Tag: African American. african american history
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What Do I Read?
I have always been an avid reader. Being a shy kid and not a huge fan of people, my refuge was found in a book. It took me to a world beyond what I knew and allowed me to travel to places both far and near. I love to read. My mind was filled with the words…
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The Biography of Charles Albert Tindley
Since late January, I have been attending a local AME church in Boston and being the non-churchgoing person, I have to say I enjoy this time of fellowship in my week. As a historian, I greatly appreciate learning about black history through my pastor’s sermons. This week he began with the hymn “Stand By Me” by…
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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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The Mystery Behind the Flowers Family Photos
To learn more about the Flowers family check out my about page, previous posts, or the Flowers family website (which will be updated). Over the summer of 2013, I entered the doors of the Schomburg Center as a lost and slightly nervous researcher (I am such an introvert). I had just returned from Pittsburgh as…
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The Curious Case of Theodore Flowers
This past week has been full of much needed research. I spent much of my time searching through databases at Newspaper.com. It is a helpful tool when conducting genealogy; however, not for African American research. They have a limited number of black newspapers provided, which made me extremely upset, but hey it was a free trail.…
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The Men of the Flowers Family: Theodore Flowers (1903-1933)
Just a friendly reminder: Doing one’s family history is difficult work, yet conducting someone else’s family history is horrendous (rewarding, but horrendous). Also: Always save drafts periodically or you will find yourself writing the same post twice =( What I do all day, everyday This is the Flowers Family, well part of the Flowers family.…
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His Name Was Gordon: The Man Behind One of the Nation’s Most Iconic Photos
On Monday night I was up until 11:30 pm watching Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People on PBS. It was not a wise move given my morning job; however, I am an avid fan of documentaries and this one quickly placed itself in my top ten list of outstanding films. I…
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A New Find: The Death Record of Nancy J. Sawyer
A few months ago, Pennsylvania released the state’s death records from 1906 to 1963. I must have overlooked the death record of Rachel’s mother, Nancy Sawyer, in my initial research…#iamafailure. This is a relatively short post, I just wanted you to see what I discovered about Nancy. 1. Her middle name–Throughout the majority of my research, I never had…
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BHM 2015: Findings in the Geraldine Wilson Papers Collection
Today marks the beginning of Black History Month for 2015. As this day approached, I was thinking of ways to honor BHM; however, it hit me–I always and, at this point in my life, only write about black history. Then I thought perhaps I could focus on the Flowers family and their role in black…
Diary of a Historian 