In the days following my Feb. 8 genea-community call to action, it became apparent that once the exchange of slave records and related information began, a community resource was needed to collect the data being shared and to facilitate its dissemination [quickly] to the broader research community.

The decision to create a web portal to support the descendants exchange came easily, and after a brief brainstorming  of possible names, so did the final naming convention — A Friend of Friends (AFoF).

Like many, I was inspired by the sentiments shared by Sandra Taliaferro’s A Friend of Friends: Lessons From The Underground Railroad blog post and after settling on the name, quickly enlisted the help of my friend San in the effort to get AFoF online!

In its simplest form, AFoF is a medium for Friends of Friends to share data and information with descendants researching slave ancestry, as we work to free our Ancestors memories and names from a lost and oft times buried, history.

In truth, African-American Ancestors for the most part, have not been fully emancipated yet. They will not be FREE until their names are known and their stories told.

AFoF is a community vehicle. It is very likely you will find information posted to AFoF appearing in the repository of LowCountry Africana, on the message boards of AfriGeneas or Ancestry and/or circulating through the communities of GenealogyWise or Facebook.

In respect to slave data, the key is saturation — we need vital AFoF data posted to as many outlets frequented by African-American researchers as possible.

Our motto is share what you have, and take what you need.

The First Carnival of African-American Genealogy, Restore My Name: Slave Records & Genealogy Research, was a huge success, with 35 submissions of slave data, resources and heart-felt posts. Our genea-community proved that yes, a healthy, healing, dialogue between descendants of slavery — from both sides — is possible.

Now that Restore My Name is behind us, it is vital that the dialogue we’ve begun continues.

I ask that you please use your personal networks to get the word out about AFriendofFriends.com and that you continue to think of us as you encounter relevant slave information through both your personal and community research.

If you have information to share, San and I (AFoF’s Conductors) are easily reachable via Twitter — @Sjtaliaferro and @OurGeorgiaRoots — respectively. There is also a convenient AFoF contact form here.

Just remember if using Twitter to apply the #AFoF #genealogy to your *tweet* so that we can locate your info easily.

So there you have it, the skinny on the new A Friend of Friends blog that quietly floated in to support the first CoAAG and with blessings from the Ancestors, will be around to support the genea-community for many years to come.

None of this would have been possible without you, my genea-friends and family. I am eternally grateful for your support and encouragement.

We are the change.

Luckie.

Good News! I am thrilled to see the Carnival of African-American Genealogy {CoAAG} come into fruition and honored to serve as its first Host!:-)

On March 19th Restore My Name – Slave Records and Genealogy Research, will kick-off the first of an ongoing series of African-American themed carnivals, intended to be a gathering place for the community to share and learn about African-American genealogy.

Our first CoAAG discussion theme will deal with how records of slave ownership are handled by the genealogy researcher. Contributors will be asked to write a blog post (at their own blogs) on one or more of the following aspects:

• What responsibilities are involved on the part of the researcher when locating names of slaves in a record?
• Does it matter if the record(s) are related to your ancestral lines or not?
• As a descendant of slave owners, have you ever been pressured by family not to discuss or post about records containing slave names?
• As a descendant of slaves, have you been able to work with or even meet other researchers who are descendants of slave owners?
• Have you ever performed a Random Act of Genealogical Kindness involving slave ownership records? Or were you on the receiving end of such kindness?

Submissions will be accepted starting today through March 12th 11:59 PM EST. Once you’ve created your blog post, use the blog carnival submission form to make sure it is included in the CoAAG post on 19 February 2010.

We’re also in search of hosts for future CoAAG Carnivals so if you have interest, please give me {@OurGeorgiaRoots} and/or GeneaBloggers {@GeneaBloggers} a *tweet*!:-)

If you’re new to carnivals and needing a quick “how to” so that you can join the fun, no worries — checkout these two resources:

• Blog Carnival FAQs
• How to Submit a Post to a Carnival

We’ve all witnessed the benefit yielded from coming together as a community to openly share our varying perspectives around slavery and its impacts to both past and present culture.

Let’s commit to keeping this very relevant {and healing} dialogue going and use it as a catalyst to continue to grow and learn.

We must be the change we wish to see in the world ~ Mohandas Gandhi

Luckie.

Sometime in the near future, I plan to make my way to Duke University to spend time in their Special Collections Library, where among many other artifacts, is housed a collection of Wilkes County (Georgia) and Hanover County (Virginia) WINGFIELD slave documents.

But tonight it’s not the WINGFIELD documents that made me catch my breath, it’s the story of Caesar, a slave purchased from New York by William GIBBONS of Chatam County Georgia in 1785.

