The Red River Sankofa Project

After combing the streets of Belcher on my last roadtrip looking for any remnants of Bradford Chapel, I stumbled across a gentleman sitting on his porch who goes by the name, Floyd, and asked him “Where is Bradford Chapel”? Looking down Belcher Oil City Rd, he eventually pointed to a vacant piece of property that at one time served as church grounds for the chapel but stated it has long since fallen  apart. “Do black folks still live out here?” I asked and Floyd, being of a certain age, smiled and gave me that “I’m glad you asked look” and soon began to unravel the disappearance of black landowners in that neck of the woods. “The old folks started dying out and because their kids started getting city jobs, many of the kids wanted to be closer to their jobs so they began relocating to Shreveport or out of the area into larger places like Dallas and Houston for  jobs or better job possibilities.”
What he said made sense.  When you think about the land passing on to the kids, because they no longer are tied to the area after their parents pass on, they start selling or allow the land to sit stagnated.  However, because of the widely known mineral value of the land, this area has always been attractive to investors and thus non-blacks buy in and before you know it, the landownership gradually migrates back to how it originally started before
Emancipation Proclamation.  Are black folks taking land ownership for granted? I guess when you factor in heirs multiplying  as years pass,
tax bills pieced together by multiple owners, and when no one wants to agree on what to do with the land, selling doesn’t sound like a bad idea right? But is selling the best option on the table? Not only is this scenario in my own family, it’s a reoccuring theme all over rural black america.  Pondering this question made me think about the following…

So after Emanicipation Proclamation some blacks, particularly in NW LA, purchased land or were donated land from former slaveowners.  And then there were some who were not so lucky who ended up share-cropping which usually left mounting debt to the landowners delight in which both parties knew would never get paid off… thus lies your legalize form of slavery. Those that were fortunate like my great-grandparents, purchased land during the 1910’s and together with their labor and the labor of 11 offsprings, made an income from farming to sustain themselves and their family. This was a common  way of life pieced together during those times with the hope and prayers that  everything worked together at the end of the day.  You ran this family farming business and relied on your kids as employees, their kids if they were big enough to hold a crocker sack, good weather, and your faith to carry you through.  Your offsprings were often forced to forfeit their education and attend school only during the months that did not demand their labor.  Times were hard not to mention this time period I’m referring to was on the brink of the Great Depression.  Now during the Depression if it was bad for white folks, it was disastrous  x 5 for blacks when you layer on Jim Crowism, separate but never equal and encounters with ex-confederate formed militias who wanted to take back control of “their country” in the name of God.  Sounds familiar Mr. & Mrs. Teabaggers? But our African American ancestors perservered and somehow manage to withstand the economic pressures and hold on to their rural land.  Not only did they keep their land they also managed to make sure their kids received more education than they did and have better lives.  Often times their kids had their own houses on family acreage and lived in what was considered a family village.  This was a common economic solution and cultural tradition practiced on the continent they descended from.  So fast forward to the 1950’s & 1960’s era…the depression is over, the marches & protests are occurring, our beloved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is mobilizing and making wonderful speeches and somehow traveling along Highway 71 off the  main roads  you would actually find a black owned gas station, grocery store, funeral parlor, beauty shops, churches, fruit stands, mass farming & etc.  Not only was this prosperity occurring in NW LA but also around the country when you take into consideration the agriculture census of 1910 put black folks owning 15-17 millions of rural acres. But what happened?? A 13 year old USDA agriculture study completed in 1997 reported black rural landownership shrinking to just  1.5 million acres.

to be continued…

A  street in Pelican, LA was named after someone of African American ancestry.

There were no schools in NW LA during slavery to teach anyone of African descent how to read or write let alone provide any woodshop skills.  Even after Emancipation there was no institution to provide a vocation to those that survived slavery.  There were no KB Builders around, no Perry Homes yet the ancestors instinctively had the ability to plan,  frame and finish houses and also built the furniture that went inside of them.   They were natural architects, craftsmen, bricklayers and artisans.   And these weren’t always your run of the mill log cabins  they built for their families.  Many of the them had pillars near the entrances, wrap around porches, extensive  hallways with built in wooden stoves and detached outhouses.  I remember hearing about the story of George Paysinger a few years ago from a gentleman name  Dale Jennings from Benton, LA.  Mr. Jennings knew I was interested in researching African Americans in this region and mailed an article titled “The Priceless Slave”.  George, an incredibly gifted craftsman or as we would say now, a modern day architect and furniture designer, had been on the plantation inventory of John Tyler Hamiter from GA.  I later came across George’s great, great grand-daughter who gave me more insight on George.    In 1842, Hamiter and his brother David, accompanied by at least 25 whites and 250 slaves traveled via wagon train from Houston County, Georgia to Bossier Parish, Louisiana where they arrived on Christmas Day along with George Paysinger and his wife Malinda.  George was also a bricklayer and the Hamiter’s  would contract him to other slaveowners in the area for carpentry jobs.  Well story has is that one day another wealthy slaveowner in the area, John Gilmer, was in the market for someone to build some components of his plantation house, Orchard Place, and got George on loan from the Hamiter’s.  Realizing the quality of  George’s work resembled something out of a furniture store, Gilmer decided he wanted to own George.   Gilmer offered $10,000 to the Hamiter’s for George.  While that amount was well above market value for a male in his age range at the time, the Hamiter’s apparently knew what they had and responded to Gilmer by saying  “You’ll never have enough money to purchase George”.  George was involved in building some additions at Orchard Place but eventually returned back to the Hamiter’s.  Eventually George was freed and the Hamiter’s actually deeded land to him after Emancipation Proclamation and George eventually accumulated more acreage later on.   George ended up being a successful farmer who also ran a pretty lucrative cotton gin which was quite an accomplishment for someone who survived slavery.  The land he purchased is still in the Paysinger family today.

This is  extremely rare, federal style  desk  built by George Paysinger and is housed at the Bossier Historical Center.  It had been previously restored by George’s great, great grandson.

George Paysinger's desk

Newly freed Africans and African American descendants began heavily voting the Republican ticket from 1865 – 1868 electing Republican politicians who spoke of legislation that would grant homestead rights to blacks, help provide access to education and discuss equality land redistribution and the white landownership monopoly. Black people simply wanted their rights promised under the constitution and were ready to work hard to become self sufficient, educated, participants in the civic process and tax paying citizens.

Most whites from the South were afraid of the black vote for fear that the promises particularly of black republican politicians would cost them in the form of higher taxes considering they were the majority in taxpayers. Whites in Louisiana and the south in general were recipients of useless confederate money, could no longer prosper from free labor and were firm believers in white supremacy as the American way. The very thought of their property possibly being confiscated and redistributed to Blacks fueled massive voter intimidation & terrorism spurned by angry white mobs all over the South but particularly in Caddo and Bossier parishes. They used whatever tactics were necessary to destroy the black vote and those of white voters who supported a republican government.

Would it have been the worst thing for white landowners to let go of a few acres conceivably paid for 10 times over in profits yielded from free slave labor? Would it have not produce an economic stimulus for the economy to gain more black landowners who convert to a larger taxpayer base for the parishes?

The New York Times reported a national voter intimidation cover-up back in 1876 that also included brief snippets regarding the numerous murders that occurred to black republican voters in 1868 especially in Caddo & Bossier. Cases stem from forgery, assault, murder, kidnapping, you name it, they did it.

Read: “Bloody Caddo” by Gilles Vandal

Despite all of the adversaries, blacks were able to stamp their presence on the political map in LA even if it was only short lived.

I’m searching for all of the black politicians in Louisiana during Reconstruction.

1869 Lieutenant Governor – Oscar J. Dunn, served until his death in 1871. Succeeded by Pickney B.S. Pinchback, 2nd Black Lieutenant Governor who was appointed by President Grant as acting Governor for 35 days after the impeachment of Henry Warmoth

1872-1876 Lieutenant Governor – C.C. Antoine, 3rd Lieutenant Governor, originally from Caddo Parish

William G. Brown- Superintendent of Caddo parish during Reconstruction

I was told Caddo Parish had a Black sheriff briefly during 1867. Still looking for his name.

I heard former slaves, Buffalo Soldiers and WWI veterans were buried there yet we could not find anything indicating those designations. According to the markers in the cemetery, the following US Colored Troop Cavalries were considered apart of the Buffalo Soldier regime: 9th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 24th Infantry Regiment, & 25th Infantry Regiment.

The following were found by my cousin in the cemetery:

Valter Eblet – 24th Infantry Regiment
George H. Lofton – 10th Cavalry Regiment

We saw many other markers that were no longer distinguishable and a few other interesting things like ceramic bowls, used alcohol containers, ceramic vases, and a jar of honey strategically placed.

Those trees alone were well over 100 years old so one can only wish the National Parks Department may have a interest in preserving these natural giants within this designated historical marker.

The heat and mosquitoes proved too much so we left but wondered again were those graves really moved or were we driving over them on the way home?

As previously mentioned we discovered others have not forgotten about this historic burial ground and a movement has started to stop the neglect of where our ancestors lay.  A group of students at Rice University have begun using GPS equipment to find & survey unmarked graves along with a great group of students at YES Prep School & Phillis Wheatley High School who are also turning this site into a laboratory clearing, researching
and helping to restore  pride to this once forgotten place.  My cousin also joined the movement and photographed every single, solitary grave there in hopes of helping family researchers and interested parties
view the gravemarkers online.  If anyone in the Houston area wants to help with the  preservation efforts, please visit Project R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Evergreen Negro Cemetery pics
Project RESPECT- Evergreen Cemetery