What a delightful evening I had presenting the Freedmen Bureau Project and indexing workshop through FamilySearch.org at  the  Reverend West’s Saint Luke Baptist Church and Rev. Calvino Muse’s True Love First Baptist Church Spencer, Oklahoma. This was our first round of presenting the FBP and indexing workshop, but I think everyone got what they needed. We’ll tweak it up to smooth it out before Thursday night, but overall, it was a fun experience for me. It is such a treat to feel the warm, welcoming, spirit of the Black community.

Three generations learning how to index the Freedmen Bureau records. Grandma’s in the middle.

Oops, how did this bearded man slip in? McCoey liked Grandpa’s birthday cake.

Not to be outdone in cuteness factor, Little Lizzy is an adept crawler. She didn’t get any of Grandpa’s cake.

Dean Woolen is a former Bishop from the Midwest City ward. He’s explaining his excitement about learning that the Freedmen Bureau records existed. (I thought I looked skinnier in that dress. DARN!)

If you are part of the African American Community and would like to learn about the Freedmen Bureau Project and finding your own roots, comment on this post and I’ll get you to the right person to set it up. If you’re in Oklahoma, we’ll come to you, or you can come to us. FamilySearch.org is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s a free website. Always has been and always will be. Your personal data is completely protected and confidential. No information that concerns living people is visible to anybody else. You can download the program free on the your private computer by starting at FamilySearch.org.

These five teens came with their Stomp coach. The cute little gal in the middle created a FamilySearch account and found five generations back during the workshop. I LOVE the excitment she’s showing in this picture.

The boys pictured above are in a Stomp performing group called “Stomp Brothers.” It is like “Whole-body tap dance, or a combination of dance and gymnastics with impressive unity and agility. It’s SUPER fun. They did an encore presentation so we could film it, but somehow, it’s not on the camera card today. I’m so disappointed. But it was kind of them to treat us to a show. WE LOVED IT! Check out their “older brothers”  youtube video from 2012 at the bottom of this post.

Three generations!

Andre’ (above) and Jessilyn (below) Head are some of the best blessings that have come to me from getting involved in the FBP. They are the founders and co-CEO’s of the Coltrane Group, a Black Towns of OK advocacy group. They will soon start an African American Genealogy and Historical group in Oklahoma. I am eager to hear when the Black Towns of Oklahoma bus tour is scheduled. It’s gonna be fun and I’m going to write a travel piece for the Oklahoman about it.  Jessilyn seems intent on figuring out instructions for indexing Freedmen Bureau records and Andre’ looks like he’s got a belly-ache.

Family History Center worker Sherri Furber helps “Coach” David Mosley start the Freedmen Bureau indexing.

I spoke with David Mosley after the program. He’s the coach for The Brothers of Stomp. He’s one of those truly righteous people who spend their lives in the service of others. The kids in his stomp program are all “at risk” African American teen boys. He has been a miracle worker with 98% high school graduation rate. But the thing that struck me most was the deep affection that the boys expressed toward him. He’s teaching them to be good, strong men in the context of forming a team of rigorously practiced and performed Stomp routines. He’s far more a life mentor than a mere coach. May God bless David Mosley and The Brothers of Stomp from Star Spencer High School. If you want to help,  comment on this post and I’ll forward you his information.

The next Freedmen Bureau Project Presentation and Indexing workshop is Sept 3 2015 in OKC. This one is in the LDS Church building at 5020 NE 63rd St. It starts at 7:00 and the public is welcome. It is particularly for Black Americans who may have had slave ancestors. There will be a Freedmen Bureau Project presentation, an introduction to indexing the FB Project and a tour of the Family History Library that is contained in the LDS building. Please come!

Please share this post so that the Freedmen Bureau Project can get maximum exposure in the African American Community and some of these other great projects can have a little more exposure, too. 

The handwriting is difficult to decipher. It’s worse than mine!
I read through the four-part Freedmen Bureau Project on Familysearch.org 6-7 times in order to understand the full gist. Each reading brought new insights and more understanding as words became decipherable in context.

Technically, I’m just indexing the 150-year old complaint, searching for the data of the people, places and dates. But I’m also a family history researcher and I know how frustrating is is when the records are not correctly interpreted. It can make the difference between an ancestor being linked to their progeny or remaining in obscurity.
I had to read to the third document to learn that the complaint filer was Louisa M. Harris. She had gone north to bring her last surviving child home from the Civil War. He was wounded in the hospital and she went to nurse him back to health late in March of 1865. She had arranged for a tenant to stay and care for her home and “plantation”, (the common word for a farm.) They returned together three months later in June.

“Upon returning home at the earliest possible date with permission from my son’s commander and provost officer, I was surprised to learn that my home and plantation had been marked “abandoned” by the Department of the Treasury.”
It seems the tenant filed immediately and got some disinterested bureaucrat to label it “abandoned” which was apparently equivalent to “available to be occupied without purchase.”

She cites the fact that no investigation could have been done because it was not marked abandoned the previous year and the (possibly white) original owners had been gone well before that date.
She is requesting that the Freedmen Bureau Officer see to the return of her property to her full ownership and control, and evict the (predatory) tenant. There were apparently papers to prove the occupant had taken possession as a tenant.

A black family is emancipated and given or purchased a farm. When her wounded soldier son requires nursing in a northern hospital, she arranges for a housesitter and goes to tend him and bring him home. When she gets home, the housesitter has gone behind her back and had the property marked “abandoned” so that he can keep the house and farm.
Just imagine what Louisa Harris was going through!

Another story that comes from the Freedmen Bureau Records is the story of a man whose 5 children younger children were “bound into labor” for 18 months in 1867,(after the war). In 1869, the five children returned home never having been paid for their work. They had been fed, but given no clothes or other property.
The claimant is asking the Bureau to find the man who hired them, (he gives the address of the man and the address of the plantation where they had labored.)
He adds that he is blind
He lives by the support of his older children.
But because he’s blind, he doesn’t notice that the FB agent writes the wrong state for the “employers” address. (There is no Auburn in Georgia, but only in Macon LA The letter demanding payment would have been sent to Macon county, Georgia instead of Macon County, Louisiana.
How likely do you think it is that those five people were ever paid for 18 months of their labor on a plantation?

Another story that gives a little peek into post-civil-war situations is a labor contract involving a group of about 15 men. The pay for each man ranged from 10-15 dollars a month. They were contracted to work from sunup to sundown, six days a week, from January 1 to December 31. No holidays, no Saturdays off. If they were sick or injured and could not work, that money would be subtracted from their (very meager) pay.
They were, however to be “given wholesome food”.  From what I gather from reading many slave narratives, wholesome food would have been corn meal, salt pork, and some lard. Since it was to be “wholesome” that would preclude the meat or lard being rancid or the meal being infested with vermin.
Remember, this was AFTER the slaves were free.

There are letters begging the Freedmen Bureau to help find their long-separated families.      

We wanted to see Jeff’s mom. It seemed an apt celebration of Jeff’s big 60 coming up this week, and  it had been too long since we’d seen her. We found her in good health and spirits and by the time we left, we had nearly solved the problems facing this nation, the Church, etc. (or not). Lynda started off our visit with a birthday celebration.

But thanks to the warm hospitality of several of our relatives, we had a grand trip to Oakdale, California.
Oakdale, California claims to be the cowboy capital of the world. But the rodeo is only in town in April, and since nobody in our family owns either cattle or horses, we enjoyed the less bovine activities and family camaraderie differently.

In case you haven’t heard, California is burning down. Our brother in law, Barry is a fireman and has been working for weeks with only one day breaks here and there. The skies were hazy the whole time we were there, but it does make for a striking sunset behind Jeff’s mom’s neighborhood.

Brother in law Barry took us to the shooting range at the Sportsman’s club to try out an AK-47. I’m thinking that this makes a great all-purpose gun. With a red-dot site, you can “obtain a target” at 400 feet with exact precision. It’s super reliable and almost never requires cleaning. I’m a crack shot, by the way! If I ever decide to hunt, this is what I’m going to get. Jeff (above) is practicing with a tidy little pistol. Thanks Barry for your wise precautions and patient training. I’m surprised at how much I enjoy shooting!

