The Old South… Carpetbaggers and the Crime of Reconstruction

After the Civil War, the “procedure” to readmit southern states into the Union was called, “Reconstruction.” I find this interesting because I had always thought it referred to the re-building of the war-torn states, not the rebuilding of the union, which was the United States.

After the war, Congress could have accepted southern representatives back into the fold but instead waited until 1867 when they created five southern military districts and appointed a major general for each district. Unfortunately, corrupt white men from the North (Carpetbaggers) descended upon the South to take advantage of the situation. With everything in turmoil and a lack of governance, political corruption proliferated, and African Americans were exploited. White farmers went from owning slaves, to new laws that gave African Americans military protection. On top of all this, Carpetbaggers were encouraged to take advantage of the newly freed African Americans, resulting in large-scale waste and extravagance.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era romance, Blue Violet. Available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018ZWX0R4

What’s a Creole Porch?

In the south, the weather is so humid, a porch is a must. The original French who settled New Orleans built homes out of timber and then eventually bricks. Homes were often built above the ground, stilt like and were surrounded by a full porch. The rooms had a door that opened to the outside, allowing the flow of air and access to the porch. A Creole is someone who has ancestral roots from the Caribbean. A porch of this fashion also has its origins in the Caribbean, hence the title, Creole porch.

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

Available Here:  http://www.amazon.com/Black-Pansy-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484900278

Black People Looking for White Ancestors… White People Looking for Black Ancestors

Many years after slavery, people are still funny about what color we are and the history that goes with that. I’m a white woman whose family lived in the south during colonial times. My father grew up in New Orleans. When I told him, I wanted to go, “down South” to do some ancestry sleuthing, he discouraged it, telling me to look up my mother’s ancestors instead. After my father died, I went to Louisiana and Mississippi and to the places where my ancestors lived. I stumbled upon distant relatives still living in the same area where many years ago colonists thought it was okay to enslave others. These distant relatives were very nice and friendly, until I told them I wanted to find the branches on our family tree that connect Black with White. They did not say anything mean, but they shut off communication. It’s too bad because I suspect they know but have no interest in telling me. Recent advances in DNA testing and people sharing information will tell us a lot. Until then, I’ll keep sleuthing and using my creativity to piece together a fractured southern heritage.

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

Available Here: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Pansy-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484900278

Did Great-Great-Grandpa Attend a Meeting of the KKK?

I read an interesting book that spoke of the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan. In this book, they stated that the KKK began after the Civil War as a group of neighbors in the South, getting together to discuss rebuilding their communities. Can you imagine the stigma associated with having gone to a couple of these meetings? For those of us researching southern roots, this is something we could run across. It is not easy for someone of say, Irish ancestry, whose ancestors held slaves, to go to an African American ancestry board and post a message. But we can learn of our collective histories through our ancestors’ relationships. You never know what you may find around the next corner. It is wonderful to see Southerners of both African American and Caucasian ancestry collaborating on ancestry message boards. We have only begun.

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

Available Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Pansy-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484900278

What’s A Creole?

When Acadians were driven from their Canadian homelands in the 1700’s, many went to the Caribbean islands where they intermarried with African slaves. Their children came to be known as Creole. When Spain had colonies in North America, she did not manage them well and eventually lost them. Children born in these Spanish colonies were also called Creoles. Spain showed the Creoles little respect and allowed them to hold only lower positions in religion and government. You’re fortunate if you can tie your genealogy into this rich history.  Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era romance, Mississippi Wild Blue. Available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072L2WWMR

The South After the Civil War

Through the hard work of enslaved Africans, the South built homes and an agricultural industry that ended with the Civil War and the deaths of thousands of Confederate and Union soldiers. The war lasted from 1860-1865, and afterwards, the pace of reconstruction was slow. Today you’ll find that people of all ethnicities populate the South. This mix of ethnicities provides for cultural diversity in food, music and literature. The South has maintained much of its original French and Latin culture. New Orleans is a perfect place to explore the cultural diversity of the South.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era romance, Black Lilac. Available here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EKJMTKA

Making the Best of a Bad Situation… Fashionable Slaves

When reading about the Underground Railroad, I ran across some interesting bits of history. On occasion, slave owners would “allow” their slaves to work for someone else for 100 dollars or more a year. Sometimes these hard-working men and women were able to keep the money they made. When they were seen walking through the cities of the South in elegant clothes, strangers incorrectly assumed that the clothes were purchased by “indulgent masters.” Slaves who made a successful escape to the North and gained freedom, wrote letters to the Underground Railroad committee asking if the committee could help them retrieve their clothes they’d left with friends or loved ones. Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy. Available Here: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Pansy-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484900278

Runaway Slaves Reaching Safety in Canada… A Secret Symbol for Loved Ones

It was an amazing ordeal to escape a southern plantation and make it to a free state or into Canada. Once in Canada, the slaves who reached freedom would send letters to their loved ones in the states, via the administrators of the Underground Railroad. A common practice was to enclose in the letter, something very small, like a thread. This thread was a “token” sign between loved ones that they had genuinely reached safety in Canada.  Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era romance, Mississippi Wild Blue.  Available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072L2WWMR

What Does Mulatto Mean? Is It Derogatory?

The Portuguese and Spanish nouns are mulato (masculine) and mulata (feminine). These nouns are used to describe a person of mixed African and Caucasian ancestry. According to a very old dictionary, the noun is used for the first generation, “offspring of a pure negro and a white.” It seems an old-fashioned word and with these old words come unpleasant memories of racism. Today we use expressions like mixed race, multi-ethnic and bi-racial, but personally, I think the Spanish word Mulatto is a pleasant one.  Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era romance, Rose Thorn. Available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X1GN58T

Did President Lincoln Really Want to Set Up a Colony for Former Slaves?

Yes, President Lincoln had suggestions for building colonies outside the United States for freed slaves. President Lincoln originally wanted the emancipation of slaves to be gradual. He wanted to offer southern farmers financial incentives in exchange for freeing their slaves and had plans in mind to send these freed slaves to new colonies, designed for their new lives outside the United States. The Civil War broke out in 1862.  Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era romance, Ellie. Available here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWVNCTS