Imagine being a runaway slave and getting caught by slave catchers who’d been drinking. They waved a warrant for your arrest. They waved guns and they saw you as someone’s property. Pretty terrifying.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
At the time of the Revolutionary War, British authorities listed people as they boarded their ships. That this roster exists, is another example of weirdness that happens during war. That Robert was listed as a “worn out half Indian,” reveals the thinking of the era. Did Robert eventually work his way into the white population? Is he someone’s great-great-great grandfather?
Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:
This was the wording extracted from a will about thirty years before the Civil War: “the said negro girl with her increase…” The young, enslaved girl’s name was Jane, and she was listed as property. Of course, “increase” means any children Jane might have. It meant slavery for Jane’s children, but for those holding Jane’s children, it meant an increase in wealth.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
It is tough to find out which tribe your ancestors belonged to. Any little hint will help. The American Academy of Dermatology Association has a little insight into the health of the Choctaw Native Americans in southeastern Oklahoma. They have “the highest risk of developing scleroderma on the skin and in the internal organs.” If you’re collecting Choctaw hints, put this on that list.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:
My father loved to recite the story of his great-grandfather who lost five brothers in the Civil War. “They were fighting for different sides,” he used to say, stressing the importance of understanding the divisions in America and the outcome of that war. What sadness must have overcome all those families who lost so many brothers.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
Usually, you can see by the dark hair, bronze skin, and dark eyes that one has Native roots but, do not let looks fool you. There are plenty of fair-skinned blue-eyed descendants of Native Americans. Perhaps even you.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:
Pretty hard to trace your Illinois Native ancestry without documentation. One would need to study the history of the surrounding states and pay the areas a visit, asking lots of questions to anyone willing to chat. Here are two Native villages that were in Illinois: Kaskaskia and Cahokia. They were captured in 1778. What happened to them, I do not know. But if you’re a descendant of a Native from that area, you can add it to your list of possibilities.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:
Imagine how terrifying it was to be confronted with men in white robes, carrying torches and covering their faces with pointed hoods. Especially knowing their history of tarring and feathering, lynching and fomenting terrorism. The costumes they wore (as they sought to destroy or terrorize Black people) were meant to represent the ghosts of dead Confederates.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
I guess you could try any number of things to pass as white. Or you could try your best to appear black. Because if you wanted to marry someone whose skin differed from yours, your life was in danger from vigilantes. There were slave laws and mixed-race marriages were NOT allowed in pre-Civil War America. Life in prison for husband and wife, was on the books in Mississippi.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
Something happens to us when summer nears. We gear up for change. Imagine living in nature and experiencing the seasonal changes. Native people watched the heavens, the earth and all her creatures. They knew when it was time for change. For some Canadian Natives, summertime was a time to head for the coast. For others, springtime meant returning to their communal region to meet again with their familial group. What does our ancestry tell us about our summer preferences?
Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees:
Ancestry&History 