#35 BLACK FAMILY REUNIONS

America has experienced a phenomenal interest and growth in family reunions. In the African American community that interest literally has become explosive and revolutionary. It is explosive in that the dynamics of discovery make history a living reality. It is revolutionary in that the feeling of isolation and having no significance is replaced by group life and meaning of historical and personal relationships. Reunions are the by-product of the growing phenomenon in the study and practice of genealogy. Today genealogy is the leading hobby in America.

Great credit must be attributed to Alex Haley’s book, ROOTS: THE SAGA OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY, published in 1976. (“If Alex Haley can be called the Father of Family Reunions, Dr. Ione D. Vargus can be called the Mother of Family Reunions.”) (See blog/posting #22) It raised the conscious level of black families regarding their origin and descent; it reversed the “funeral” as the occasion for family gathering to a “family reunion” as the central focus of group renewal and the black family has not been the same since.

Slavery threw a “monkey wrench” into black genealogy by treating the enslaved as property and not as humans. It disrupted the role of the family and its value structure. It supervised the loss of black group life, personal identity and important records essential to the black experience. (i.e. the results of being uprooted from the homeland “Africa,” being the victim of inhumane activities and witnessing Jim Crow-ism as a key way of life.)

Since emancipation, African Americans have attempted to reconstitute their family structures. Even today, black families are reaching back to their heritage to ensure that the crucial function of the family is revived, group and personal identity is regained, racial contribution and pride are restored and group potential is realized.

In your “nuts and bolts” session, you will learn about the specifics of having a family reunion, like:

Getting organized, money and finances, communication, food, children’s interest, making history, finding people, etc.
which Barbara Brown outlines in her book, FAMILY REUNION HAND BOOK, published by Reunion Research in 1992.

But my purpose is to focus on the broad scope and benefits of a reunion today.
Looking at the constant growth pattern of reunions, one quickly asks…why? What is the root cause? What is the definition of a family reunion? What is the program agenda?

Let us look at a definition first. A family reunion is the planning and execution of a gathering of collateral relatives and friends for the express purpose of renewing kinship ties and social acquaintances for information, fellowship and support, and to crystallize those relationships into cultural and spiritual bonds.

The agenda of family reunions runs the gamut of activities which may be structured or unstructured, formal or informal. The gamut runs from a presentation of family history to a dance; from a credit union report to stardom entertainment on a boat ride; from a worship service to a banquet; from a flea market pavilion approach to picnicking in the park.

Please note, that the African American family reunion is “more than a picnic.” It is serious business; it is organizational life at work; it is history in review; it is economics under consideration; it is an educational process in continuum; it is fellowship abounding; it is spirituality upon us. When a family programs beyond the “picnic,” liberating meaningful program activities and action plans come into focus. The search for meaning, the significance of family membership and the development of a support system are all part and parcel of the equation for reunion programming.

Family reunions should support five functions: a rediscovery of family history; the development of a support system; the rites of affirmation, projection and celebration.

The effect of a system of slavery was the destruction of black family history. A reunion is a means by which family history is rediscovered. It allows kinsmen to experience the emotions of that history and to vicariously live the lives of their ancestors, gaining an understanding of the struggle behind their achievements. Updated history lends support to the appreciation of history even before the enslaved period. Reunion then is a tool by which we educate.

Family history is the story of your ancestors but can also include living relatives. It should give factual accounts of family chronology. This is where you get the benefits of attending a Workshop, Seminar or a course in genealogy.

Speaking of family chronology, my family history informs me that my great-grandparents, Richard and Minerva Herron constituted the first known structured Herron family of African American decent in the Piedmont region of this tar heel state in 1870. That’s family history!!!

A good “griot” (pronounced GREE’OS} helps to make the above possible. According to the venerable Charles L. Blockson, “ in Africa, each family had a griot or an archivist who committed the family’s entire history to memory. Each griot in preparation for death, would hand over his entire log of historical stories to a younger man who became the new historian. In this way, a family could always trace its history back hundreds of years.

Recently, I observed ten family reunions. Eight of those reunions spent 95% of their program agenda time in socialization and only 5% in study of their history. Two families used 25% of their program agenda time looking at their historic perspective.

The development of a support system means the empowerment/enablement is directed toward the development and strengthening of family members. Please note that empowerment may be moral, psychological and/or financial.
With support, they move from being the objects of charity to become the subjects of charity. Reunions ensure that the support/empowerment role is revived.


Affirmation means to validate and to state positively; to assert as valid or confirmed. Affirmation takes place when the questions of identity, purpose and destiny are raised and resolved. Three questions answered will help us to confirm affirmation.

Question one, who am I? This is a question of identity. Answer. I am Sam Joe’s great grandchild who blazed freedom’s trail and died for voting rights in Mississippi. I am the Black but beautiful child of the Rose of Sharon as portrayed in Solomon 1:5. History gives me identification.

Question two, why am I here? This is purpose. Answer. I am here to reach self potential and to make a difference in my community, the nation and the world.

Question three, where am I going? This is a question of destiny. Answer. I am in pursuit of efforts which improve self, the race, the nation and the world.

Family reunions give us affirmation but it also gives projection which is planning for the future in light of value questions. Reunions enhance the role of transmitting value. This can be done through education, economics, occupation and dedication. Through a Family Association, a scholarship fund is established; a credit union is established; guidance is given in career choices; and commitments are made toward economic development. This is family helping family in the transmitting of values for growth and development.

Even though reunions are more than a picnic, one must admit that picnicking is a part of celebration, so is worship. We celebrate by performing publicly with appropriate rites or to honor and demonstrate satisfaction in observing a notable occasion.

The rediscovery of family history, the development of a support system, affirmation and projection form the basis for celebration. The latter follows the former.

_______

A RELATED ANNOUNCEMENT THE COMPREHENSIVE GENEALOGICAL SERVICES (CGS) WILL BE OFFERING:

FAMILY REUNION WORKSHOP/LUNCHEON

SATURDAY 2 OCTOBER, 8:30-3 P.M.

FRIENDSHIP MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

3400 BEATTIES FORD ROAD- CHARLOTTE, NC

CONFERENCE ROOM A

Please visit http://www.cgsweb.org for more information.

# 34 Family Relations

# 34 Family Relations
By
Vernon M. Herron

( Let’s Do Genealogy)

Genealogical research is serious business and its compensations are rewarding. To search for and identify one’s own family among the myriad of human families can be a herculean task yet a startling and a healing revelation. It is equally rewarding to learn something about the times and places in which our ancestors and succeeding generations lived.

When I look at my family’s pedigree chart consisting of ten generations and 748 names, I am amazed that we all are related having descended from a common ancestor. The basic purpose of genealogical research is the identification of people and their relationships.

A story of a young lady ready for marriage said to her father, “Tom and I are in love and we are seriously thinking about marriage.” Where upon the father said, “you can’t marry Tom. He is your half brother but your mother doesn’t know it. To keep confusion down, select someone else.” A year later, Miss “eager” said to her father again, “Richard and I are in love and are seriously thinking about marriage.” Again her father said, “don’t marry Richard. He too, is your half brother but don’t tell your mother.” Later, Miss ‘hopeful’ said to her father once more, “Harry and I are in love and we are seriously thinking about marriage.” Dad said to the daughter for the third time, “Jean, you can’t marry Harry either. He is your half brother but your mother doesn’t know it. Select someone else.” The distraught daughter confidently shared this information with her mother. Jean inquired as to which course she should follow. Where upon the mother advised Jean to “pay no attention to those declarations because he thinks that he’s your father but he’s not. So marry whomever you wish. Neither Tom, Dick nor Harry is related to you.”

Perhaps the first and most important principle of genealogical research is that one always works backward from oneself, in other words, from the known to the unknown. As you look at your pedigree chart, you should know the terms for describing various family relationships. Consanguinity is the blood relationship that exists among individuals who descend from a common ancestor. Lineal relationships are those that exist between individuals who are in the same direct line of descent. Those relationships include parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, children, grandchildren, etc.

Collateral relationships are those that exist between individuals who descend from a common ancestor but who are not related to each other in a direct line. Collateral relationships include sisters, brother, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Now it is clear what the late Mom’s Mabley meant when she said, “I hang out only with young folks. If you ever see me hanging out with any old folks, they will be my collateral relatives.”

Full cousins are individuals who descend from a common ancestor by the same number of generations. First cousins have grandparents in common. Second cousins have great-grandparents in common. Third cousins have great-great-grandparents in common. Individuals who descend from a common ancestor but are of different generations are cousins REMOVED. “ONCE REMOVED” indicated a difference of one generation, “TWICE REMOVED” a difference of two generations, etc. Your first cousin’s child is your first cousin once removed; your first cousin’s grandchild is your first cousin twice removed. Half relationships exist between individuals who share a common ancestor but descend from different spouses of the ancestor. Step relationships and in—law relations occur as a result of marriage and therefore are not consanguineous or blood relationships.

Remember the “Jean” story quoted earlier? Here is a marriage prohibitive table published in 1562 by Archbishop Parker for any other “Jeannies.” It prohibits marriages due to consanguinity and affinity:

A MAN MAY NOT MARRY HIS:
1. Grandmother
2. Grandfather’s wife
3. Wife’s grandmother
4. Father’s sister
5. Mother’s sister
6. Father’s brother’s wife
7. Mother’s brother’s wife
8. Wife’s father’s sister
9. Wife’s mother’s sister
10. Mother
11. Step-mother
12. Wife’s mother
13. Daughter
14. Wife’s daughter
15. Son’s wife
16. Sister
17. Wife’s sister
18. Brother’s wife
19. Son’s daughter
20. Daughter’s daughter
21. Son’s son’s wife
22. Daughter’s son’s wife
23. Wife’s son’s daughter
24. Wife’s daughter’s daughter
25. Brother’s daughter
26. Sister’s daughter
27. Sister’s son’s wife
28. Brother’s son’s wife
29. Wife’s brother’s daughter
30. Wife’s sister’s daughter

A WOMAN MAY NOT MARRY HER:
1. Grandfather
2. Grandmother’s husband
3. Husband’s grandfather
4. Mother’s brother
5. Father’s brother
6. Father’s sister’s husband
7. Mother’s sister’s husband
8. Husband’s father’s brother
9. Husband’s mother’s brother
10. Father
11. Step-father
12. Husband’s father
13. Son
14. Husband’s son
15. Daughter’s husband
16. Brother
17. Husband’s brother
18. Sister’s husband
19. Son’s son
20. Daughter’s son
21. Son’s daughter’s husband
22. Daughter’s daughter’s husband
23. Husband’s son’s son
24. Husband’s daughter’s son
25. Brother’s son
26. Sister’s son
27. Brother’s daughter’s husband
28. Sister’s daughter’s husband
29. Husband brother’s son
30. Husband’s sister’s son


SELECT SOMEONE ELSE!

#33 Let’s Do Genealogy

 #33 Let’s Do Genealogy

By

Vernon M. Herron

Even though the summer was “hot,” I hope it was restful, enjoyable and that you are now ready to knuckle down and do some serious family research. This will be our focus for awhile. Jeremiah 8:20 gives us a challenge for this time of year, “the harvest is past, the summer is ended…” so, let’s do genealogy. Let’s get started.

At the end of the school year, a graduating senior said to her family, “now that I am free as a lark, let us do something together as a family that’s exciting, adventurous and is fun.” Her mother suggested, “a trip to the old homestead where grand mother lives, from whence the family originated and where the family cemetery is located.” The brother wanted to see historic Washington, DC, particularly the Library of Congress and the Archives. The sister suggested a good movie about the American Revolution. Then her father spoke and became the great compromiser when he said, “let’s do genealogy, then everyone’s wish will be covered. Thank God for dear ol’ dads.

Genealogists, historians and biographers long have contended that  an interest in ancestry has been a constant through the ages. Historically genealogy has been used to strengthen tribal and religious bonds, to determine inheritance of land and office and to determine eligibility in societies.

In ancient times, often genealogies traced the descent of a tribe, or a clan from a common ancestor. Perhaps the most famous early genealogy is the records of the Hebrew people from Adam. Dynasties and the Hebrew priesthood kept genealogical records. European genealogy revolved around the privileges of a hereditary aristocracy. Modern English genealogy pertained to all the people rather than only to the upper classes. The development of genealogy in the US has been closely associated with the organization of patriotic and hereditary societies.

Great credit for Black Genealogy must be attributed to Alex Haley’s book, ROOTS: THE SAGA OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY, PUBLISHED 1976. It raised the conscious level of the black family regarding their origin and decent. Black genealogy reversed the “funeral” as the occasion for family gathering, research and group renewal. Black life has not been the same since.

Today, African Americans are attempting to reconstruct and reconstitute their family structure. From the records of the enslaved master, his will, the poll taxes and many other records predating the Civil War, African Americans are reaching back to their heritage to ensure that the crucial function of the family is revived. Also, their hope is that group and personal identity are regained, racial contribution and pride are restored and group potential is realized.

Today in the US, genealogy is truly for all people. It knows no class, age, region, race, or national origin. It is the leading number one hobby.

What then is genealogy?

Genealogy is the study of the origin and descent of family. It begins with one person, i.e. an ancestor and continues to identify descendants of that ancestor in a descendent pyramid form.

Keeping track of birth, marriages, migrations, death and other events in a family history can be fun! Also, let me add,   it can be healing. Good genealogy is in fact good detective investigation. It helps you build a case when there’s no evidence to solve your problem. When there is no measurable proof as “clear and convincing” or “beyond a reasonable doubt,” Genealogical clues are investigated and calculations are made.

Family History

Family history is the study of one’s ancestor or the ascent of family. The history begins with one’s self or one person and in an ascendant fashion, reverses the pyramid order by doubling the lineal and collateral relations. It should be noted that, this is not to say that Genealogy is not a family history.

Geometric progression describes a basic principle in genealogical research. That principle is-, always work backward from oneself; in other words, from the known to the unknown. Continuing the geometric progression thought, Harriett Stryker-Rodda shares the following insights. “If you count the number of people whose blood flows in your veins, you notice that, in the first generation back, there were only two parents whose genes contributed to your genetic makeup. In the second generation back, your grandparents’ generation, there were four people, and in the third generation back, eight, and so on. The number keeps doubling in geometric progression, so that as recently as six generations ago there were sixty-four people from whom you could track your descent.” Harriett Mills McKay in her poem, LINEAGE, describes geometric progression and genetic makeup in this way.

THEY SAY I HAVE AUNT ORPHA’S CHIN

AND HAIR THE SAME AS MOTHER’S

MY ACTIONS ARE JUST LIKE MY DAD’S

MY TEMPER LIKE MY BROTHER’S

I’M TOLD I HAVE AUNT MARY’S EYES

AND GREAT-GRANDMOTHER’S NOSE---

IT GIVES ME MUCH TO THINK ABOUT,

AND I FIND NO REPOSE.

MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT GRANDPARENTS

NUMBER SIXTY-FOUR

ANOTHER GENERATION BACK

ARE TWICE AS MANY MORE.

WHEN I BEGAN TO FIGURE UP

THE BRANCHES ON MY TREE,

I FOUND I HAD A FOREST FULL

OF WORTHY ANCESTRY.

THE THING THAT WORRIES ME IS THIS:

I FREQUENTLY RECALL

THAT I’M SO MUCH LIKE ANCESTORS

I’M NOT LIKE ME AT ALL!

Genealogical Research:

The basic purpose of genealogical research is the identification of individuals and their family relationships. The basic method of genealogical research includes the collection, interpretation, and analysis of genealogical data, i.e., the dates and places of the events that establish personal identities and family relationships. The principal genealogical events are births, marriage and death.

Genealogical records are those materials that yield genealogical data. They may be found in the home, in libraries and in record repositories. (County Court House, Courts, Vital Statistics Dept. etc.) They may be primary records that were created at the time the event occurred, or they may be secondary records that were copied from other sources.

Some Basic Principles:

Genealogical research begins in the home.

Perhaps the first and most important principle of Genealogical research is that one always works backward from oneself, in other words from the known to the unknown.

Events and relationships recounted in an oral tradition cannot be considered genealogical data unless and until they have been verified by existing documentary evidence.

Family traditions should at least be considered as clues for further research.

Learning Opportunities

Learning Opportunities are available in an effort to educate the public, particularly the African American community, concerning the importance of genealogy, family history and to demonstrate the correct methods of research. Channels for learning include formal independent studies, enrollment in a home study course or local workshops and seminars.

Independent Studies

Institutions of Higher Learning offer training in genealogy.

Home Study Course:

The National Genealogical Society Education Division 4527 17^th Street North, Arlington, VA 22207-2399 offers a home study course, American Genealogy: A Basic Course. “This comprehensive course provides an introduction to each of the major groups of records used in American genealogical research, requiring “hands-on experience in the use of the records. Also included is instruction in basic record keeping practices and in the interpretation and evaluation of evidence.” I highly recommend this beginner’s course for the family. CGS will provide consultants for enrollees and small study support groups as needed.

Seminars and Workshops

Seminars, workshops and Family Reunion Conferences are conducted annually by the Comprehensive Genealogical Services. (This organization is in the Charlotte, NC area).

The seminars are designed to give an overview of the methods of family research and the components of writing a family history. It is designed to raise community awareness of the tenets of family research, leading toward a continuous systematic study of African-American genealogy.

The workshop is intended for beginners, first time researchers and intermediates who want to know the basics of developing a family history.

Contact Information

Mrs. Iris Chandler, Executive Director

Comprehensive Genealogical Service

P.O. Box 26242

Charlotte, NC28221

Phone: 704-892-7611

Let’s get started!

#32 The Thinker

# 32 The Thinker

By

Vernon M. Herron

The Thinker Statue by Auguste Rodin

According to the Statue Store, one of Auguste Rodin’s most famous sculptures is The Thinker Statue, a piece originally conceived to be part of another work. The Store continues to project that the Thinker was part of a commission by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris to sculpt a monumental door based on The Divine Comedy of Dante. Each of the statues in the piece represented one of the main characters in the epic poem.

Initially named the The Poet, The Thinker status was intended to represent Dante himself at the top of the door reflecting on the scene below. However, we can speculate that Rodin thought of the figure in broader, more universal terms.

The Thinker is depicted as a man in sober meditation battling with a powerful internal struggle. The unique pose with hand to the chin, right elbow to the left knee, and crouching position allows the status to survey the work with a contemplative feel.

Through the years, I have been fascinated and motivated by the statue, The Thinker. Early on, it was a fixture in my study, work office and home. It inspired me to strive to be a thinker, ever mindful that it is said that:

80 % of people don’t think
10 % of people think that they think—while only
10% of people really think.

ARE YOU A THINKER?

He who knows not and

knows that he knows not

Is a child—teach him!

He who knows not and

knows not that he knows not

Is a fool, shun him!

He who knows and

knows that he knows

Is a thinker/leader, follow him!

#31 THE PERIWINKLE (Per-i-wing-kel) PLANT

#31

THE PERIWINKLE (Per-i-wing-kel) PLANT:

A REFLECTION ON ENSLAVED BURIAL GROUNDS

By

VERNON M. HERRON, D. MIN.

My resident lawn is composed of a green grassy plain, a colorful bed of flowers, and a bed of periwinkle plants. The grassy plain reminds me of a community where resident members strive for esthetic beauty; the flower bed suggests life and unity; while the periwinkle plant is associated with my ancestors, enslaved burial grounds and enslaved history.

Listen to the Story:

Its beginning and conclusion

A great thing happened to me on 13 March ’04. I discovered the resting place ( burial ground) of the ancestors of the Herron clan and they were rescued from obliteration. It was an emotional visit yet a pleasant one. I cried out unto them, “I am here!” Here is the abridged story.

During the Fall of 2001, one William M. Bigham of Pfattown, NC wrote me the following:

The article in Sunday’s Charlotte Observer caught my attention since it mentioned both the Steel Creek area and the Herron name. The Herrons of Steel Creek were neighbors of the Bigham families in the time period before the Revolution War…..In the will of James McKnight , probated 1827, there is a reference to the Negro graveyard adjoining the property James McKnight was leaving his son James….I was wondering, if in your research, you had ever run across this reference to this cemetery and might know of its location. With the ever expanding Charlotte airport and the industrial development in the area, I would hope that it is not too late for some group to become interested and try to find this cemetery. It may well have been one of the earliest African American cemeteries in Mecklenburg County.

A short time later, I wrote Mr. Bigham the following:

          Dear Bill:

          Thank you so much for the information you sent….We have

found the burial ground and have concluded that the information

 you sent was divinely conceived and providentially shared.

          Because of you, our ancestors were rescued from obliteration.

          Thank you again.

          Vernon

         

Two research friends of mine, Ralph Neely and Linda Blackwelder found the site in question during October ’01 but my health problem, (back surgery) delayed my visit to the site until March ’04. I shall always be grateful to Ralph Neely and David Moody who accompanied me to the site. Ralph went ahead of me to beat down the bushes, thorns, and thickets so that I could follow and David followed me to keep me from falling. When we arrived at the burial site, Ralph had tied yellow ribbon to the trees for identification purpose.

In addition to the recorded location description, here I found the nine characteristics of an enslaved burial ground:

1.     The enslaved burial ground was removed from the white burial ground, if the whites the whites were buried on the same plantation. Whites were generally buried in a church burial plot.

2.     The enslaved cemetery was always distant from the plantation house.

3.     The enslaved cemetery was always in a grove of trees in a far-off corner of a plantation.

4.     Graves were fairly shallow.

5.     Troughs were in the ground where the decay of the corpse had allowed the ground to sink.

6.     Graves were usually in rows, not randomly placed. These troughs always will run West to East. The belief was that at the Second Coming, Jesus Christ would come at sunrise, like on Easter morning. Thus, the resurrected one would face the East.

7.     Enslaved cemetery marking included a rock or field stone. Usually rough fieldstones were set at the foot or at the head of the troughs. Some had names and dates scratched on the surface but as of this date, such information would be weathered away.

8.     Usually, there was no fence nor wall around the burial ground which would have defined it as a space.

9.     The burial ground was usually covered with a periwinkle plant.*

*More about the Periwinkle Plant

My research on periwinkle shows that most cemeteries for the enslaved are usually covered with a periwinkle plant for minimum care. It symbolizes everlasting life. It is the common name for about 12 species of evergreen. The common periwinkle has thick, glossy, narrow- based leaves and white or blue-violet five-petaled flowers up to an inch wide       .

The challenge

I brought some of the periwinkle plants from my ancestor’s burial ground and transplanted them in my yard. Now I have a part of them with me. Periwinkle is associated with my history. Know and study the plant and if necessary, come to my yard and see for yourself.

 

Appendix

There is a growing interest in enslaved cemeteries or burial grounds, if you please. Enslavement is history. The population of Mecklenburg County was 4,602 by the 1810 census.  Over two thirds, or 3,494 individuals were enslaved at that time.   By 1860, 6,541 enslaved persons were listed, yet we have very little record of where and when they died or were buried.  Their personhood was simply willed to obliteration.

Urban expansion, highway construction, residential development and commercial growth, have revealed unmarked burial grounds with evidence of the enslaved period of our history.  In some cases, blatant desecration of sacred burial grounds illustrates the need to protect these cultural resources and the urgent need for awareness.

#30 Amazing Grace

Dear Readers:

My good friend Dr. Ione Vargus, sent me this note recently. I have decided to share it with you...

Hi:

I thought you might enjoy this.

Think about every Negro spiritual you know...

Please listen to this great clip - you will be amazed and inspired.

http://pjcockrell.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/amazing-grace-just-the-black-notes/

--
Ione  Vargus,  Ph.D.
Professor & Dean Emerita
Founder/  Director
Family Reunion Institute
Temple University
215-204-6244
www.temple.edu/fri

#29 - JUNETEENTH—ITS HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE!

# 29

JUNETEENTH—ITS HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE!

By

Vernon M. Herron, D. Min.

What is JUNETEETH? Is it related to slavery, The Emancipation Proclamation, Freedom Eve, The Civil War, The Watch Night Service, Independence Day, or Freedom Day? Is the Juneteeth Celebration and June 19th related? There is a tapestry of truth running through all of the above, producing a historic reality.

The name Juneteeth is as old as the fact of enslavement. It is the oldest known celebration of the ending of the same. It was on 19 June 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that the Civil War had ended and that all enslaved were now free.

Noting this time-line, this was two and a half year after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Here are the facts:

September 22, 1862:
By Executive Order, President Abraham Lincoln issued an Emancipation which declared that on January 1, 1863 all
African Americans classified as “slaves” in the Confederacy
would be declared legally “freed.”

December 31, 1862:
This date was known as “freedom Eve.” On that night, Blacks came together in churches and private homes all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation actually had become law.

January 1, 1863:

President Lincoln issued an Emancipation Proclamation declaring that the War between states had ended and that the enslaved were now freed. For two and a half years, this information was delayed in getting to Texas and when it did, it had little impact due to the minimal number of Union Troops to enforce the new Executive Order. Then, at the stroke of midnight, it was January 1, 1863, and all slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free.

December 18, 1865:
It was not until December 18, 1865 that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified which ended slavery in all parts of the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the small number of Union troops for enforcement. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April 1865 and the arrival of General Granger’s soldiers, his forces were strong enough to defeat all opposition.

The explanation for this two and a half year delay is uncertain but two popular notions exist. (1) The news was deliberately with held by the enslaved master to maintain the labor force on the plantations. (2) The federal troops actually waited for the enslaved owner to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.

“One of General Granger’s first order of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with”:

“The people of Texas are informed that with a Proclamation from
The Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves
an absolute equality of rights of property between former masters
and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them
becomes that between employer and free laborer”.

Group reaction to this news ranged from a pure “shock” to a full scale jubilation. Memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities will inspire many for years to come. The celebration of June 19TH was coined ‘juneteenth” and became a time celebration for descendants of former enslaved, making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston.

Juneteeenth is a time of remembrance, festivities, food, affirming one another, prayer. It always focuses oneducation and self improvement.