, the beautiful port city of Charleston, South Carolina, where the war had begun in April,…
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Part Three: The Flowers Family and The Black Church
Harry Flowers —-/—-Nancy Sawyer | ———————————————————————————— Chauncey Fred John Rachel Theodore Vincent Gladyce Hilda Philadelphia In West Philadelphia born and raised…perhaps not the best introduction; however, the young women of the Flowers family did call Philadelphia home following their father’s death. For Rachel and Gladyce, Wesley AME Zion became their spiritual home during the late 1920s.…
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The Black Church and the Flowers Family (Part II)
Wesley Union AME Zion Church The image of this church was taken at its original location on the corner of Tanner’s Alley and South Street in Harrisburg. From Pennsylvania to Florida Reverend J.J. Sawyer was a powerful member within the Florida AME Church. He even introduced the Independent African Methodist Episcopal Church which was quickly…
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The Black Church and the Flowers Family (Part One)
This three part series will explore the Flowers’ religion and church affiliation beginning with Rachel’s maternal grandfather, Reverend Joseph J. “J.J.” Sawyer of North Carolina. If you are new to my blog, I encourage you to use this family tree as a helpful guide. It is too huge to recreate digitally, but I will try…
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A Race Against Time: The Quest for a Living Descendant
Vincent Flowers at Messiah Academy, Courtesy of Messiah College Archives Vincent Flowers, Rachel’s brother passed away in 2002. Edna Wiggins, Rachel’s sister-in-law, died in 2004. About seven years later, Paul Stevenson passed away in 2011. He was Rachel’s nephew. A great amount of history is lost with each death that occurs within the Flowers’ family. I…
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The Family Poet: Mrs. Geraldine Wilson
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture holds the largest archival holding of information regarding the Flowers family, particularly letters between Rachel and her niece, Geraldine, and documents and artifacts Geraldine collected throughout her lifetime. This includes her academic writings, personal collection of newspapers, personal writing, and even her poetry collection. The next few…
Diary of a Historian 