We enjoyed dinner at Suzie Belen’s. It’s a Mexican restaurant in an old, historic building in  downtown Oakdale. We made the “mistake” of ordering combo plates that had a taco, a chili rellano, a cheese enchilada and a bean tostada. It was a about $13 and could easily have fed three people with average appetites. The chili rellano was delicious and the taco with carne asada was yummy. Next time, I’ll order just those two items. The tostada and the enchilada (admittedly eaten the next day)were a bit sub-standard, though good enough. Points for huge portions and tasty recipes. The red salsa tasted a little scorched to me, though others liked it, and the bean dip that comes gratis with chips tasted like plain refried beans. The chips are nice and crisp.  I like the Oklahoma tradition of serving Mexican meals with red salsa, queso, chips and warm flour tortillas. Overall, I’d go back and recommend this place, just avoid over-ordering and bean dishes unless you like standard refried beans.

 Brother-in-law Jim came up from Paso Robles to introduce us to his new Cherokee mistress, (his description, not mine). He took us up for a spin in her and proved himself to be a skillful pilot. We circled Tulloch reservoir, and got a good look at the Sierra foothills. The Cherokee is a very sturdy-feeling aircraft and Jim said they’re known to be easy to fly. It was sure good to see Jim, too. We hadn’t seen him since his wife’s (Shauna’s) funeral two and a half years ago.

The San Joaquin is still growing despite the worsening drought.

 Lynda and Barry borrowed some kayaks, (the sit on top kind,) and took us on a kayak trip down the Stanislaus River. We did the run from Knights Ferry to Horseshoe and it took us about three hours. There are lots of swimming holes with pretty little beaches and deep, clear, water and healthy trout. We saw a bunch of great blue herons and white herons, too. The river moves a little faster  than I was expecting in some places, but it’s just enough to make it fun paddling, requiring a bit of paddling skill or disengaging-from-rocks skill. There’s one little rapid area (I’m not sure if it’s spelled “Russian” rapids or Rushin'” rapids, but I suspect the former) that called for a few extra squirts of adrenaline. Sorry there are no pictures of the rapids, . . .I was busy with my paddle!

left to right: Jeff, me, niece Laurie, Lynda, Barry and Mom, (Kay). By the way, if you’re are a righteous, intelligent, kind, wise, handsome, hardworking young single man, Laurie is a darling girl with a charming personality and extremely sweet disposition. She’s RS president in her ward and soon to finish her degree at BYU in nursing.

We ended up our round of excursions at Ferrarese’s Deli Restaurant. I know it’s appropriate to show the table BEFORE we have devoured our meal, but it was so yummy, we decided not to trouble the waitress until after the meal. But it’s a great little place with a charming, rustic atmosphere, generous portions and delicious recipes. Based on the desserts in the display case, it would be a delightful place to come just for dessert, too. I’ve rarely seen such decadence. But the meal was so big that there was no room for dessert, even if it was tempting. These sandwiches, shown, are on dinner-sized plates. Grilled chicken with applewood bacon, arugula and cheese, and the roll for the steak sandwich is about a foot long. Moist and flavorful!

Jeff comes by his good looks naturally. Jeff’s Dad had blue eyes and all three of his sisters have Kay’s brown eyes and more olive complexion. When we attended church with Jeff’s Mom, several people commented that Jeff looks a lot like his dad.  Boy, oh boy, did I get lucky in the in-law department!

They love their families. They are grateful to their parents.

I had thought to tell some specific stories, but these tales were troubling some of the contributors as they relived their struggles and glimpsed the way their parents have viewed them.

So I have decided to summarize the experiences of the foster-to-adopt kids that I know.

There are only ten of them that are now adults, so it’s far from being a scientific body of evidence. But still there are compelling trends.

Half have been able to plough through and thrive with little more than the ordinary insecurities kids and teens suffer from. Three of these are talented writers, manifesting an eagerness to express themselves. These have “stuck with the program,” remained committed to their Church and its teachings and principles.

Inta, 10, and Knolly, 8, enjoy each other’s company and share a special sibling bond. These active girls are looking for a nurturing family who will let them grow up together.

The other half seemed to have struggled more severely. Three have been addicted to illegal drugs and/or become alcoholics and two have been involved in crime. Three have completely separated themselves from the Church they were (mostly) raised in. I note that in each of those cases, they had siblings that were not adopted who also chose those paths, so it would be an error to blame those choices on their adoption.
Each one that has had problems with substance abuse had a biological parent with addictions. HOWEVER, not all the biological children of addicts or alcoholics developed those problems.
 Some have manifested emotional struggles that lead to self-injury. Two have expressed the sense often held by children adopted as infants that they were snatched from their mothers and that their mothers were searching for them. (That was far from the truth in both cases).
I see no pattern related to when they were adopted. Some adopted as older children have thrived and others, adopted older have struggled. The same is true of those adopted as infants. They have no memory of abuse or in some cases went into the foster-adopt program straight from the hospital, but some have managed to skate through pretty easily and others have not.

