Heroes of Liberty: Charles Langston and the Oberlin-Wellington Rescuers

From the Abolitionist Movement to #BlackLivesMatter

A great history lesson about slavery and #BlackLivesMatter.

Still, I Rise

Poet Maya Angelou (1928 - 2014)

Still, I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you? 
Why are you beset with gloom? 
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken? 
Bowed head and lowered eyes? 
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you? 
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you? 
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs? 

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise. 

Poem Source:  http://poemhunter.com/poem/still-i-rise/

The Negro Mother

Wow!  What an awesome performance by six-year-old Promise Christoni in her recitation of "The Negro Mother" by Langston Hughes.

Video:  Recitation of The Negro Mother

Poem:  The Negro Mother by Langston Hughes

Poet Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Children, I come back today

To tell you a story of the long dark way

That I had to climb, that I had to know

In order that the race might live and grow.

Look at my face - dark as the night -

Yet shining like the sun with love's true light.

I am the dark girl who crossed the red sea

Carrying in my body the seed of the free.

I am the woman who worked in the field

Bringing the cotton and the corn to yield.

I am the one who labored as a slave,

Beaten and mistreated for the work that I gave -

Children sold away from me, I'm husband sold, too.

No safety, no love, no respect was I due.

Three hundred years in the deepest South:

But God put a song and a prayer in my mouth.

God put a dream like steel in my soul.

Now, through my children, I'm reaching the goal.

Now, through my children, young and free,

I realized the blessing deed to me.

I couldn't read then. I couldn't write.

I had nothing, back there in the night.

Sometimes, the valley was filled with tears,

But I kept trudging on through the lonely years.

Sometimes, the road was hot with the sun,

But I had to keep on till my work was done:

I had to keep on! No stopping for me -

I was the seed of the coming Free.

I nourished the dream that nothing could smother

Deep in my breast - the Negro mother.

I had only hope then, but now through you,

Dark ones of today, my dreams must come true:

All you dark children in the world out there,

Remember my sweat, my pain, my despair.

Remember my years, heavy with sorrow -

And make of those years a torch for tomorrow.

Make of my pass a road to the light

Out of the darkness, the ignorance, the night.

Lift high my banner out of the dust.

Stand like free men supporting my trust.

Believe in the right, let none push you back.

Remember the whip and the slaver's track.

Remember how the strong in struggle and strife

Still bar you the way, and deny you life -

But march ever forward, breaking down bars.

Look ever upward at the sun and the stars.

Oh, my dark children, may my dreams and my prayers

Impel you forever up the great stairs -

For I will be with you till no white brother

Dares keep down the children

Poem Source:  http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-negro-mother/

Lincoln's Proclamation

Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation

Discovering the 81 Freedom Fighters, Part 1

On March 25, 2014, I purchased a monthly subscription to www.newspapers.com, and began searching and transcribing Richmond Virginia newspapers for runaway slave advertisements.  Perusing the newspapers from the Civil War period has been quite enlightening and one of the ads which caught my attention contained a long list of names.  Upon reading the ad, I saw that it contained not only the names of runaway slaves, but also the name and locations of their slave masters.  I felt it was my genealogy duty to not ignore this list, but to transcribe and analyze it although none of these men are my ancestors as far as I know. 

I began this new project by modifying the digital image using a drawing tool in Paint program to underline the names of the men in red.  This enabled me to more easily read and transcribe the names from this newspaper advertisement.

Richmond Dispatch Newspaper, August 27, 1864, Page 1.

Further Research of Contents of Advertisement

In addition to transcribing and analyzing the advertisement, I have also been researching the mine explosion and other names, events, and places mentioned.  On Sunday afternoon, March 30, 2014, I sent the digital image to fellow genealogist Angela Walton-Raji and we spent some time on the phone discussing this gold mine of an ad and researching online clues to further research information which we gleaned from the ad. In less than an hour, Angela and I used various online databases to get answers to some of the research questions we had about the men, places, and events mentioned in this advertisement.  As a result of our afternoon collaborate session, Angela and I agreed to be a blogging “tag-team” to share our findings about this case.

Data Analysis (What’s in a Name?)

And so, I will begin this endeavor with sharing some of the results of my data analysis of this advertisement in which I used Microsoft Excel to create a table with the names of the 81 soldiers, their slave owners, and the locations of the slave owners.  

The first topic I want to address is the names of the 81 soldiers listed in this August 27, 1864 newspaper advertisement.  Two of the men named in the ad included a first and last name.  All of enslaved men except for “William Bowser, slave of William Peckham of Eastern Shore” were listed with only a first name.  The second person listed with both a first and last name was Henry Lynch, a free negro.  It was customary for free persons of color to be listed in records with both a first and last name and slaves listed either as a number or by first name only.  So why was William Bowser the only runaway slave listed with both names?  Did he say both names when he was asked by Confederates?  Did the other slaves only say their first name when they were questioned?  Surely when these men enlisted into the military, they used a first and last name.  Even if they had never really used a last name before, they may have arbitrarily chosen one at the time of their military enlistment.

First Names of Soldiers

There were 40 different first names used by the captured soldiers and several of them had the same first name.  Fourteen of the 81 men had the first name “John.”  A total of 54 men had the same first names as others captured in this group.

FIRST NAME	NUMBER
John	14
Charles	7
George	6
Lewis	4
Henry	3
James	3
Robert	3
William	3
Samuel (Sam)	3
Frank	2
Isaac	2
Peter	2
Thomas	2
	54

Inquiring Minds Gotta Research Further

Search of the Civil War Soldier/Sailor database by the first name of one of the 81 soldiers with an uncommon first name in this advertisement indicated that this man did have a last name.  Further online genealogy database research resulted in additional records on this soldier as well as gave us another alias (first and last name) he was known by.  Our biggest research question was the fate of these soldiers after their capture.  Angela and I hit the genealogy record jackpot when we discovered an online record which gave us information as to this uncommon named soldier’s fate after his capture in 1864.  Although this finding is only for this one individual, the record gives us numerous clues to hopefully find out the fate of the other 80 Negro soldiers.  Stay tuned. 

Update:  April 7, 2014 Read follow up post to this story by genealogist and blogger, Angela Walton-Raji, "On the Trail of Yarmouth Cartwright", 

Abraham Lincoln - The Emancipation Proclamation

Slave Runaway: 24-Year-Old William

SEVENTY DOLLARS REWARD. -– Ran away from the Third Section of the James River and Kanawha Canal, about the middle of July last, a bright mulatto, named WILLIAM.  He has a bushy head of hair, a smiling countenance and polite manners; is about twenty-four-year old, and five feet ten or eleven inches in height.  He belongs to the estate of Dr. J. L. Trent, deceased or Cumberland, and may have gone to that county or to Richmond, where he has relations, or made his way to some military station, as he was last year in the service of General Longstreet, and acquired a fondness for camp life.  He had some military clothing with him.  He has a rupture, which may serve more readily to identify him.

The above reward and reasonable expenses will be paid for his delivery at the office of the James River and Kanawha Company in Richmond; at the plantation of J. Robertson, seven miles below Lynchburg; to the undersigned, or any agent of the Company; or half the sum for such information as may lead to his recovery.  A. MICHAELS

                          

                                  Superintendent Third Section

   se 27 – 6t              James River and Kanawha Canal

Source:  “Runaways.” Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia) · Tuesday, September 27, 1864,·Page 1 http://www.newspapers.com/clip/453149/slave_william Downloaded on Mar 25, 2014.

Slave Runaway: Celia Jackson

ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD – Ran away from my house on the 25^th April 1864, my negro woman CELIA JACKSON.  She is forty-five or fifty years of age.  She has been hiring herself out in Rocketts as a washer woman.  I will pay the above reward if she she be delivered to Grady’s jail, corner Fifteenth and Cary streets.  [sc 24 – 3t*]    F. W. DOGGETT

Source:  “Runaways.” Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia) · Tuesday, September 27, 1864 · Page 1 http://www.newspapers.com/clip/453186/slave_celia Downloaded on March 25, 2014 

Slave Runaway, 16-Year-Old Henry

RUNAWAY. -- Ran away from the subscriber on the 24^th instant, at Manchester, boy HENRY; about sixteen years of age; five feet high; nearly black; slender; long face and thick lips; on right or left side a wen about the size of a walnut; has eruption on his skin, resembling mosquito bites.  When the said boy left he had on a soldier’s jacket and a common cotton shirt, rather light-colored pants, old hat and shoes; all of which were very dirty.

I will give ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS in the present Confederate currency for the apprehension and delivery of said BOY to Messrs. LEE & BOWMAN, Richmond, or in any jail so I can get him.

Said boy was sold by Messrs. Hill, Dickinson & Co. for James Gray’s sons.  He is supposed to be lurking about Richmond, or at Mr. Mallory’s, on the Mountain road, ten miles above the city, where his mother lives, or in Manchester, where he has a sister living with Mr. Rowlett Winfree.

Sc 27—12t*      JACK HALL.

Source:  “Runaways.” Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia), Tuesday, September 27, 1864 · Page 1, http://www.newspapers.com/clip/453183/slave_henry Downloaded on March 25, 2014.

Poem: The Colored Soldiers

The Colored Soldiers is a poem written by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906).  I discovered this poem while watching online video performances by storyteller, recording artist, poet, actor and author Mitch Capel aka “Gran’daddy Junebugor.” Mr. Capel is the national interpreter of the works of poet  Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Mitch Capel’s Performance of The Colored Soldiers by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote several black soldier-themed poems as a tribute to his father, Joshua Dunbar, an escaped slave from a Kentucky plantation who served in the 55th Massachusetts Regiment of the United States Colored Troop (USCT) during the Civil War.  The sentiments expressed in Dunbar’s black soldier-themed poems also give accolades to all soldiers of the USCT for their courage and sacrifices in the fight for freedom. 

Soldier-Themed Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

• Dirge for a Soldier 
• Our Martyred Soldiers
• The Colored Soldiers 
• Whistlin’ Sam 
• W’en Dey ‘Listed Colored Soldiers 

In the last stanza of the poem, The Colored Soldiers, Dunbar sums up what he hoped to accomplish by writing this poetry tribute.

And their deeds shall find a record

In the registry of Fame;

For their blood has cleansed completely

Every blot of Slavery's shame.

So all honor and all glory

To those noble sons of Ham--

===================================

Read More About Paul Laurence Dunbar

• Biography of Paul Laurence Dunbar  
• Paul Laurence Dunbar Website 
• Paul Laurence Dunbar: Online Resources  

Flight to Freedom

Voices of the Civil War Episode 12: "Emancipation Proclamation"

Hanover Tavern

I’m looking forward to visiting the Hanover Tavern located in Hanover County, VA and the surrounding area on tomorrow for the Civil War Battle Bus Tour . In the late 1980s, while living in Richmond, VA, I visited the tavern on several occasions to attend their dinner theater. Little did I know that many years later, my genealogy research would lead me back to the tavern and to the Hanover Courthouse District where it is located.

About Hanover Tavern




I do not have any ancestors that I know of who lived in Hanover County, but it is my research of James A. Fields (1844-1903) and his family that has led me back to Hanover County. The Fields family escaped from slavery in the Hanover Courthouse/Tavern area to Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA during the Civil War.

Mr. Fields and members of his family went on to become educated through Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, now Hanover Courthouse District , and excelled professionally in careers in law and education. There is a historic house in my community where Mr. Fields lived. ( Click here for more about the James A. Fields House)

My afternoon visit to the tavern for the " Civil War Battle Bus Tour " will include a scrumptious buffet lunch, civil war exhibit, lecture by Michael Hardy, author “Battle of Hanover Courthouse: Turning Point of the Peninsula Campaign, May 27, 1862,” and a guided bus tour.

The Fields family was living in the Hanover Courthouse/Tavern area during time of the battle and George Washington Fields (1854-1932), a younger brother of James A. Fields, wrote in his unpublished autobiography “Come On Children” about their lives during slavery and various battles and skirmishes which occurred in the courthouse/tavern area. My main objective in attending this tour is to gain knowledge about the geography of the courthouse/tavern area as well as its activities during the Civil War.

Moses Smith, Black Canadian Born Soldier in Civil War

Through a recent study of the birthplaces and enlistment locations of a select group of soldiers in Company B of USCT 1 Calvary, I discovered a black Canadian born soldier who enlisted in Buffalo, NY in October 1864 and was transferred to a Virginia Based United States Colored Troop Regiment a few days after his enlistment. This discovery is quite intriguing and the curious side of me wants to know more about this soldier. And so I start the research process of this soldier with a basic genealogy step which is to “WRITE DOWN WHAT I KNOW.” I hope that by posting this summary on my blog that others who are more knowledgeable of Canada, New York, and Civil War research can give me tips on further researching the life of this soldier. The information below was obtained from the Civil War Union Service Record for Moses Smith, USCT 1 Calvary.

===========================

Moses Smith was born in Canada around 1843. Although his record does not name a province in Canada, a strong possibility is “Ontario” since it borders Buffalo, NY the location where Moses enlisted. On his Union Civil War service record, his physical characteristics were noted as “5 foot, 3-1/2 inches tall, with black complexion, eyes, and hair”. His occupation was listed as a Laborer.

Moses Smith mustered into the military as a “Recruit” on October 3, 1864 in Buffalo, NY under Captain Ruggans. He was 21 at the time of his enlistment. Three days later on October 6, 1864, Moses was “forwarded or transferred to the “United States Color Troop 1 Calvary which had been organized in Camp Hamilton, VA in December 1863. Moses Smith received a bounty of $100 and $25.75 for clothing for his military service.

Remarks in the service records suggest that Moses Smith was a musician because it indicates transfers and duty in the “reglt band.” (I assume that the reference to “band” refers to a musical group and not some other type of military group.) There is also a remark about a special order 32 dated Jan 9, 1865.

Moses Smith was mustered out of the military on February 4, 1866 in Brazos Santiago, TX along with his regiment, USCT 1 Calvary.

The part of this story which sparks my interest the most is Moses' Canadian roots and I hope to discover more about this black Smith family living in Canada during the 1800s.

United States Colored Troops in Photos

Check out this short video of photos of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) 1863-1865. These African American men fought during the American Civil War.

USCT Bounty Poster

Posters such as this likely enticed African American men to enlist in the military during the Civil War. Although many of them could not read during this era, no doubt the word got out about the contents of a poster such as this, and the benefits of joining the military.

Life in The Army During the Civil War

This video is a class project performed by two young men. I thought they did a great in their reenactment of life in the army during the Civil War. Hope that they received an A+ on this project. Enjoy!

Civil War Veteran Soldier Reunions, 1913 and 1938

This is priceless video footage of the 50th and 75th reunions of Civil War veterans. Video was sent to me by a genealogy friend and includes footage of African American Civil War Veterans.