Archive for » February, 2010 «

Reflections On Savannah, GA – My Soul Looks Back And Wonder…

25
Feb 2010
By

As many of you know, I spent last weekend in Savannah, GA with my genea-pals Luckie, Felicia, and Mavis, and my brother Bernard. (Click here to see photos from our trip.) To say that it was a wonderful trip would truly be an understatement; it was perfect. From the company, to the weather, to the accommodations, it was a flawless weekend. My genea-sisters Felicia (My Nola Heritage), Luckie (Our Georgia Roots), and Mavis (Georgia Black Crackers) have done an excellent job, through words and/or pictures, of recounting our trip-the fun we had, and the friendship we shared.  We had a great time, and I really, really enjoyed myself.  Yet, I could not write about the trip. I posted photos on Tombstone Tuesday and on Wordless Wednesday, but otherwise have not blogged about my Savannah experience.  It was a trip with memories that I will treasure for a lifetime, but, I just could not find words to write about the experience. Until this morning, I wasn’t sure why.  Now I realize I needed time to digest – not so much what my eyes had seen, but rather what my soul had felt.  It was an emotional experience like no other.

Often, mere words cannot adequately convey emotions. Often times, song lyrics can. This morning as I reflected on the trip, what came to mind was the old gospel hymn How I Got Over.  In that moment, as the lyrics of the chorus flowed through my mind, I was finally able to associate my feelings and emotions with words. The chorus to the song goes:

How I got over
How I got over
You know my soul looks back and wonder
How I got over

Our ancestors have always found comfort in song. It’s no wonder this old spiritual would bring me comfort now when I was so desperate to identify what has been nagging at me these past few days.  Finally, I have words for these emotions; the deep feeling of sadness.  Those lines of the song perfectly reflect and sum-up my Savannah experience.  My soul does surely look back and wonder…How OUR ANCESTORS Got Over.

You know my soul looks back and wonder….

How….such a beautiful room could have once been the living quarters for slave ancestors who waited the call to do their master’s bidding.  Yet, my sleep there was peaceful..unusually so.  No doubt some small corner of the room was a haven from the harsh realities outside. I was rocked to sleep by the spirit of those ancestors. I have no doubt about that.

How…. The Hanging Tree with all its natural beauty and splendor of 270 years was used for such and ugly purpose.  My soul aches for all the ancestors whose fate was a noose at the end of a rope tied to a branch on that tree.

 

 

You know my soul looks back and wonder….

How…. our ancestors survived the lashes of a whip that cut through the bark of The Whipping Tree.  My soul feels the pain that each mark on that tree represents; the screams of agony, the bloodshed, the despair.  My eyes filled with tears; my heart with rage.

How….today’s beautiful and tranquil waters of the Savannah River once held vessels that transported our ancestors to the market place on River Street; to an uncertain fate, maybe even death.

 

 

 

You know my soul looks back and wonder….

How….men, women, children, and babies could be held in confinement awaiting the unknown fate and indignity of purchase; sold by The River, down The River on River Street.  How did they endure the pain, thirst, hunger, and suffering? My soul feels empty when I think about the shear disrespect for human life.

How….the Slave Barracoons and cobblestone paths of River Street are all but forgotten by a city whose history is heavy with the spirit of our slave ancestors.  I look back and I wonder.

 

 

 

Amongst all that is the beauty of Savannah, there lives an undeniable and unforgettable history of pain and suffering. That history is heavy with the spirit of our ancestors. That ancestor spirit is what I felt most in my soul and will never forget.  As I reflect on my visit, the memory is bItter sweet and…. My soul looks back and wonder….

How THEYgot over
How THEY got over
You know my soul looks back and wonder
How OUR ANCESTORS got over

 

 

 

[How I Got Over is a Gospel hymn composed and published in 1951 by Rev. W. Herbert Brewster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Got_Over ]

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Category: Reflections, Slavery  11 Comments  Tags: , , , , ,

Wordless Wednesday – Slave Barracoons Savannah, GA

24
Feb 2010
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Barracoon – a temporary place of confinement for slaves.

Viewed from the outside.

 

 

Viewed from the inside.

Imagine the suffering. Imagine the pain.  You cannot!!

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Category: Daily Themes, Slavery, Wordless Wednesday  3 Comments  Tags: , , ,

Tombstone Tuesday – Old Tom (1808-1904)

23
Feb 2010
By

Laurel Grove Cemetery.  Savannah, GA

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Follow Friday: Four GeneaGirls and A Guy In Savannah, GA

19
Feb 2010
By

Today, me and my brother Bernard, along with my friend and genea-pal Luckie Daniels of Our Georgia Roots, are headed to Savannah, GA to meet up with genea-pals Felicia of My Nola Heritage and Mavis of Conversations With My Ancestors and Georgia Black Crackers for The Southeast Family History Expo. What started as a “we should do that” conversation one night on Twitter quickly evolved into a real trip. Luckie and I are in Atlanta; Mavis is driving down from North Carolina, and Felicia is coming from Maryland. Our common bond is our love of genealogy and our passion for uncovering and telling the stories of our ancestors. My brother Bernard doesn’t do genealogy, but is very supportive of me. He quickly hopped on board and agreed to drive Luckie and I down to Savannah. We can sit back, relax, and chat up our ancestors while he takes care of the driving.

We plan to pack a lot into this one weekend. Of course there’s the Expo. Then we plan a tour of Savannah with emphasis on its slave culture, and a trip to a former plantation. We’re also gearing up for a genea-session to tackle some of our brick walls. I can’t pass up the opportunity to pick the brains of some very seasoned African-American researchers. I’m bringing the challenge of my great, great grandfather Miles Taliaferro, a major brick wall. I’m sure Luckie, Felicia, and Mavis will come with ancestor challenges that will keep us analyzing and strategizing for hours. Oh, and don’t forget about all of that great Southern Savannah cuisine. A weekend just couldn’t get any better! Four GeneaGirls and A Guy in Savannah, GA.

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Category: Daily Themes, Miles Taliaferro  7 Comments  Tags: ,

Monday Madness – Minnie Toliver

15
Feb 2010
By

In our quest to tell the stories of our ancestors, the fruits of our labors do not always produce a pretty picture. On occasion, we are faced with a dilemma; do we publish our findings, or just file them away as not for public viewing. A recent discovery presented me with such a quandary; to share, or not to share. I have chosen to share. This is a disturbing newspaper article I recently found on one of my Toliver ancestors. It is not a pretty story. I wish I knew more about the circumstances surrounding the event. What was Minnie thinking? What happened to drive her to take such drastic action, and involve another young relative in the process? These are questions that will never be answered.

What happened to Minnie and Laura? The article describes Minnie and Laura as sisters. According to the 1880 census, however, Laura was the daughter of Miles Taliaferro/Toliver (my great, great grandfather), and Minnie was his granddaughter. That would make Minnie Laura’s niece. I believe Minnie was the daughter of Alex Taliaferro, Laura’s brother. I lose track of Minnie after the 1800 census. Laura married Alexander Butler sometime around 1897, and had six children. Laura died sometime after 1930.

[Click on image to enlarge]

“Held On The Rail,” The Atlanta Constitution, 29 March 1888, p. 7, col. 1; digital images, Footnote.com( http://www.footnote.com : assessed 14 February 2010), News and Town Records.

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Category: Daily Themes, Family History, Taliaferro, Toliver  5 Comments  Tags: , , , , ,

Follow Friday: Welcome To Our New Home!

12
Feb 2010
By

Welcome to the new home of I Never Knew My Father. I hope you like the new look. Things were quiet for a few weeks during our “facelift”, but now we’re back with more reflections, research challenges, and ancestor stories. A couple of posts you may have missed during the transition are a birthday shout-out to my brother Bernard on February 8th and the February 10th Wordless Wednesday tribute to Harriet Tubman. If you’re a new follower to I Never Knew My Father, you also may have missed my post A Friend of Friends: Lessons From The Underground Railroad. This post is very dear to my heart, and is a message that cannot be repeated too often. I welcome your comments.

Again, thanks for following I Never Knew My Father. I appreciate your support.

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Category: A FRIEND OF FRIENDS, Daily Themes, Reflections  11 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Harriet Tubman-A Friend Of Friends

10
Feb 2010
By

Conductor-Underground Railroad

Harriet Ross Tubman(circa 1822-10 March 1913).

Born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Tubman gained international acclaim as an Underground Railroad operator, abolitionist, Civil War spy and nurse, suffragist, and humanitarian. After escaping from enslavement in 1849, Tubman dedicated herself to fighting for freedom, equality, and justice for the remainder of her long life, earning her the biblical name “Moses” and a place among the nation’s most famous historical figures. 

(Source: http://www.harriettubmanbiography.com/).
[Image Source: http://www.edexcellence.net/flypaper/images. Accessed 10 February 2010]

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Category: A FRIEND OF FRIENDS, Daily Themes, Slavery  3 Comments  Tags:

Happy Birthday Baby Brother !!

