 |
| Amite No. I Church of God in Christ Photo Courtesy: Rev. Raymond Foster, Sr. |
Over the past couple of months, I've set in the homes of many people whose family ties are deeply connected in St. Helena and Tangipahoa Parishes, Louisiana. Years ago Delores Zanders Levy passed away and her mother archival collection was passed down to Rev. Raymond Foster, Sr., and when I say that he was the right person to inherit the rich collection, I mean it with everything inside of me. Too often we hear that someone threw away all the pictures, documents, and other records that can help tell the story and history of African-American people of the two Louisiana Florida Parishes.
About two years before Delores passed away I visited her home to talk with her about the family history and photographs. My maternal great-grandmother Emma Mead Harrell was the aunt of her mother Colitidle Zanders." Mrs. Clotilde kept everything," said Rev. Foster. She did throw away anything. In her own right, she was an archivist.
There are other women in the community that kept the history of churches, schools, civic and social organizations and well as their own family history and photographs. Rev. Foster is quite an oral history keeper himself. I learned more about the Foster Family history from him on this visit. Women such as; Grace Belvin Walker Perry, Alma Harrison Vernon, Gertrude Love, Zemora "Hilda" Vining and I know there are others.
There was this one statement he made about the history of a small community in Tangipahoa Parish called Shiloh. He told Glyniss Vernon and me if we look at one of the old Plat Maps, we'll find that Shiloh was called "Congo Square" I can't wait to do more research on this subject. It will be posted it right here on Nurturing Our Roots Blog Site.
This photo is the Amite NO.1 Church of God in Christ. From left to right; James Sheridan, Irma Della ?., Celestine Foster, Annie Edwards, Edna Buckley, Christine Alle, Algia Mae Spears, Irene Benton, Leola Buckhalter, Lolly Edwards, Mrs. Freddie Cage and husband Eld. Freddie Cage, Second Row: Left to Right; Celie Love, Mildred Warner, Tina Jackson.
