Archive for the ‘Plantation Life’ Category
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Wessyngton Runaways and Rebels
Enslaved African Americans used various forms of resistance against the institution of slavery. Some used passive forms of resistance such as pretending to be ill, secretly destroying tools, and work slow downs. Others used more drastic measures such as physical violence toward their enslavers and running away. Several men from Wessyngton Plantation escaped and made it to free territory. One slave Davy, ran away four times and was preparing to cross the Ohio River and go north to Canada when he was recaptured.
Tags: Big Dipper, Free Territory, North Star, Plantation Rebels, runaway slaves, Runaways and Rebels, slave rebellion, Slave Resistance
Posted in Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Book Signing at Missouri History Museum
My presentation at the Missouri History Museum was followed by a book signing, which was well attended. I enjoyed meeting the members of the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society who sponsored the event.
Tags: DNA Research, family history, family tree, Genealogical Research, Genealogy & DNA
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Friday, June 5th, 2009
St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society
On May 23rd I gave a presentation about my book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom to the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society at the Missouri History Museum. I made many new friends among avid genealogical researchers. I had a great time in St. Louis and look forward to visiting again.
Tags: African American History, African American slavery, DNA Research, family history, family tree, Genealogical Research, Plantation Life, Washington family
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Washington Family Tree
One of the most exciting things about genealogical research is meeting new family members. In conducting research for more than thirty years I’ve found hundreds of relatives. I created this tree which spans ten generations and includes more than 600 names of descendants from my great-great-grandparents Emanuel and Henny Washington. I have genealogical information on all the families that came from Wessyngton including: Washington, Blow, Gardner, Terry, White, Williams, Lewis, Scott, Green and many others.
Tags: Family Crest, family history, Family Reunion, family tree, Genealogy & DNA
Posted in Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | 2 Comments »
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Gardner Family Tour at Wessyngton Plantation
In 2008 the Gardners celebrated their 75th annual family reunion. As part of the reunion festivities I led them on a tour of Wessyngton Plantation. The tour included the Wessyngton mansion, Washington family cemetery, slave cemetery and a restored slave cabin. The Gardner earliest ancestors, Aaron Gardner, his wife Betty and their three sons, Daniel, George and Jackson came to Wessyngton in the late 1830s. There are more African Americans in Robertson County, Tennessee with the Gardner surname than any other family.
Tags: Family Reunions, family tree, Gardner family, Gardner Family Reunion, Slave Cabin, Slave Cemetery, Surnames, Wessyngton mansion, Wessyngton Tour
Posted in Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life | 2 Comments »
Monday, May 18th, 2009
Baker at the Hermitage
On May 17th a dedication ceremony was held at The Hermitage, the plantation owned by President Andrew Jackson, in honor of 60 African Americans who had been enslaved on the Ingleside and Cleveland Hall Plantations. Both plantations were owned by nephews of Rachel Jackson and had ties to the enslaved population at The Hermitage.
As reported by the Associated Press, a memorial sculpture of seven oak trees in the shape of the Little Dipper was laid out among a circle of thirty boulders. The piece by Lee Benson is named “Our Peace, Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Slaves fleeing to the North would follow the North Star, one of the stars in the Little Dipper.
Following the ceremony I gave a presentation and did a book signing. It was a very special and meaningful event.
Tags: Andrew Jackson, Civil War, Cleveland Hall, Enslaved Memorial, Hermitage, Ingleside, Rachel Jackson, Tulip Grove
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Monday, May 18th, 2009
My half-hour television interview with John Seigenthaler Sr, A Word on Words, is available as a free downloadable Podcast.
http://www.wnpt.org/productions/wow/
Mr. Seigenthaler asked me many in-depth thought-provoking questions. At the end, he said, “I learned more from your book than I learned from reading my friend Alex Haley’s book called Roots.” I hope you enjoy the interview. Leave a comment with your reaction.
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, African American History, Black History Month, book review, Civil War, DNA Research, Emancipation, family history, family tree, Genealogy & DNA, George Washington, John F. Baker Jr., John Siegenthaler, plantation slavery, Reconstruction, Roots, Simon & Schuster, Tennessee slavery, Washington family, Wessyngton Plantation, WNPT, Word On Words
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | No Comments »
Monday, May 18th, 2009
USCT from Wessyngton
On Memorial Day, we need to take a moment to tell our children about their ancestors who fought for freedom and America. During the Civil War, our ancestors fled slavery and the plantations and joined the Union Army to fight for freedom. We must never forget the sacrifices of our ancestors that we might enjoy freedom today.
Tags: African American History, August 8th, black history, Civil War, Contraband, Contraband Camps, Emancipation, Emancipation Proclamation, Freedmen, Freedmens Bureau, Ft. Negley, Ranaway Slaves, Union Army, Union Troops, United States Colored Troops
Posted in Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
What better way to honor our mothers and our maternal ancestors than to tell our children about the sacrifices made so that the lives of future generations could be lives well lived. When I think of what our great-great-grandmothers endured in the times of slavery and early emancipation I know that their sacrifices should not be forgotten. Please take a moment on Mothers Day to honor our ancestors.
Tags: African American Mother, Ancestors, black history, Mothers, Mothers Day, Slavery
Posted in Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
In the 1890s the Washington family contracted the famous artist [Maria] Howard Weeden to paint portraits of several African Americans. These portraits hung in the plantation mansion. In this photograph Preston Frazer, a Washington descendant, is seen with the portraits. The portraits remain in the Washington family.
Would you share a photo of a portrait of your ancestors with others? Please send a photo to me with a short e-mail telling me about it. Also please let me know if I could post the photo and the information on my blog. I would not post your name or e-mail address. Thank you. john@johnbakerbooks.com
Tags: African American History, antiques, Howard Weeden, Howard Weeden Museum, Maria Howard Weeden, paintings, plantation slavery, portraits, Tennessee slavery, Wessyngton mansion
Posted in Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
