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The Elijah Reed story : a chronicle of an African American family, 1739-1940
The study of African American family can be described as a fascinating but challenging topic. This ambivalence stems from the historical environment in which the black family emerged. Borrowing from African, European, and Native American influences, former slaves and their descendents formed a unique culture. At the heart of this fusion of cultures was the nuclear and extended family. The Elijah Reed story focuses on three significant methodologies: oral history, public documents, and material culture. Oral histories, substantiated by primary sources such as public documents, placed the Elijah Reed story into historical context. Interwoven with oral history and material culture, this thesis dispels the myth of the discontinuity of the African American family during slavery. This thesis examines the evolution of a black family, through tragedies and triumphs, during and after slavery. Analyzed with other studies on the black family, this story provides fresh insight into the history of the black family. The central issues relative to the displacement of the black family as a result of slavery proved false in this analysis. This study speaks to the autonomy of former slaves and de facto land owenership. Furthermore, the research proved that blacks overcame social and political hurdles to achieve a moderate standard of living. Through extended family networks, blacks maintained a sense of identity and a notion of collective economics intermingled with communal responsibilities. The information further revealed that Elijah's high regard for land ownership resembles that of the Adkins/Sansing family, Elijah's paternal ancestors, who began purchasing land during the colonial era. The foundation for this project comprises several primary and secondary sources: public documents such as census record, housed at the National Archives-Central Plains Region, the Arkansas History Commission, the Riley County Historical Library, Manhattan, Kansas, and the Jefferson County Public Library in Pine Bluff, Arkansas; land deeds, marriage records, and probate records, housed at the courthouses in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, and Nevada County, Arkansas; the Family History Center, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; funeral records, personal interviews, and monographs on the study of the black family in slavery and in freedom.
- "The study of African American family can be described as a fascinating but challenging topic. This ambivalence stems from the historical environment in which the black family emerged. Borrowing from African, European, and Native American influences, former slaves and their descendents formed a unique culture. At the heart of this fusion of cultures was the nuclear and extended family. The Elijah Reed story focuses on three significant methodologies: oral history, public documents, and material culture. Oral histories, substantiated by primary sources such as public documents, placed the Elijah Reed story into historical context. Interwoven with oral history and material culture, this thesis dispels the myth of the discontinuity of the African American family during slavery. This thesis examines the evolution of a black family, through tragedies and triumphs, during and after slavery. Analyzed with other studies on the black family, this story provides fresh insight into the history of the black family. The central issues relative to the displacement of the black family as a result of slavery proved false in this analysis. This study speaks to the autonomy of former slaves and de facto land owenership. Furthermore, the research proved that blacks overcame social and political hurdles to achieve a moderate standard of living. Through extended family networks, blacks maintained a sense of identity and a notion of collective economics intermingled with communal responsibilities. The information further revealed that Elijah's high regard for land ownership resembles that of the Adkins/Sansing family, Elijah's paternal ancestors, who began purchasing land during the colonial era. The foundation for this project comprises several primary and secondary sources: public documents such as census record, housed at the National Archives-Central Plains Region, the Arkansas History Commission, the Riley County Historical Library, Manhattan, Kansas, and the Jefferson County Public Library in Pine Bluff, Arkansas; land deeds, marriage records, and probate records, housed at the courthouses in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, and Nevada County, Arkansas; the Family History Center, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; funeral records, personal interviews, and monographs on the study of the black family in slavery and in freedom."@en
- "The Elijah Reed story : a chronicle of an African American family, 1739-1940"@en