Distressed that what they have built over generations could be taken against their will, they have galvanized in opposition to the plan. Life for the Smith and Garrett families – and for the predominantly Black community whose properties stand in the way of the Sandersville Railroad Company’s plan to construct a 4.5-mile rail line – has not been quiet since. “He says, ‘You need to read that, because a railroad guy named Ben Tarbutton is getting ready to run a train through your backyard.’” “He asks my husband, ‘Did you see the letter?’” said Janet Smith, Mark Smith’s wife. Though the visitor, Donald Garrett, lives with his wife, Sally, just down the road on about 90 acres he inherited from his great-grandfather, the two families had never known each other. So when Mark Smith, the grandson of James Blaine Smith, answered his door to a white man on a hot day last summer, the visit was unexpected. Galilee and the graveyard where their loved ones are buried. Still, for almost a century, those 600 acres of rich furrows, pine trees and still ponds have remained Smith family plots, and Smiths have lived on them quietly, staying close to their deeply rooted community of mostly Black families, their church called St. Some moved away, joined the Army, came back. Over the years, white men would try to take his land, but Smith held on, becoming the proud patriarch of a prosperous family.Īs the family grew, the land was divided among its members. The company the hard-working farmer founded on the property in Hancock County – Smith Produce – became a success, first selling cotton, then peas, butterbeans and corn. But he had big dreams for the tract he had been leasing for years, driving a mule to plow its fertile rows and grow cotton.Įventually, 97 years ago, Smith amassed enough to trade his harvest for the land. The descendant of enslaved people, Smith was a poor farmer living in a shack just outside a city called Sparta. A time line, author’s note, chapter notes, bibliography, and index round out the book.It was 1926 and Jim Crow reigned in the American South when James Blaine Smith managed something rare for a Black man in the middle of Georgia: He acquired 600 acres of land. The volume wraps up with additional information on battles, places of refuge, rescues, and expeditions. Well laid-out and engaging, this biography shows the significant impact John Horse had on the rights, recognition, freedom, and protection of Black Seminoles, who were considered slaves by Americans and Seminoles. Engravings, photographs, illustrations, and painting adorn most of the full-color pages, with chapters providing just enough information to feel thorough without feeling overwhelming. Horse was constantly negotiating to encourage protection, treaties, land grants, and autonomy for his people. He worked determinedly to find a new home for Black Seminoles, who had unresolved and changing statuses during this time of the mid-to-late 1800s. Escapes, deportations, challenges, promises, possibilities, and perilous situations marked Horse’s quest. Horses’s life and travels are detailed as he sought peace and security for his people through the southern United States, and eventually Mexico. It was during the Second Seminole War that John Horse, a skilled negotiator, interpreter, guide, and advisor, began to rise to leadership. Foundational background is given about Seminole Indians and Black Seminoles (descendants of Seminoles and free Blacks and escaped slaves) as well as the First Seminole War, the Indian Removal Act, and the Second Seminole War. Gr 6-9–This fascinating look at the complex life of Black Seminole leader John Horse, a warrior, diplomat, and champion for his people, follows his tireless search for freedom, safety, and home.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |