Mark S Owen – författare

Remember those heavy black-colored, cast-iron skillets used to cook up delicious foods? Those skillets were cooking equipment standards in the kitchens of our ancestors, especially our grandmothers. It’s what our parents used to fry up the just-right crispy chicken and more classic recipes that transcended from Africa to slave quarters, the plantation’s Big House, other folks’ homes, and our homes. There is so much to learn about our ancestors based on their recipes, food purchases, cooking styles, and the assemblage of family members and friends around the dinner tables. Take the recipe of hot water cornbread fried in cast-iron skillets.

Did you know that Civil War General William T. Sherman coined the phrase "40 acres" about the fiscal reparations he ordered from the battlefield? The “mule” as in “40 acres and a mule” reference came later when Sherman also suggested that the U.S. Army lend its mules to the formerly enslaved to assist them in their new lives. There is a lot to learn about our ancestors in researching the truth about our past. It provides us with a historic framework that we may press forward in the future.Join us this month as you learn what valuable information is available in the U.S. Census and Freedmen’s Bureau Records. There are easy ways to unlock the intricate web of information that is freely available.

This month, the United States holiday of Labor Day is recognized. In honor of working people, the Good Genes Genealogy Services duo provide interesting content about how African American labor was regarded in relation to all other workers. There’s the interesting timeline that shows how invested in the slave aka “free work” society. Perhaps the most interesting and strategic rebellions against a specific segment of low wages for long and hard hours of work, is found in the Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike of 1881.African American history is world history. Read, ask questions and most of all, enjoy this journey into the specialized and rewarding world of African, African American and Afro Caribbean genealogy.