I Shall Not Forget My Ancestors' Past

Earlier today, in a recent thread on social media, a statement was made in reference to America's "peculiar institution" that we know as slavery, and it was suggested that as a nation we should simply "get over it" and move on.

Now, I normally ignore such statements that trivialize the history of people of color, and I usually ignore those who cry "get over it" their blatant dismissal of my history. They usually come from individuals whose opinions are not important to me,  I "get over" them and their dismissal of my history and move on.

However, the one I saw today came from someone whom I know, and I was compelled to respond and to share why I shall never "get over it", I responded with an explanation of how I am honored to remember what happened to those whose history I study every day. And in addition, I am obligated to teach future generations also to never "get over it" because that term suggests, that the history of an entire people should never be mentioned, and their lives should never be consider as worth remembering.

I shall never subscribe to anyone forgetting their history and definitely not a critical institution in America, such as the enslavement of Africans upon this soil. Now that does not mean walking around with a grudge, but to ask anyone to dismiss and forget and get over it trivializes something that was vital to this country. If we cannot get over it that a war was fought then end slavery then those who descend from the enslaved dare not "get over" what happened! Remembering the painful past instills even deeper respect for the ancestors and their survival for they lived within the confines of a terrible system. I then gave some thought about what that statement to just "get over it" means to me, and so, I replied.

I have since been asked to post my reply so that it can be shared. It follows below:

I shall always honor my ancestors who went through so much! No discomfort of those who are "tired of hearing it" can ever impede my honoring them, nor mentioning it. I work with records from the slavery era every day. Every single day from slave schedules to probate records, to old newspapers, to Freedmen's Bureau. That does not mean that every where I go I bring up history. But---my history lives with me, and every person carries pieces of their history with them.

Every day, when I see the post Civil War records of people begging the Bureau to retrieve their children still held in bondage, years after the war ended, I know that freedom did not come easily and Lincoln did not "fix it". I research every day.

When I see the peonage records that reflected forced labor of men and women into the 20th century---no----I shall not forget it, and it SHALL be mentioned. I would never tell anyone to "forget" their history, simply because someone unaffected by an evil system is tired of hearing about it.

You know me enough to know that I don't "wear it on my sleeve." But clearly it shall not be forgotten and as one who sees it in records every day--as a researcher---the impact of what I research and see and learn is humbling and I am honored to call the names of my enslaved ancestors. I am also not ashamed to say that they were enslaved, for their fate in life was the result of an evil system, and their ability to live in spite of it, speaks to their resilience. 

Their strength makes me stronger when life challenges me. So yes, I shall call their names, and I shall point out that these courageous people were once enslaved.

To "get over them" is the ultimate insult to those who were legislated into "nothing-ness". By my continuous remembrance of them--I become a better person, because I must still live a good life as I move through life and interact with the sons and daughters or the descendants of those who enslaved others.

I have met the descendants of those who enslaved my ancestors. I remember, and they remember and we now work together.

I stand upon the shoulders of many people---among those were enslaved men, women and children, who survived. 

And I shall always remember.

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And so----today I shall call their names:
-Irving and Nancy Bass, enslaved by John Bass of Giles County Tennessee
-Patrick Drennen, enslaved by John Drennen of Van Buren Arkansas
-Kitty Perry, enslaved y Nail Perry, Choctaw Nation
-Amanda Perry Anchatubbe enslaved by Emeline Perry, Choctaw Nation
-Jackson Perry Crow enslaved by Nail Perry, Choctaw Nation
-Sallie Perry Walton enslaved by Emeline Perry
-Mitchell Bass, enslaved by Henry C. Pride, Horatio Arkansas
-Minerva Houston, enslaved by Elizabeth Houston Millwee, Horatio Arkansas
-Georgia Ann Houston enslaved by Elizabeth Houston Millwee, Horatio Arkansas
-Martha Campbell, enslaved by Robert Campbell, Maury County Tennessee
-Amanda Campbell Young enslaved by William Tandy Young, Ripley Mississippi
-Harriet Young Martin, enslaved by William Tandy Young, Ripley Mississippi
-Berry Kirk, enslaved by William Tandy Young
-Lydia Walters Talkington, enslaved by Mary Walters, Dripping Springs Arkansas
-Samuel Walton, enslaved by Josiah Harrell, Dripping Springs Arkansas & Jim Davis Choctaw Nation

           .......and I honor those whose names are yet to be discovered as I continue my genealogical journey.

Gems from the Black Press: The 1920 Negro State Fair, of Oklahoma

This article is part of a series  of articles whose purpose is to share each week an interesting article from early black publications of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As previously noted,the articles found inside of these long forgotten publications contain rich history that reflect  the early years of African America life in the first decades of freedom. Some are publications of fraternal or benevolent societies, and some were more community based. All  pieces shared in this series provide a close up to history and culture of times long past.

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The Tulsa Star. (Tulsa, Okla.) October 9, 1920, Weekly Mail Edition, Page 1

Accessed from: Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress

In the early first half of the 20th century, life in the new state of Oklahoma was a fascinating place to be. Although segregation had worked its way into what was once Indian Territory, there was still an amazing and thriving, self-supporting Black community. A fascinating article from the Tulsa Star from October 1920 reflects much of the spirit of the Oklahoma African American population.

