In Remembrance: Juneteenth



African-American Civil War Monument, Washington D.C.

For African-Americans, the commemoration of the Civil War and Emancipation is an extra special time of year known as Juneteenth. Juneteenth came about near the end of the Civil War when the Union Army marched into Texas. Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order #3 officially liberating enslaved African descendants in the state of Texas at Galveston on about June 19, 1865, making it the last slave state to legally end slavery. Since that time, Texans and later African-Americans from all over the U.S. began to commemorate Emancipation.

I honor and remember the service of African-American men and women in the war of African liberation in America. Those men and women who didn't think it was robbery to sacrifice their lives to ensure the physical freedom of African descended people in the United States of America. In my own family research, I've been able to identify five men who served in the USCT (United States Colored Troops)who are my ancestors. Today I'd like to remember them by name: Benjamin Thompson (82nd USCT), Charles Rounds Jr.(50th USCT) Thomas Hinyard and Edward Hinyard 58th USCT, and James Galmore 5th Heavy Artillery USCT .

African American Civil War Monument Wall of Names

Book Review: "150 Years Later: Broken Ties Mended" by Melvin Collier



http://www.writeherepublishing.com/150YearsLater/


          I recently had the pleasure to read the second genealogical work written by genealogist and African American historian  Melvin Collier titled "150 Years Later: Broken Ties Mended".  This book takes you through Melvin's personal journey of tracing and chronicling his mother's family, the Reeds of northern Mississippi. This book covers from his ancestor William "Bill" Reed to his oldest known documented ancestors, Fanny and Lewis Barr of South Carolina. Melvin masterfully through his detailed and determined research is able to reconnect Bill Reed with his formerly enslaved family connection to the Barrs and Beckleys nearly a century after the family left South Carolina for Mississippi when the estate of his last known slave owner was divided among his children.
          This book is a must read for African Americans who are working on their own family genealogy. What I really enjoyed about the book is how it in many ways is an every man's story for African-Americans. I could relate to the family structure of having a 'brother' and 'sister' among the siblings. Among my Alabama father's siblings there was a 'brother' my Uncle Thurman and a 'sister' my Aunt Julia. I also could relate to the warmth of kinship between the extended family members Melvin met through his research. I feel the book put the traditional extended family and cultural norms of African-Americans upfront and in a positive spotlight.
         The highlight of the book  for this reader was the 2009 family reunion of the descendants of Fanny and Lewis Barr in Abbeville, South Carolina. Personally, I found that to be the most touching part of the book; the connections broken by the inhumane system of American slavery being mended by reuniting the descendants.
         In closing, I am grateful that Melvin wrote this second book from a personal perspective which serves to inspire researchers as myself to keep digging into their own genealogy and tell the stories missing from the historical narrative of this country.

Thanks Melvin!

The Family Griot Blog Network

I appreciate the support I've received since I started actively blogging about my family lines in Alabama and Mississippi.  I've recently decided to start two new blogs to be included in a network of blogs called The Family Griot Network. One blog is specifically devoted to telling the story of The Rounds Family of Adams County, Mississippi . Additionally through my research I have found that the availability of online records regarding African-Americans in Wilkinson County, Mississippi  are difficult to find. My second blog, The Family Griot Repository will be a central resource for records I've located in Wilkinson County and Adams County, Mississippi pertaining to solely to African-Americans.

Thanks again!

The Family Griot
                                                              

Genealogy Road Trip 2011: Sunday Prayer at Mount Olive Baptist Church

Sunday morning prayer 

Mount Olive Baptist Church

Sibley, Mississippi

In Loving Memory: Folk Art in headstones

One of the things I've come to look forward to while researching my family is visiting the local cemeteries. I find the various headstones to be fascinating. They range from the most elaborate marble headstones with a photo of the deceased enshrined in a glass frame to folk art headstones made from concrete with handmade designs and customized memorializations. Here are a few of the folk art headstones I photographed at Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery.