I can’t speak for any other African-American researcher but in the quest to find my roots, with the abundance of historic data I go through daily, many times the severity of what I’m reading temporarily escapes me.

I don’t believe it’s a matter of my becoming desensitized to the history but more so a case of mentally committing to remove the “sting” of what I am reading to allow me to maintain objectivity.

After all, my goal is not to curse the deeds of the past — it’s to give voice to the stories and life of my Ancestors.

But tonight, Caesar stuck with me and but for a moment — I thought about his plight as seen through the docs at Duke University and felt the familiar sting of realizing what our Ancestors have endured and survived:

1785. William GIBBONS purchases Caesar from Stephen TINKER in NY. How old was he? I wonder if he left behind a mother, wife or children?

1794. Almost 10 yrs. later, Caesar has runaway to Connecticut as noted in a document empowering Joseph GIBBONS to secure his return to William GIBBONS. What made Caesar head to Connecticut? How did Caesar travel such a long distance from Georgia to Connecticut? Did he have “A Friend of Friends” help? I pray so!

1801. In a letter from Mitchell D. to William GIBBONS it appears Caesar is trying to negotiate the terms of his return — he wants to work for his freedom and from what Mitchell writes, seems to believe his owner will comply. Wow! He just wants to be free and is willing to work towards that end. I wouldn’t dare speculate how this letter was received by his owner.

Undated Correspondence. A list of GIBBONS slave names to whom shoes were delivered and sadly, Caesar’s name is on this list. Like the archivist, I wonder if this document was post 1801 and an indication of Caesar’s return to the plantation. I will not allow myself to think of what punishment he endured upon his return if that is the case.

I wonder what became of Caesar and if he found the freedom he was seeking. I also pray that a descendant of Caesar’s {possibly a GIBBONS or TINKER} is out there researching and happens upon this post and/or Duke University’s Collection.

Because as painful as it might be reading the struggle of Caesar, it also speaks to his TREMENDOUS strength, intelligence and will.

Peace to you Caesar.

Luckie.

While reading the CODY and WOMACK Families book sent to me by Lori, I discovered the name of Michael CODY’s first [purchased] slave — Rose.

The Author notes that:

during the year 1800 he purchased a negro girl, who was then 18 years of age, whose name was Rose.

By my estimation, that would place Rose’s birth sometime about the year 1782.

Interestingly enough, Michael’s 1832 will names a Rose & Rosetta, among his 42 slaves & both the Warren County 1850 & 1860 Census for Rebecca & Madison Derrelle, have a black, female slave that logically, could be our Rose.

From my other family book reference CODY-ROGERS of Georgia, I know that the separation of family was said to be Michael’s greatest issue with Slavery & that his will specifically stated there was to be no selling of slaves or his property.

Could Rose, born in 1782 be my oldest Ancestor to date? YES. Will I ever be able to confirm this fact? I pray God I will, whether it be to confirm or negate a blood connection.

What am I counting on to assist me? If Michael purchased Rose in 1800, hopefully there is a deed transaction living in the Archives to shed light on the transaction. If Rose was so well loved that she remained with the family some 65 years, could she be mentioned somewhere in the CODY family papers or buried near Michael & Rebecca in Warren Co?

I’ll be looking out for my Rose and yes, she is MY Rose now.

I admit, it is hard for me to look past an Ancestor once our paths cross. My knowledge of their being unknown for so long just won’t allow me to leave them unamed or unrecognized.

Be they my CODY blood or not, it is the least I can do on their behalf. Recognizing these Ancestors by their given name — Rose CODY {b. abt 1782}.

Luckie.

[Sources: CODY and WOMACK Families, Sarah D. Hubert 1902; CODY-ROGERS of Georgia, L.L. CODY 1915]

Last night while searching online for information relating to my very active Our Alabama Roots slave owner mystery, I discovered a link from “Uncle Davey’s” offering authentic slave documents for sale.

I was in SHOCK! It could be that I am behind the [memorabilia] times and/or overly sensitive to the matter of slavery – given the challenge I have with piecing together my family lineage just 5 generations removed!

Whatever the reason, what Uncle Davey & others are doing with critical ancestral documents just makes me sick!

If I had the ability, I’d buy all these “collections” & try my best to return them to their rightful owners – the living descendants!!!

Here’s the text to the above featured Georgia Bill of Sale:

SD17) Georgia Slave Bill of Sale dated Jan. 30, 1852. For negro man named Joe about 28 years old and warrants “the said boy a slave for life”. Silked for preservation…..$175

My God, haven’t these Ancestors been sold [and endured] enough?!

Arghhh…

Luckie.