08
Feb 2010
By

This is a picture of my brother Bernard Lawrence Taliaferro when he was about nine or ten years old. Today is  Bernard’s 53rd birthday.  I love this picture of him as a little boy because I missed out on his childhood, and the many adventures that siblings share.  Bernard and I share the same father, but we did not grow up together. I only discovered I had a brother in 2005.  But, if you see us together you would think we’ve known each other forever – since the beginning. It’s been that way since the first day we met; we are soulmates.  Bernard is my best friend and my protector.  Fate put us together at just the right time for both of us.  God made him the perfect brother, especially for me. 

Happy Birthday “Baby “B”.  I love you.

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Category: Family History, Taliaferro  2 Comments  Tags: ,

Feeling Restless – Time For A Change

06
Feb 2010
By

Well now, I’ve only been blogging since September 2009, and already I feel it’s time for a change. I’m still a newbie, but something tells me it’s time to move forward, and take on a few new challenges. I Never Knew My Father is undergoing a major overall; there will be a new look and a new location. It’s still a work in progress, but things are moving along. I truly appreciate each and every one of my followers; your comments, support, and encouragement have been invaluable. I hope you’ll hang in there with me while the blog goes through a little facelift. I think you’ll like the new look.

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Category: Reflections  5 Comments  Tags:

Tombstone Tuesday: Rock Springs Cemetery – Lest I Forget

02
Feb 2010
By
Last year I wrote about my search for Rock Springs Cemetery, the burial place for my great grandfather John Wesley Taliaferro, his brother Bob Toliver, and Alex Poole another relative whose relationship remains undetermined. I am still trying to confirm the exact location of the cemetery. I thought if I found others who were buried at the cemetery their records might give some clue to the location. I did find other burials, but all that’s stated on these death certificates is the name “Rock Springs” – no exact location. In my November 2009 post I promised to find and honor others buried in Rock Springs Cemetery, specifically those who lived in the same communities as my ancestors. I have searched through hundreds of Georgia death certificates available online in the Georgia Virtual Vault. So far I have found 15 persons, including my ancestors, whose death certificate indicates the burial place was Rock Springs Cemetery. Not a very large number, but I am proud. I wish I could identify with certainty their burial place. Maybe it is the Rock Springs Cemetery in Henry County, McDonough, GA that was the subject of my November 2009 post. It seems the most likely candidate. Yet, none of these names appear on any of the headstones. There is no finality. Maybe their remains are covered by the soil, weeds, and grass of the many unmarked graves. Maybe they lay beneath the graves marked only with a crude rock or stone. I picked this photo because of the little pink and white flower to the right of the stones that just happened to be there the day of my visit.  Maybe it was a sign that someone was buried there…Maybe he was…Maybe she could be…Maybe they are… Maybe….Maybe… Maybe….

Here, at the beginning of Black History Month, it seems an appropriate time to honor those buried in Rock Springs Cemetery. No, they are not the “typical” persons we think of during Black History Month. But, that does not diminish their importance as people- as African Americans who shared our history, our culture, our struggle. Each was someone’s child, and probably a mother or father, sister or brother. Some were most likely friends and neighbors. East Point and Hapeville were and still are neighboring communities here in the Atlanta metro area. No doubt some were probably related-Davis…Jackson…Wilson. Definitely, others were-Taliaferro…Toliver…Poole. All were God’s children who lived, loved, laughed, cried, and died. Gone, but remembered and loved by somebody, somewhere:

*DAVIS (née Ross), Mary Alice (d. 1926) East Point, GA


*DAVIS, James A. (D. 1926) East Point, GA


*DORSEY, Dennis (d. 1922) Atlanta, GA


*FULLER (née Jackson), Lizzie (d. 1925) East Point, GA


*JACKSON, Marry C. (d. 1923) East Point, GA


*JACKSON (née Johnson), Cornelia (d. 1925) Atlanta, GA


*JACKSON, Mary (d. 1927) East Point, GA


*POOLE, Alex (d. 1923) East Point, GA


*ROSS (née Jackson), Dollie J. (d. 1927) East Point, GA


*SEAGRAVES, Rueban J. (d. 1922) East Point, GA


*TALIAFERRO, J W (d. 1922) East Point, GA


*TOLIVER, Bob (d. 1920) East Point, GA


*WILSON, Ison (d. 1921) Hapeville, GA


*WILSON, Robert (d. 1923) Hapeville, GA

*WILSON, William (d. 1926) Hapeville, GA

Maybe someone will happen upon this post and reclaim their long lost ancestor.  THIS IS MY PRAYER.

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Category: Daily Themes, John Wesley Taliaferro, Reflections, Rock Springs Cemetery, Surnames, Taliaferro, Toliver  6 Comments  Tags: , , , ,