Ever Wonder Why the Fleur de Lis is So Popular?

Humans have adorned themselves for thousands of years. The Scots have colorful plaids that represent their tribe. Pacific Northwest Indians tattooed their chins. The Jews have the Star of David. Christians have the cross. Seems everybody has a group they identify with. A popular icon today is the fleur de lis. It was flashed around during the movie, The Da Vinci Code, as if it were the emblem of a powerful secret society. Perhaps it is, but it may also represent bravado among the most oppressed of us all, the enslaved.

During the days of slavery, in French Louisiana the king signed a document called the Louisiana Code Noir. It was also known as the slave code, the laws pertaining to slaves and their masters. If a slave was caught stealing livestock, produce or provisions, they were legally allowed to be whipped by the public executioner and then branded with the mark of the fleur de lis. If a slave ran away and was gone for a month, his ears were cut off and he was branded with the fleur de lis on the shoulder. If a slave ran away a second time, again for a month, he was branded with the fleur de lis on the other shoulder. Quite a sign of rebellion. Unfortunately, we run out of shoulders for the third offence. The punishment for that is death. You have to wonder if a tattoo of the fleur de lis was a status symbol, one of rebellion and anarchy. At least they tried.

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

Civil War History: Not Easy Being Abraham Lincoln’s Wife

Abraham Lincoln did not win the presidency because he got a lot of votes, he won because the votes were spread thinly among many candidates and he happened to garner the most. Many in Lincoln’s own political party hated him, fearing the direction he would take the country. His wife Mary didn’t have it any easier. At a time when the North and South were developing deep divides, Mary’s southern roots were not appreciated, to the point of being accused of spying. Those in the more developed eastern region of America, saw her as a greenhorn from the west, while people in the new developing states, thought she was too aristocratic for their tastes. And though Mary had her roots in the south, southerners saw her as the enemy. It seems for Mary Todd Lincoln, the American people were very hard to please.

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

Civil War Boundaries… What is the South? What is Mason and Dixon’s Line?

The “South” is the section of the United States that lies below the Mason Dixon line, the Ohio River and the southern boundaries of Kansas and Missouri. The Mason Dixon line was marked by two English astronomers, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. They marked it almost a hundred years before the Civil War but it became part of the boundary line between the slave states of the south and the free states of the north. The Mason Dixon’s Line also serves as the southern boundary line of Pennsylvania.

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

A Common Southern Sermon: Servants Obey Your Masters

Historically, people have gone to church for a variety of reasons. Before the Civil War, slave owners brought their servants to church where they were submitted to sermons extolling the virtues of obeying their masters. In August of 1855, with the help of the Underground Railroad, a former slave reached freedom in Canada. When he wrote back to those who helped him find freedom, he refers to Canada as the “Northern Canaan,” meaning he believed he had found the “Promised Land.”

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

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

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