I visited the National Archives last month and was able to see Lafayette Mason’s Civil War pension file in person. Although I have a copy of the bible pages, I had not before seen the actual pages that were torn from my ancestors’ bible for the pension application. I took photos (lots of photos) of the two pages and here they are below- Beautiful, aren’t … Continue reading Mason Family Bible Pages
**My family and I owe a debt to researcher Greg Furness for much of the information that we have about Lafayette and his family. Thank you Mr. Furness!** My 4th great-grandfather was Lafayette Mason. Born in Ellenburg in Clinton County, NY on March 20, 1827 to William Mason and Diana Robinson. In 1846, at age 19, he married Mary E. Wheeler from Willsboro in Essex … Continue reading Lafayette Mason
This is a StoryMap about my Anderson and Bostic ancestors. Both families originated in the Maryland/Delaware/Pennsylvania triangle pictured below. They made their way out of enslavement in Delaware and Maryland to freedom in Pennsylvania. Both families then moved north – ending up in Worcester, MA. Here is their story (click the photo below)- My uncle Tony told me the story of how Hattie and Walter … Continue reading Hattie and Walter
I recently did a controversial thing (at least in my communities, it is controversial) – I submitted a DAR application for my ancestor Mingo Pollock. DAR is the Daughters of the American Revolution and they have a long, long history of racism against People of Color. Which they are trying to overcome – they published some years ago the volume African American and American Indian … Continue reading My Revolutionary War Veterans
Long ago cross-stitich And who they were stitched for! Aquene, Cher Continue reading Random Fiber Art
Doctress is a term once used for a female doctor. It was more commonly used when females were not encouraged to practice medicine. It was also used to describe African and Indigenous women who used their cultures’ healing methods within (and sometimes outside) their communities. A root doctress is a practitioner of African American folk medicine and spiritual practices. In Africa, medical practices tied together … Continue reading Root Doctresses & Indian Doctresses
Slavery was a deeply divisive issue in the United States in 1850, with tensions between the North and South continuing to escalate in the years leading up to the Civil War. The country was divided over the issue of slavery, with the southern states depending heavily on it for their agricultural-based economy, while the northern states increasingly viewed it as a moral wrong. The Fugitive … Continue reading Black Anti-slavery Activists in 1850 Worcester, MA
Cheryll Toney Holley 