Tag: history
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Frederick Douglass: The Black O’Connell
“Instead of the bright, blue sky of America, I am covered with the soft, grey fog of the Emerald Isle. I breathe, and lo! the chattel becomes a man.” Frederick Douglass, letter to William Lloyd Garrison, 1845 “When we strove to blot out the stain of slavery and advance the rights of man, we…
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A Little Bit of North Carolina History: The Battle of Hayes Pond
“People feared the Klan…until the Klan picked a fight with people who fought back.” The Fayetteville Observer Now, before I write present the Battle of Hayes Pond, I must first inform you about the history of Maxton, North Carolina and the Lumbee Tribe. Both hold a special place in my heart. Spending pieces of my childhood in Maxton, North…
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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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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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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 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…
Diary of a Historian 