 

Mr. Joseph Perry
Born Aug 6, 1913 died Nov 16, 1973
“Rest In Peace”



Mother Mary Givens
“Our Beloved Mother” 
1860 – 1940 Aged 80



In Loving Memory of Laura C. Green
She was born July 10, 1921
She died Aug 21, 1990
She was Mother at Mt. Olive Baptist Church



           

              Mr. Buck Williams
             Born June 18, 1888
             Died Oct 13, 1966 At Rest





Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found: James Galmore Sr.



Sarah "Mama Sarah" Galmore-Thompson
and Family Griot on my very first trip to Mississippi

One of the few genealogical mysteries I'd been wanting to uncover was the origins of my Galmore family line. My maternal great-grandmother was born Sarah Galmore in about 1893 to Candy and Clara Galmore. Candy and Clara raised nine children; Anna, Nannie (Nancy), Mary, Jimmy (James), Clara, Cressie, Phoebe, Sarah, Candy and a nephew John whom they considered a son, in southern Adams county, Mississippi. According to Galmore oral family history, the Galmore's came to Mississippi from Virginia. This I have found is a common story among many Adams county African-American families as The Forks of the Road was a major overland slave market with major slave dealers operating out of Virginia.
In order for my search to begin, I looked for my oldest known Galmore ancestor which was my great-great grandfather, Candy Galmore. Through census research, I was able to determine that Candy Galmore was born in 1858 in Adams County, Mississippi. The earliest record of Candy was in the 1870 census. Listed as "Kendy" Galimore (a variant of the surname Galmore), he was living in Natchez, Mississippi. There were two other Galimore's who were listed  under household #261 with Kendy, Phoebe Galimore whose age is listed as 40 and James Galimore whose age is listed as 5.


The Galmore Family on the 1870 Census



 I was able to locate Candy Galmore and his descendants in each successive federal census from 1870 through 1920. Upon exhausting this resource, I then turned to trace any Galmores or Galimores in Adams County, Mississippi. My goal was to trace the descendants of James Galimore/Galmore, Candy's younger brother. While conducting a general name search in Mississippi at Ancestry, I came across a pension card for a much older James Galimore who had served in the 5th USCT Heavy Artillery out of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The person who applied for the pension was named Canada Galimore and the pension #839577 had been applied for from the state of Mississippi. I wondered if this Canada Galimore was my Candy Galmore.



Civil War Pension application card
for James Galimore

 I ordered the pension file for James Galimore from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Below are some of the key documents from the pension file that I used in analyzing if this James Galimore was the father and husband of Phoebe Galimore listed in the 1870 census. I followed up with another search of the federal census records from 1870 to 1930 for anyone in the state of Mississippi who was born with the surname Galimore or Galmore, as well as an interview with the oldest known Galmore descendant my grandfather also named Candy. My grandfather confirmed that William "Billy" Galmore was the father of John Galmore who had been raised with his mother, Sarah. Additionally, looking through the more recent Galmore descendants, there are a number of Phoebe's, Clara's, James' and even a few Candy's and Canada's in the family who took residence in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana.

The service record card
of James Galmore. This gives
a brief description of the soldier.



The request of James Galimore's children
Canada, William and James Jr. to receive a pension. This form lists the dates of their births as well as information about their mother Phoebe Galimore - Wade who remarried after receiving her husband's pay and bounty. It  gives details such as when Phoebe and James were 'married'. The brother Billy (William) was the father of John Galmore who was raised with my great grandmother,  Mama Sarah.



The determination by the Treasury Department,

 the Auditor for theWar Department

regarding the history of  payments made

to the Galmore family. Dated January 13, 1906.

Phoebe Galmore - Wade received James Galmore's

bounty payment of $100 and back pay of $30 in 1871.

Phoebe also received an additional $100 in 1879

based on the Bounty Act of July 22, 1861 because of

her status as the widow of James Galimore.



Page two of the letter from
the Treasury Department's office of the Auditor for the War Department

Family Griot just after barefootin' in the creek
at Ben's Corner. Yes that is mud and muck!

One of the things that the Washington Rounds Family enjoys the most when gathering for reunions is to enjoy various outdoor activities. At the Washington-Rounds picnic this year at Ben’s Corner the children and a few adventurous adults hopped in a cousin’s pickup truck and rode down to the creek that runs through the property. This is a fun  activity that has become tradition at family reunions held at Ben's Corner.



The creek at Ben's Corner. One of
our favorite places to go on the property.

 Many of us took off our shoes and jumped into the warm creek water. A female cousin who is known for never going without a pair of shoes joined us in the creek. We all had a good laugh about that!


What??!! No Shoes??!!



Road Trip Countdown: Off to Mississippi

The state of Mississippi is located in the southern United States and officially became a state on December 10, 1817. Natchez, Mississippi was founded as a settlement in 1716 as part of the Natchez District originally claimed by the Spanish and French. After the Haitian revolution, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory and in short order the Territory became part of the state of Mississippi.

My ancestors were forcibly migrated through the slave trade to southwestern Mississippi when it was part of the Mississippi territory and the Natchez District. During the Reconstruction Era, most of my family remained in Adams County and Wilkinson County, MS. During the years of  the Great Migration, some of my extended family members left Mississippi for points in the Midwest, the West Coast and major port cities in Louisiana.

Today I am embarking on a research trip to Mississippi to discover more about my family and the ancestral history of the community that they and other descendants of the formerly enslaved built together.

Road Trip Countdown: Canada "Candy" Galmore

Canada "Candy" Galmore

Canada "Candy" Galmore born in 1858, was the son of James and Phoebe Galmore. Phoebe and her sons, Candy and James first appear together in the Adams County 1870 census. Phoebe's occupation was listed as 'cook' and she was living near the household of a planter named A.M.  Poole. Phoebe received a bounty for her husband James, who served in the 5th USCT Heavy Artillery of Natchez, Mississippi.

Road Trip Countdown: Balanta of Guinea-Bissau

The nation of Guinea-Bissau
modern home of the Balanta ethnic group

One of the most exciting events in my research has to be the day received the results of a DNA test to determine my African ancestry. My maternal ancestry returned results of a match to the Balanta people of Guinea- Bissau. My family is in good company. Tom Joyner and Whoopi Goldberg are also descended from the Balanta people of Guinea-Bissau.

Road Trip Countdown: Ormonde Plantation

Ormonde Plantation
(as it appears today)

The Ormonde Plantation was one of the workplaces owned by the Farrar and Ellis family descendants of Louisiana and Mississippi. The first time reference I saw regarding the Ormonde Plantation was on a private inventory of slaves dated 1829. Included on the inventory were enslaved Africans by the names of Chisolm and Maryanne and their daughters Charity, Margaret and Hannah.

Road Trip Countdown: Wilkinson County Courthouse

Wilkinson County Courthouse
Woodville, Mississippi

Wilkinson County Courthouse Crest
Woodville, Mississippi

Road Trip Countdown: Goliah Rounds

Goliah Rounds 1854 - 1931

Goliah Rounds was the middle child of Charles and Charity Rounds. He married Dinah Brown in October 1877. He took over the stewardship of the Rounds Plantation where he and Dinah raised their ten children. Their daughter, Alice Rounds-Washington is the Family Griot's great-grandmother.

Road Trip Countdown: Mt. Sinai Baptist Church

Mt. Sinai Baptist Church
Hwy 61 Sibley, Mississippi

One of the most crucial organizations of southern black communities was the church. It was an organization that granted comfort and support in times of need during slavery and the Jim Crow segregation eras. Mt. Sinai Baptist Church is one of the churches that many former enslaved and their descendants founded, attended and were buried in the church cemetery. This building is the new sanctuary, however the door hanging with the crescent moons and star in the middle is from the original church building.

Road Trip Countdown: Port Hudson, Louisiana



Port Hudson, Louisiana
Home of the 82nd USCT

Port Hudson State Historic Site was originally an Army post known as Port Hudson. From 1863 to 1865, my ancestor Benjamin Thompson served on active duty in the 82nd USCT and was stationed at this fort. He fought in various battles from Alabama to Florida in support of the Union during the Civil War. After leaving the Army he followed what is today known as highway 61 into Adams County, Mississippi where he settled and started the Thompson family line.

Road Trip Countdown: Rounds Plantation, Adams County, Mississippi

Rounds Plantation circa 1985

Rounds (Glen Aubin) Plantation in southern Adams Coutny, Mississippi was purchased by Charles and Charity Rounds during the Reconstruction Era. This is the home where the Rounds family built their life and legacy in the century following the Civil War. This is the place the descendants of Charles and Charity Rounds regard as our ancestral home.

Juneteenth: In Honor of African-American Civil War Soldiers

This is a re-post from June 2010. Enjoy your Juneteenth weekend everyone!

5th USCT Heavy Artillery Flag of Natchez, Mississippi
 (Courtesy Forks of the Road and Ser Seshs Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley)



For African-Americans, the commemoration of the Civil War and Emancipation is an extra special time of year known as Juneteenth. Juneteenth came about originally in Texas when Union General Granger issueed a field order officially liberating enslaved African descendants there on or about June 19, 1865. Since that time, Texans and later African-Americans from all over the U.S. began to commemorate Emancipation.

I honor and remember the service of African-American men and women in the war of African liberation in America. Those men and women who didn't think it was robbery to sacrifice their lives to ensure the physical freedom of African descended people in the United States of America. In my own family research, I've been able to identify four men who served in the USCT (United States Colored Troops)who are my ancestors. Today I'd like to remember them by name: Benjamin Thompson (82nd USCT), Charles Rounds Jr.(50th USCT) Thomas Hinyard and Edward Hinyard.

Happy Juneteenth!

Wordless Wedenesday: Mrs E. Green "At Rest" at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church




Mrs. E. Green
Born 1-15-1883
Died 9-17-1957
Age 64
"At Rest"

 

Sibley Zydeco Festival at Ben's Corner Plantation, MS

For the third consecutive year, the Sibley Zydeco Festival has been held at Ben's Corner Plantation, MS. The Ben's Corner Plantation is the homestead of the Washington Family of Adams County, MS. Purchased originally by Scott Washington, his son Will purchased the land after his father's death. Will and Alice Washington raised their ten children on the farm. Today the farm is the site of the bi-annual Washington-Rounds Family Reunions and the Sibley Zydeco Festival.

Sibley Zydeco Fest 2011 at Ben's Corner Plantation, Mississippi this past weekend!

Family Griot "On The Road Genealogy" 2011

In 2009, I did my first "On The Road Genealogy" research trip. I'm happy to say that I will be conducting my second "On The Road Genealogy" trip in late June of this year.  Armed with more research information than on my initial trip, I plan to delve deeper into the history of my maternal family in Mississippi. I'll be visiting Adams County, MS and Wilkinson County, MS. My plans are to visit Mt. Olive Baptist Church and cemetery in Sibley, MS, visit Adams and Wilkinson County courthouses and to interview at least three elders in my family. 

I've taken many lessons from my first trip. One, never go on a research trip too close to a major national holiday, not much is likely to be open. (I learned that the hard way.) Two, have a list of records you are specifically looking for and what range of years you are looking in. Three, be prepared to spend a good part of your day at the courthouse. Four, pay attention to detail. Finally number five, don't forget to show gratitude to the people who assist you with your research.

I have my Genealogist Tool Kit and my cemetery research Kit (thank you Angela Walton-Raji) packed and ready to go! More to come in August!

Family Griot