Each of these adopted kids that have responded directly to me have expressed being troubled by the sense that they were treated and loved differently than biological children. One expressed it as feeling like a “project” rather than an equally loved family member. Of those that did not respond to my questions, I would be surprised if they felt that way because of the seamless way they seemed to interact with their families.
One has had a VERY hard time, (worst case scenerio) but is currently genuinely striving to overcome the past and to choose the path that will lead to a happy fulfilled life.

Among the parents: Some have expressed that it was much harder than they expected.
Others have the gift to love her adopted children with absolute equality.
Another expressed that she did always feel the difference between her biological children and the adopted.

I’d be blasted if I were a scientist, but when does that ever stop an opinionated person from expressing an opinion?  Here are my conclusions

The more fully the parents are invested in parenting, the more secure their children will be. Notice that I don’t stipulate “adopted” or otherwise. But it holds true in each case. If the mother especially is busy with many personal pursuits and interests and the children are just one of her responsibilities, ALL children suffer. If the children are the centerpiece of a mother’s life, her hope and joy and those that cause her to lie awake at night, the more likely that the children will be able to overcome their trials, doubts, weaknesses and insecurities without too much permanent damage.

Kimberly and Mark Woolpert responded to the need for families for Native American children by adopting nine children with tribal heritage.

If you’re thinking of adopting a child for the status of it, warning! The child will know. He’ll be damaged by thinking of themselves as adornment.
If you’re thinking of adopting because you want children in your family and you want to make your family the centerpiece of your life, around which all other concerns rotate, the children will know. It will give them confidence and courage. It will help them to love and to accept love.
Don’t do it as a project.
Do it for love. Be ready to sacrifice yourself to help your child through the hard times ahead.
Most importantly, if you pray to our Loving Heavenly Father to plead for the ability to love fully and equally, that is a blessing that He’s eager to bestow. You’ll feel the change and the softening in your heart.
A prayer to love better is always quickly answered.
Here’s the link you’ll find interesting if you’re even thinking about adoption.

http://www.adoptuskids.org/

Make no mistake, dear friends, I thoroughly believe that every person has an interesting story. I love exploring the thought processes of others, trying to understand their paradigms, and learning what experiences have led them to think the way that they do.
But it’s a special treat to meet someone whose history is so different than mine that their stories are complete surprises.
Last Thursday, I met a fascinating man. Hearing him speak and feeling his spirit has elevated me a little higher so my world view is a little better.
Last Thursday was a luncheon sponsored by the five stakes of the OKC region of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in behalf of FamilySearch.org and The Smithsonian Institution. We were excited to present The Freedmen Bureau Project to leaders from the African American Community. We had news reporters, state legislators, clergy from the larger Black congregations and leaders from academia. Elder Michael J. Southward of the Seventy was our official host and Bishop Dean Woolen, (a fun, Black (former) bishop from the OKC South stake) was the MC.

Our guest speaker was Dr. George Henderson, former OU Dean of the College of Liberal Studies. We had asked him to speak about the significance The FreedmenBureau Project for the Black Community. His stories have been the food of my quiet pondering since.
George was born in Alabama and when his great grandmother saw him, she commented “He’s red like me.” She was Native American (I don’t remember which tribe.) His nickname “Red” stuck.
He went to school but didn’t thrive. The teacher conferenced with his parents saying “Red isn’t a slow learner, he’s a no-learner.” He didn’t learn to read until he was in the third grade and a teacher recognized his potential and worked with him before and after school.
He was still a young child when his father (and the rest of his family) was driven out of Alabama by the KuKluxKlan. His father had refused to yield the side walk to a white man, causing the white to step in the mud. Somebody warned him that a lynching was planned and they fled the tiny sharecroppers shack that night. He never saw his beloved grandmother again.

