Genealogy Seems a Good Dementia Preventative

Doctors say that doing crossword puzzles helps keep our cognitive skills sharp. Pouring through family trees where four generations share the same name. Trying to read nineteenth century records written in cursive. Or trying to decipher the gender of a French name used by either or. Don’t all these tasks performed by genealogists require clear heads? Native American father and son names, Ti Ca Ni Sheh Lucas and Chu Cow Ta Toh Hek, remind us that genealogy takes a lot of head-scratching.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:

Civil War Era White Women Worried About Available Men

Civil War era white women worried about available men. And they had good reason to be concerned if they had hopes of marriage. War takes the lives of many a young man, the Civil War took almost 620,000. But life goes on and research shows that about 92% of these southern white women went on to marry. Remember, in those days, marriage between white and black populations was forbidden.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

Native Americans Initial Response to the Invading Europeans

Anyone who has been to a townhall meeting has seen the opposing views that people have. That was the case when Europeans first began moving into Indian homelands. When tribal leaders got together and tried to deal with it, there were varying opinions. Were there opportunities that would help the tribe? Were the intruders demons that should be met with violence and death? Or, as some initially believed, were they deities? However, it is often said that in the beginning, many Natives were friendly, open, and willing to share.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:

President Andrew Jackson Ignored the Supreme Court and Removed the Indians Anyway

The Indians called Andrew Jackson “Sharp Knife” and for good reason. He carved up tribes and drove them off their homelands, with the skill of a butcher. European settlers wanted the land, Jackson facilitated that takeover. A group of Cherokee who had adapted to the new European ways, took it to the Supreme Court and won the right to stay. Unfortunately, Jackson ignored the ruling and got away with it. The rest of the story, we know as the Trail of Tears.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:

Early Marriage in the Civil War Era

Colonial Americans married younger than their European counterparts. One main reason was because of the vast amount of cheap available land. (After they ran the Indians off.) Back then, young couples were ready to marry when they could live independently of their parents. Cheap land played a large role in building their lives. The young couples felled trees and built homes, Cleared the forest, and planted crops.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

Civil War Nurses

During the Civil War, disease was prevalent, leading to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Nurses were in great demand. They probably got to the point where anyone was welcome to lend a hand. One historical record that I saw, gave the day’s pay for a nurse as forty cents. The horrors must have left them with great psychological pain. The years before and after the Civil War, are worth remembering, so that we never repeat them.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

Civil War Black Soldiers Whose Lives Mattered

What a liberating feeling it must have been for a Black man to be freed from a rebellious slaveholder. Legally, thanks to the Confiscation Act in 1862. And though President Lincoln was reluctant to enlist former slaves, the Militia Act helped to move Black soldiers into the Civil War. By 1863, Lincoln commanded that the Confederate states free all slaves. That was through the Emancipation Proclamation.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

Why Would Russian DNA Appear in a Native American Family Tree?

Way back in 1741, the Russians came to Western America, leaving a historical trail in locations like Alaska and Northern California. They came to hunt and trade fur. They are remembered for taking advantage of the Natives, who had no guns to protect themselves.

The Aleut had mastered the art of fur preservation. Without weapons to fight back, they were forced to work for the Russians for free. Some of the Native women, held against their will as concubines, no doubt became pregnant. Because St Petersburg received fur taxes of ten percent, the Russians returned year after year.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:

Slave Woman

When you dig through history books and genealogical records, you find horrendous things. Some of it is so bad, people do not want to read it. The ugly truth is people used other people as slaves and it wasn’t that long ago. I ran across a baptismal record from the 1700s that read, “Cardin’s slave woman baptized her little girl Marie… declaring the father as…”

Slave woman? I’d say “unbelievable,” but we know such things were true.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:

The Religious Use of Peyote

Native American spiritual beliefs and practices are unique. One of the ways in which they differ from other cultures, is their use of peyote. I remember well, an amendment to the Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act of 1993. The modification came in 1994. It was all over the news. It gave Native Americans the right to use peyote in their religious ceremonies.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees: