A Tribute

Remembering Walter Edward Grimes

| Karen Galloway|4 Comments
Walter Grimes Funeral Program

F is for Father F is for father you gave me your name, you made me your child and loved me the same. F is for the fun we had during our family times. Wrestling, playing, listening to music from your K-Tel/Columbia House collection- Aretha to Miles Davis to Simon & Garfunkel. Listening to and watching comedy and variety shows together, from Laugh-In  and Flip Wilson, Sammy Davis, Della Reese, Sonny & Cher to  Carol Burnett and Hee Haw. F is for a firm but fair disciplinarian. The only time we feared you was when we failed to obey Mom. F is for fast. You were the man I could never catch in that continuous game of tag that we played for years. F is for fishing which you enjoyed so much. Whether at one of the many lakes around Grayson County near the Texas/Oklahoma border, the little creek in Halawa, Hawaii,…

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Free Persons of Color

Their Labor Revealed

| Karen Galloway|14 Comments
Image of The first African-American Women Army Corps unit, the 688th Central Postal Battalion
The first African-American Women Army Corps unit, the 688th Central Postal Battalion

While on my journey of ancestral research and discovery, I have been intrigued by the many occupations in which my ancestors, relatives, and their neighbors  labored in order to earn a living or satisfy their enslavers.  There were those who rotated between several jobs and those changed careers though out the course of their lives. Here are just a few of the occupations in which they worked: Dietitian/Nutritionist, Military Police, Teacher, Principal, Preacher, Homemaker, Seamstress, Food Service Worker, Domestic, Servant, Rice Farmer, Sugar Farmer, Soldier, Mechanic, Technician, Dock Worker, Barber, Carpenter, Laundress, Laborer, and Slave. Here is a sampling of my predecessors and their peers listed along with mention of their primary occupations. More than likely they had legitimate side hustles in order to make ends meets. 1910 Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana , United States Federal Census Oscar St. Louis a rice farmer Auguste Nelson a sugar farmer   1930 New…

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A Tribute

First Steps

| Karen Galloway|Leave a comment

  So this is my first blog post. I guess we all have to start some where! I feel like a new born colt, giraffe, or a toddler for that matter , who is trying to walk for the first time- all wobbly-legged and unsteady. The good news is that they usually gain steady footing pretty quickly in order to  obtain sustenance, keep up with the herd , or avoid predators! Well I’m not trying to keep up with the herd or fend off predators as much as I am just trying to get going! Sometimes just starting is the hardest thing !  So pardon the bad grammar and writers’ faux pas!  I am just trying to get this train out of the station! This blog is dedicated to my ancestors and family-known, unknown, yet to be born or discovered. Those that were enslaved and free. Those that sojourned and…

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