Dr. Henderson recalled the years of the Jim Crow laws, which restricted the rights of Black Americans, (I should say “priviledges” instead of “rights”. Rights are God-given and privileges are parsed out by men.) He remembers going to Chicago to visit some cousins. But his obviously-black family had to go in to their home after dark and leave before daylight because his relatives were “Passing for white.” (This was the early 1960’s!)
Though he didn’t share this in his speech, I understand that when Dr. Henderson arrived at OU, it was illegal for a black man to buy a house in Norman. He was given a cold welcome by his eventual neighbors as it was.
More to the point of his speech, he spoke of his distinctly formed nose. It appears to be perfectly functional, but it has a lot of character. It’s very broad with wide, flaring well-defined nostrils. It rescues his face from being ordinary and makes it memorable. Once in an airport, a woman came up to him and said, “I know which tribe you’re from. I recognize that nose.”
“I was so stunned by her comment that I didn’t think to ask her which tribe and I now I really want to know!” he said.
In speaking with him afterward, he’s warm and engaging with a sparkle in his eyes and smile that makes you feel important. He’s the sort of man that draws people into his heart for nurturing. I would love to have such a teacher.
So perhaps the Freedmen Bureau Project will help Professor (emeritus) George Henderson find his nose. Who knows? But whether or not he does, I’m richer for having met him. I’m richer for having his story.
Here’s a link to a lengthy interview where Dr. Henderson tells details of his life. You’ll be amazed at how much of our history he has experienced first hand. I wish I had read this interview before I met him in person. It’s INCREDIBLE!
http://voicesofoklahoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Henderson_Transcript.pdf

If you’re curious about the Freedmen Bureau Project and it’s relevance to Black Americans, go to www.Discoverfreedmen.org and explore. The stories you’ll encounter are as rich as plate of fried chicken and waffles!  

My son Rob loved to challenge other kids to footraces. Oh he was swift! When he was about 4, he confided that he suspected that he was the fastest runner in the world. I didn’t correct him. He’d find out soon enough.

Time to sound off in a general and non personal way.
I have a pet peeve that was tweaked again this morning.
Here’s the scenerio:
A church or conservative group takes a stand regarding moral standards. Or doctrinal standards or any other standard.
Trolls and haters click the comment button before the “post” button is cool from the original announcemnt. They accuse those with standards of being haters and bigots and a whole list of other rude and derogatory names.
Here’s the kicker (and my pet peeve). After they’ve accused those taking a stand they disagree with, they say, “Jesus said. . .” or “Jesus would. . .” Today, a comment on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recent statement saying that since the Boy Scouts of America have allowed gay men to be leaders and employees, it is contrary to the doctrine of the Church and the traditional values of the BSA and that The Church will reexamine it’s relationship (as a sponsor) as soon as the governing bodies of the Church reconvene in August.
The comment on the news article was “Jesus said we should try to walk in other people’s shoes.”
UHHHH, Where?
No He didn’t.
He said “Come follow me.”

He said, “Could you not watch WITH ME one hour,”

He said, “Be as this little child”He said “Humble yourself and come unto me with a full purpose of heart. ..”

He said that some people will be damned by their pride.
He said that those that regard public position and wealth above him are hypocrites and unless they change they’ll be cast down to hell.

He made a whip and drove the moneychangers out of the temple because doing business in a holy place is a desecration.
He said a lot of things. He never said anything about sympathizing with sinners by “walking in their shoes.”
If you go to the source and read what Jesus actually said to the woman was, Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone at her.”
And then to the woman he said, “Go and sin no more.”

We don’t know what she did. She might have gone right back to the brothel. Or she might have repented and turned from her sin.
Jesus taught humility, kindness, generosity, faith, discipleship, service, He told us to prepare, to make the most of our gifts and to align ourselves with other disciples of Christ. But the main theme of all his teaching was that we MUST repent to apply his atoning blood.
PLEASE! No more misquoting the Lord to suit your purposes! If you posted some of those things about an American citizen, they’d have a case of libel.
From now on, when I see the Lord misquoted or people making up “things that Jesus said” or “would say,” I’m going to  point it out with a concise “No he didn’t say that,” or “Where is that recorded?” or “I don’t think so.”
If I know the truth and have opportunity to correct false statements, I should. I will be kind and generous and loving, but false ideas are perpetrated when lies and false statements go unchallenged.
I can stand for the truth and for the standards Jesus has established without departing from His instruction for being kind. What greater service can anyone render than to rescue someone from ignorantly following a path that leads to pain and suffering and a separation from God?