October is Family History Month: Family History Tells America’s History

 

Carter Lacoste researching his family 
history at the Louisiana State Archives
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

I strongly disagree with the idea that family history is merely a hobby. Family history is America’s history. Our families are woven into the history of the places they have called home for generations. Their stories are connected to the communities, towns, cities, churches, schools, farms, businesses, and neighborhoods they helped establish and sustain.

These are the places where names became known, important events unfolded, traditions were created, and memories were made. They are the places where generations were born, lived, worked, worshiped, raised their families, and built their communities. They are also the sacred places where many of our departed loved ones and ancestors now rest. With this being said, it becomes clear just how deeply our family roots are planted in the communities our ancestors called home. Our roots run deep because our ancestors' stories are woven into the history of the places they called home.

Annie Harnett
Looking at a headstone on a Plantation
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

When we research our family history, we are doing more than collecting names and dates. We are preserving the stories of people whose lives contributed to the larger American story. Census records, land deeds, photographs, military records, church records, oral histories, family Bibles, and even old family stories can help us understand not only who our ancestors were, but how they lived and the communities they helped shape. Every family has a story worth preserving.

If you have never taken the time to learn about your family history, Family History Month is a wonderful time to begin. Start asking questions. Talk with your elders. Write down their stories. Look through those old photographs and documents. Visit the courthouse, cemetery, genealogy library, or archives.  Tracing our footprints and leaving no stone unturned in search a piece of anything that can help us cover a piece of America's history through our ancestors footprints. A piece of the puzzle help bring the bigger picture to together. It is just a matter of finding the pieces of the puzzle. 

Most importantly, come and learn how to get started. Your family’s story matters because family history tells America’s history. Please join us to learn how to explore, research, and preserve your family history at the Amite Genealogy Library on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Whether you are just beginning your genealogy journey or want to learn new ways to uncover your family’s past, this is an opportunity to discover the records, resources, and research methods that can help bring your ancestors’ stories to life. Come discover your roots. Preserve your family’s story. Help preserve America’s history—one family at a time.

A Legacy in the Soil: Effie Gordon Yancy’s Landownership

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire
Researching Land Record at the St. Helena Parish Clerk's Office
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

When Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire first contacted me about researching her paternal family lineage and history, one subject immediately stood out: the land. She spoke about property in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, that had been owned by her ancestors and remained connected to her family for generations. The history of that land had been preserved largely through oral tradition, passed down from one generation to the next. But Saundra wanted to go beyond the stories. She wanted to find the records that could document what her family had long known.

As we developed our genealogy research agenda, I knew that a visit to the St. Helena Parish Clerk of Court’s Office was essential. Our mission was to search land records, conveyance records, deeds, and vendor and vendee indexes for evidence of the Gordon and Yancy families’ landownership.  Seeing the smile on her face put a smile on my face. Just knowing that I had helped her on her genealogy journey.

Saundra already knew that her paternal grandmother, Effie Jane Gordon Yancy, had owned land. What she wanted to discover was how Effie acquired the property, when she acquired it, and what the official records might reveal about her business affairs and the family’s history on the land. I took Saundra to some of the oldest conveyance books and showed her how to search the handwritten indexes for the surnames Gordon and Yancy. We carefully turned through pages containing transactions recorded nearly a century ago. Then we found it.

There, preserved in the parish records, was documentation showing that Isaac Gordon sold land to Effie Jane Yancy in 1927. The expression on Saundra’s face said more than words could capture. This was no longer simply a family story passed down through generations. She was looking at a historical record documenting a land transaction between her ancestor Isaac Gordon and his granddaughter Effie Jane Gordon Yancy. The discovery connected generations of her family through a piece of land and a document that had survived for almost one hundred years.

One challenge was deciphering the old cursive handwriting. Fortunately, years of historical and genealogical research have given me a keen eye for reading difficult handwriting and recognizing words that can be nearly impossible to make out at first glance. But Saundra was determined to learn for herself. She quickly began understanding how the indexes and conveyance books were organized and how to navigate the records independently.

Before long, she made another discovery. She located a record indicating that a man with the surname Phillips sold land to Centerville School. Her excitement was immediate. Each discovery opened another door into the history of her family and the community in which they lived. But perhaps the most powerful moment of our genealogy journey could not be found inside a courthouse book.

We traveled to the land connected to Isaac Gordon, Saundra’s ancestor, whose life reached back into the era of slavery in St. Helena Parish. Standing on that ground transformed our research from names, dates, deeds, and faded handwriting into something deeply tangible. Saundra was not simply researching an ancestor. She was walking the land connected to his life.

That moment demonstrated why genealogy is about far more than constructing a family tree. Genealogy can reconnect people to places, property, communities, and stories that might otherwise disappear. Oral history gave Saundra the foundation. The courthouse records provided documentary evidence. And walking the land allowed her to experience a physical connection to the history she had come searching for.

From Isaac Gordon to Effie Jane Gordon Yancy and the generations that followed, the land became more than property. It became part of the family’s historical record—a testament to survival, ownership, continuity, and legacy.The records were written on paper, but the family’s history was written on the land.

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire
St. Helena Parish, Louisiana and the Mississippi State Line.
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Picking the Past: Edwin Temple Remembers Amite’s Strawberry Fields

Six Pints Strawberry Carrier
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

Edwin Temple vividly recalls the days of planting and picking strawberries during his youth in Amite, Louisiana. Long before he climbed aboard the yellow school bus that traveled the route along Bennett Road, Edwin had already begun his day in the strawberry fields.

In the early morning hours, the fields were covered with a blanket of cool morning dew, glistening across the rows of strawberry plants. All around him were the sweet, ripe fruits waiting to be carefully picked. For a young boy, the work was part of everyday life—a childhood shaped by hard work, family, and the land.

Between February and March, Edwin would make his way into the strawberry fields carrying a wooden  handmade carrier fitted with small green nine pints. He carefully picked the bright red strawberries, one by one, placing them into the containers. The work required patience and determination, but it was also a part of a way of life that connected him to the land that he still calls home. 

Some of the strawberries Edwin picked did not simply disappear at the family table. His grandmother, Aline Vining Temple, preserved them, turning the harvest into something that could be enjoyed long after the strawberry season had ended. Through her hands, the fruits of Edwin's labor became part of the family's food traditions and memories.

Edwin's recollections offer more than a glimpse into strawberry farming—they take us back to a time when children learned the value of hard work at an early age, when family members worked together, and when the changing seasons shaped the rhythm of everyday life. His memories of those dew-covered fields, the red strawberries, the wooden berry carrier, and his grandmother's preserving hands remain a living connection to Amite's agricultural past and to a childhood that should never be forgotten. 

Edwin Temple is reminded of the old days, when life seemed much simpler and hard work could put a little money in your pocket. As a young boy, after getting out of school, Edwin would often head to the strawberry fields to work. Before boarding the yellow school bus that traveled the Bennett Road route in Amite, Louisiana, he had already spent part of his day working in the fields. After school, he would return to picking strawberries, earning money for his labor.

One of the farmers Edwin remembers working for was Paul Jake Cozzo. Edwin recalls that Paul had four
strawberry fields. One of those fields was located near the home of Peter Richardson. Behind Paul Cozzo’s old wooden white house was a strawberry field that stretched all the way toward what is now Interstate 55.

Edwin remembers that the Cozzo family had Italian ancestry and was among the many Italian families in the area who planted strawberries. Strawberry farming provided employment for many Black families in the surrounding community, and Edwin remembers seeing numerous Black workers in the fields, including members of families who lived near the Cozzo farm.

Among the families living near the farm were  the Jackson, Morris, Zanders, McCoy, Magee, and Curry families. Edwin specifically recalls members of the Zanders family picking strawberries on Paul Cozzo’s farm.  For many families, strawberry picking was more than just seasonal work—it was a way to earn money and help provide for their households. Edwin’s memories offer a glimpse into a time when strawberry farming was an important part of the local economy and community life. The fields were places where generations of families worked side by side, and where children like Edwin learned the value of hard work at an early age.

The Cozzo family’s connection to farming reaches back another generation. According to the 1930 United States Federal Census, Paul’s father, Cipriano Cozzo, was listed as a truck farmer. His occupation reflects the agricultural roots of a family whose livelihood became intertwined with the strawberry-growing community of Tangipahoa Parish.

Through Edwin’s memories, the strawberry fields are more than just farmland. They represent a chapter of local history—a time when the fields were filled with workers, families depended on seasonal harvests, and a young boy could finish a day of school, pick strawberries in the afternoon, and earn a little money from the work of his own hands.

Charles Daggs: From Enslavement to Community Leadership in Hammond, Louisiana

Charles Daggs Headstone

Charles Daggs stands as one of the important early African American pioneers in Hammond, Louisiana, a man whose life spanned slavery, the Civil War, emancipation, Reconstruction, and the establishment of one of Hammond's oldest African American institutions.

Daggs was born in the Washington, D.C., area in the early nineteenth century, although his exact birth year remains uncertain. Sources place his birth between approximately 1809 and 1814. A later account of his death reported that he was 99 years, four months, and 18 days old when he died in Hammond on January 26, 1909. That calculation would place his birth around September 1809. However, the 1835 slave manifest reportedly recorded Charles as 21 years old, suggesting a birth around 1814. Because these records conflict, additional primary documentation is needed to establish his exact date of birth.

One of the most significant discoveries in Daggs's history is the record documenting his forced migration as a enslaved man from the Washington, D.C., region to Louisiana. In 1835, Charles  along with his mother, Rachel Daggs, and other members of his family aboard the Tribune, a vessel transporting enslaved people from Alexandria, District of Columbia, to New Orleans. The vessel arrived in New Orleans on October 1, 1835. The surviving account identifies Rachel as approximately 35 years old and lists Charles among her children. The shipment was associated with John Armfield and the individuals identified in the record as Brandon, McKenna, and Wright. He was sold to Louisiana Governor Henry Johnson to finanically support the building of Georgetown University. The Maryland Jesuits sold 300 enslaved individuals including members of the Daggs family. 

Carter LaCoste attended the unveiling.

The documentation connecting Charles to the "Tribune" is particularly significant because it provides a rare and powerful link between an individual who later became a respected community leader who endure the  domestic slave trade.  His story therefore does not begin with freedom; it begins with a forced journey whose surviving documentation allows his family history to be traced across generations and geographic boundaries.

During the Civil War, Charles Daggs's life took another dramatic turn. He served the Union cause in the United States Navy.  His service placed him on the Union side during a conflict that ultimately destroyed the institution of slavery. A 1909 notice published after his death specifically remembered Daggs as a man who had served aboard the Scioto. His transition from an enslaved man to a Union Navy veteran represents one of the most remarkable transformations in his life. The war fundamentally altered the legal and political circumstances of millions of African Americans, and Daggs became part of the generation of formerly enslaved people who helped build new communities after emancipation.

Following the Civil War, Daggs lived and worked in Louisiana. His name appears in the John W. Gurley Papers preserved by LSU Libraries. Documents from 1865 and 1866 identify him as a tenant farmer and preserve correspondence concerning charcoal production, farming, timber, livestock, clothing, rations, commodities, and wages for freedpeople. These records provide an important glimpse into Daggs's life during the difficult transition from slavery to freedom.

In 1867, Charles Daggs organized what became Greater St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hammond. The church became one of the earliest African American religious institutions in the community and an important center of worship, fellowship, leadership, and community life. The Louisiana State Historic Preservation review recognizes 1867 as the year the church was established by Daggs, a newly freed man.

Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church "City of Refuge" received books

Donated by Rwc. Curry

A couple of weeks ago, RWC Curry once again donated books for me to distribute to children in our community. I never turn down educational resources and materials because there is always a need, and I believe every child deserves access to books and opportunities to learn.

After researching the rich history of Mt. Canaan School in Arcola, Louisiana, I contacted Pastor John Smith of Mt. Canaan “City of Refuge” to ask if the youth of the church could use the books. He quickly responded, “Yes!” We are grateful for the opportunity to add these books to the educational resources available to the children.

What really came to mind was the history of Mt. Canaan School. The school once stood near the church premises and was part of the educational story of African American children during segregation. What a meaningful way to honor the memory and legacy of that school, by placing books into the hands of today’s children. I was watching a teacher named Darius William cry after learning that many High School seniors couldn't read. He asked the question as to how did we get here and what is the solution? Mt. Canaan, is making an effort to be a part of the solution. At one time Mt. Canaan School was a Rosenwald School. The school was the foundation of basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.  As well as character building. 

Books donated by Rwc Curry

These books are more than educational materials. They represent opportunity, knowledge, and the continuation of an educational legacy that began generations ago. Thank you, RWC Curry, for continuing to donate books and helping us put resources where they are truly needed. And thank you to Mt. Canaan “City of Refuge” for welcoming this contribution for your youth. We honor the past by investing in the future.

If anyone has educational materials, laptops or computers, art supplies, recreational materials, books, or other resources that could benefit our youth, please consider donating.Mt. Canaan “City of Refuge” will gladly accept these generous educational gifts to help provide our children with the resources they need to learn, grow, create, and succeed. Every donation, big or small, can make a difference and help us build a brighter future for our youth.

If you would like to contribute, please contact me via email at antoinetteharrell14@gmail.com.  Together, we can continue to honor the educational legacy of Mt. Canaan by investing in the next generation

Connecting Through History: The Vernon Family Discovering Legacy in the Archives

Left to Right: Dr. Antoinette Harrell, Dr. Portia Preston
Charlene Kelly-Shockley, Back Row: Sonora Kelly and
 Glyniss Vernon Gordon at the Center for Southeast
Louisiana Studies. 

Several descendants of "Free Bob" recently visited the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies to examine the records in the Mount Canaan Missionary Baptist Church Collection. The joy on their faces was unmistakable as they explored the documents, uncovering pieces of their family's history.

Two generations sat across from one another, carefully analyzing the collection together. At times, Sonora Kelly's mother, Charlene Kelly-Shockley, shed tears of happiness as she saw that the history of her Vernon ancestors had been preserved and documented for future generations.

Family members spent time studying historical records and treasured photographs, connecting names and faces to stories that had been passed down through the years. Dr. Porta Preston was especially delighted to discover a photograph of her grandmother in the collection, making the experience deeply personal and memorable for everyone present. Everyone walked out of the building with such joy, just knowing that their history had been documented and share for future studies 

Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church at Tangipahoa Tourism

John "Tree" Smith
Pastor of Mt. Canaan
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Today, we proudly placed the Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church and Robert "Free Bob" Louis Vernon, Jr. historical brochure at the Tangipahoa Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau (Tangipahoa Tourism), making this important piece of local history available to visitors from across the region.

Pastor John "Tree" Smith of Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church was honored to see the church's history represented in a way that invites tourists and community members alike to discover its remarkable legacy. The brochure highlights the story of a church that has faithfully served the community for more than 157 years, as well as the extraordinary life of Robert "Free Bob" Louis Vernon, Jr., whose vision and generosity helped establish the church, school, and cemetery. By placing these brochures at Tangipahoa Tourism, we hope to encourage travelers, researchers, students, and local residents to explore this rich history and visit the historical marker. Preserving and sharing our stories ensures that the legacy of those who came before us will continue to educate and inspire future generations. 

The rich history found across the railroad tracks in Arcola, Louisiana, holds an important piece of the puzzle in understanding the history of Tangipahoa Parish. It was here, during the Reconstruction Era, that formerly enslaved men and women began building new lives grounded in faith, education, landownership, and community.

Among Reconstruction's most enduring legacies is Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, established in 1869, the same year Tangipahoa Parish was created. On March 6, 1869, the Louisiana Legislature formed Tangipahoa Parish from portions of Livingston, St. Helena, Washington, and St. Tammany Parishes, creating a new parish during one of the most transformative periods in American history.

Glyniss Vernon Gordon
5th Great-Granddaughter of
 "Free Bob"
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

The story of Mt. Canaan is inseparable from the story of Tangipahoa Parish itself. As the new parish emerged, African American communities were laying their own foundations for the future. Churches such as Mt. Canaan became more than places of worship, they served as schools, meeting places, centers of civic leadership, and symbols of hope. The land donated by Robert "Free Bob" Louis Vernon, Jr. provided a place where generations could worship, receive an education, and be buried with dignity. That is exactly what Free Bob has in mind for his family and community. Today that gift keep on giving and that what's important. 

To truly understand the history of Tangipahoa Parish, one must look beyond political boundaries and official records to the communities that shaped its character. Across the railroad tracks in Arcola stands a living testament to Reconstruction a place where faith, freedom, education, and perseverance came together to build a lasting legacy. The history of Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church is not simply the history of one congregation; it is a vital chapter in the history of Tangipahoa Parish and the African American experience in Louisiana.

Mt. Canaan School, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana was a Rosenwald School

Mt. Canaan Rosenwald School
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana

While researching the history of Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church and the Mt. Canaan School, I received a text message from Candice Picard, Executive Director of the Tangipahoa Historical Society. She asked if I was aware that Mt. Canaan had been a Rosenwald School. I replied that I was familiar with the Mt. Canaan School, but I had not known it was part of the Rosenwald School program. That question immediately sparked my curiosity.

I began searching the Rosenwald School Database at Fisk University and was thrilled to discover a historic photograph of the Mt. Canaan School, dated 1938. Finding this image confirmed the school's place within the Rosenwald School movement and added another important chapter to the rich history of Mt. Canaan and the surrounding community. Moments like these remind us that history is often uncovered one question at a time. A simple conversation can lead to remarkable discoveries that help preserve the stories of our communities for future generations.

Hidden within the rich history of Tangipahoa Parish is the story of Mt. Canaan School, an institution that represented hope, opportunity, and determination during the era of segregation. A photograph preserved in the Rosenwald Fund Collection at Fisk University's John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library documents the school and identifies it as being located in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The archival record dates the image between 1917 and 1938, preserving an important chapter in the history of African American education.

Mt. Canaan School was one of the many Rosenwald Schools established throughout the South during the early twentieth century. These schools were the result of a remarkable partnership between educator Booker T. Washington, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, local African American communities, and public school systems. Together, they helped construct thousands of schools that provided educational opportunities for Black children who had long been denied equal access to quality education under segregation.

Like many Rosenwald schools, Mt. Canaan School stood as more than a place of learning. It was a community institution where children gained the knowledge and skills that would prepare them for future generations of leadership and service. Families often contributed labor, donated materials, and raised money to help build and maintain these schools, making them powerful symbols of community pride, sacrifice, and self-determination.

For the Mt. Canaan community, education was deeply connected to the church and the values of faith, perseverance, and collective responsibility. The school helped educate generations of African American children in the Arcola community and surrounding areas, creating opportunities that many families had never before experienced.

Today, surviving photographs such as the one preserved by Fisk University remind us that these buildings were more than wooden structures, they were places where dreams were nurtured despite the barriers of Jim Crow. Every image, every document, and every oral history helps preserve the legacy of the teachers, parents, and students who believed education could transform lives.

As a genealogist, I believe it is our responsibility to continue documenting schools like Mt. Canaan so their stories are never forgotten. Their history is not simply about a building; it is about a community that invested in its children and refused to let the promise of education be denied.

Source: Rosenwald Fund Collection, John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Fisk University. Mt. Canaan School, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Photograph dated 1917–1938.

Untold History Foundation Expands African American Archival Legacy

Untold History Foundation, LLC. is proud to announce the donation of two additional African American collectionsto the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. These collections are rich with historic photographs, documents, funeral programs, church programs, and other archival materials that preserve the history and legacy of African American communities in Tangipahoa and St. Helena Parishes.

The newly established collections are:

• