Tag: Black History
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What Became His Wife’s War: The Battle for Civil War Pension
I am a researcher, yet some days I wish I were not. You see, I dive into multiple topics within African American history from slavery to the present encountering countless historical figures and seeking to learn their stories. The issue comes with time, a luxury I do not have. Despite this fallback, there exist a few stories and historical…
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Personal Thoughts: Selma
I do not believe there are any spoilers I could give in this post for we already know what happens. History is essentially history. I am a fan of David Oyelowo and his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was outstanding. He gained weight and studied the man he played from Dr. King’s diction…
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Behind the Lens: Gordon Parks
A few days ago, I received an e-mail from the Museum of Fine Arts which caused a huge grin to rush across my face. It read: It may be cold outside—but not inside the MFA! The new year brings a slew of new art, exhubitions, lectures, and courses to cozy up to this moth. Discover…
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Findings in the Archives: Sharing Research Interests with Those You Are Researching
As I slowly, but surely work my way through my findings from a recent archival research trip, I came across the following piece of paper. Photo taken from the Geraldine Wilson Papers located at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture It states the following: Arthur Schomburg Puerto Rican of African Descent Inspired by bad…
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Findings in the Archive
I enjoy doing research, at times a bit too much, but I truly am a researcher. This past Thanksgiving, I spent time at the Museum of American Indians in New York City, Broadway shows (Pippin and Motown…where I met Phylicia Rashad and Bobbi Jones performed on stage!), and I also spent two days at the Schomburg…
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Slave Schedules, Take Three: Harry Flowers
What do we know about Harry? Well, he was born on February 23, 1845,at times I list his birth year as 1846 because of his Civil War enlistment record, but I need to start using the date from his death certificate completed by his daughter, Rachel, in 1928. For all other information, I use the 1880 United States Federal…
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Slave Schedules, Take Two
I confronted my first slave schedule during my early stages of my research and it was a tough document to go through. Link The above image is from the United States 1850 Slave Schedule in Calhoun County, Florida. Featured is slave owner William H. Flower. I doubt Mr. Flowers was the owner of Harry Flowers;…
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The Journey in Uncovering Harry Flowers’ Early Life: The Llambias
When I enlisted and before that I lived here in St. Augustine. I was born and brought up here…I was a slave and belonged to Llambias There were four brothers and they all lived together and we all lived right in the yard with them and I did not belong to any particular one. They…
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History and Good Guessing: A Revisit of Harry Flowers’ Early Life in St. Augustine, Florida
Graduate school is coming along well. Today marks the end to my fourth week of classes. I amenrolled in three courses (one being online) this semester while working and hopefully securing an internship [crossing fingers] in the coming month. Sadly, I have placed research on the back burner at times in order to complete my weekly readings, essays,…
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The Journey in Finding Mrs. Rachel Ellerbee
I have been researching Mrs. Rachel since 2012. For the past two years, I have discovered and learned an endless amount of information about this beautiful courageous woman and her family. Despite this journey with the Flowers, there obviously remains missing pieces in their story, particularly Rachel’s story. It never ceases to amaze me of…
Diary of a Historian 