Tag: Black History
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Update on research
Never imagined that my research would result in this, but I realized no researcher does. Classes have just started, yet this semester is almost done. The reason behind my absent, actual I been just reading other people’s blogs. This semester was my first semester as a history major after biology, sociology and anthropology, and politics…my…
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Mrs. Gladys Flowers-Stevenson
Gladys Flowers was one of Rachel’s younger sister. She first appeared in the 1910 Federal Census alongside her siblings. Per this census record, she was only two years old (born around 1908). In the next census record, a 12 year old Gladys lived with her father and three other siblings in Boiling Springs, PA. She…
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Rachel Flowers, a Philadelphia Black Socialite
Rachel was a well-known figure in the Black communities of Harrisburg and Philadelphia. In the City of Brotherly Love, she worked with a number of organizations including the Q.C. Charity Club, YWCA, Study of Negro Life and History, the Utopia Business and Professional Club, Las Buenas Amigas, and the Business and Professional Club. She also…
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Hilda Flowers
The Afro-American, January 4, 1936 Hilda Clifford Flowers was Harry and Nancy’s last child. Born around 1910, Hilda grew up on her family’s farm in Jacksonville, Florida. Following her parents’ separation, she moved with her father and siblings to Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. She may have attended Boiling Springs High School like her sister, Rachel.…
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Henry Sams Jr: The First Black Award-Winning Archer in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Tribune, July 26, 1955 For Henry A. Sams, target and field archery are unsurpassed as outdoor sports. The 37 year-old bowman, who lives at 5840 Ludlow Street, is a member of the Philadelphia Archery Club and New Jersey’s Aldebarans. As the first Negro in both organizations, Sams had little difficulty. Avid Bowman. Philadelphia…
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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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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…
Diary of a Historian 