During that time, North Tulsa and the Greenwood District was thriving, black towns numbered more than two dozen, and the future looked bright for this state once a part of the western frontier. The article of October 9, 1920 provides and amazing glimpse into early Oklahoma Black life, especially before the 1921 racial disturbance when the Greenwood District was attacked.

The event was the Negro State Fair, scheduled to unfold in Wewoka, Oklahoma. The fair was a four day event taking place on the ranch of J. Coody Johnson, a leader in the Freedmen Community in Wewoka. and was expected to draw people from throughout the state.  The Negro Fair was widely celebrated and accepted by officials of the state. The fair was directed primarily to the African American population, as was clearly spelled out in the article.

The fair was endorsed by the larger community, and a presence from the entire state of Oklahoma was anticipated! Schools were closed for two days with permission of the State Superintendent. Also for entertainment there were exhibits and for the daring, flights in an airplane were also available. This was amazing during an era when air traffic was not frequent.

The fair was organized by attorney, and rancher J. Coody Johnson, known to have been a strong advocate for Seminole Freedmen. He was a wealthy man by the early 1900s and his land was used for the state event. He was assisted by Mrs. Julia Davidson of Wewoka who served as secretary for the event.

 

The Tulsa Star. (Tulsa, Okla.) October 9, 1920, Weekly Mail Edition, Page 4
Accessed from: Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress

Organizers of the Negro State Fair, Wewoka, Oklahoma

It is not known how often the fair was held after the event of 1920. But it is quite clear that this is an event that should be noted as one in which the members of the Oklahoma Black community  sought to honor their own accomplishments, and to celebrate their successes during those four memorable days in 1920. 

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Labor Day Celebration : Muskogee Oklahoma, 1915

Labor Day Flyer 1915, Muskogee Oklahoma

Muskogee Cimeter, September 4, 1915, Vol.  Page 3

Happy Labor Day!!  

In 1915, the 1st Negro Independent State Fair took place. This first annual event would become the precursor to the many fairs and expos that we know of today.  

In that inaugural year, the fair included everything from baby contests to electing the state fair queen. The fair also included an exposition of agriculture, livestock, and also of industrial wares. One of the biggest events was the large parade of wagons, floats and cars, as well as the daily horse races and automobile races.

Today for many of us, Labor Day is considered simply the last weekend of the summer season, and the last time for a backyard barbecue, or a trip to the beach, and the last time to fully unwind before a new season begins for school, work, and the anticipated change of seasons.

But I learned more about how Labor Day was spent by some of my Oklahoma ancestors, and it was truly a time of celebration of self, family and community. And what a wonderful thing to learn that the city of Muskogee kicked off this tradition in such grand style in 1915. 

This should be remembered, because during these early days of statehood, there was much separation of races that had been put in place with the very first Senate Bill passed immediately after statehood. So, the African American community depended upon itself to survive and to thrive, and in September of 1915, it decided to show itself to the world by exposing their successes. The fair was widely received and embraced, because there was an industrious black community that was quite anxious to have a venue that would allow them to reflect its own accomplishments. The event lasted for several years, and for the next several decades, it would become an Oklahoma tradition.

These Negro state fairs events occur for many years in other Oklahoma towns, but the base was always Muskogee. In fact one of the Muskogee parades was captured several years later as well on film, and can be viewed on the Global Filmworks website. As the years passed, the Negro State Fair itself would in other Oklahoma cities and towns such as Wewoka, and it was moved eventually from a Labor Day event to an October event. 

Flyer announcing Negro State Fair in Wewoka, Oklahoma in 1920

However, the origins of such events was the Labor Day event, and that event, became the precursor to many expos and events today. And the town of Muskogee can boast with pride that such event is deeply rooted on the streets of that city.

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Mappy Monday - The Mystery of an old "Negro Settlement"

US General Land Office Map - 1879

Several months ago on another blog, I posted a story about a community that had no name----it was only known for almost three decades as simply Negro Settlement.

For 30 years, this simall and mysterious black community lived in Indian Territory, just north of the Chickasaw Nation.  They were not transients because a number of cartographers documented them for more than three decades. Then they vanished----with no trace, and no local knowledge of who they were.  And what was this settlement really called?  Surely those who lived there called it something---but what?  Who were the people?

1887 Map Reflecting the same settlement

Chicago: Henry S. Stebbins, 1887; From Crams Universal Atlas of the World

1893 Rand McNally Map

Having taken a maps class, I hope to be able to pinpoint more accurately where this might be today.  Since writing the original post, I have heard from a gentleman who owns property near that site and he did agree that I was somewhat close to the community when I used google map images . He also went to the local courthouse and found a map that was created in the 1870s, reflecting the same community.  And he did state that the images that I used from Google Maps was fairly close to the area.

Possible site near Slaughterville Oklahoma where the old Negro Settlement thrived.

There is still today little activity along the banks of  Walnut Creek which is nearby, and also the railroad running close by.

My hope is that I might be able to locate also some of the narratives from the Indian Pioneer Papers---1930's era interviews conducted in Oklahoma that might make a reference to the old settlement.
The mystery continues but I am anxious to apply some mapping skills to learn much more.