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

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

Why Didn’t the North Have Slaves?

The historical events that led to the Civil War are not simple nor interpreted the same by historians. Conspiracies abound. In the United States during the 1800’s, the economy of the North differed vastly from that of the South. The South had many large agricultural plantations that prospered through the use of slaves while the North had small farms and industries, they felt needed no slave labor. The Civil War put an end to slavery. The skill of enslaved Black builders and the slaves who assisted, is visible in the architecture throughout the South.

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

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

Why Didn’t Colonial Slavery Reach the West?

During the 1800’s, the United States spread across North America creating new territories. The South’s economy was based on plantations. A great many of those plantations used slaves to do the labor. The South wanted any future and newly acquired territories to accept slavery. In Congress and the Senate, the new territory representatives would have represented anti-slavery and voted contrary to the South. The South therefore, felt it necessary to secede. The Civil War broke out in 1862.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era romance, Blue Violet. Available here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018ZWX0R4

What Does Antebellum Mean?

There are many who reminisce fondly, upon the days of plantations, without respecting that they were built by slaves. Today, large plantation homes are tourist destinations. The skill that went into building them fascinates all who visit. Most of these grand homes were built during the 1700s and 1800s and should be viewed respectfully in the memory of the original builders. African American slaves. Antebellum means, “before the Civil War.” 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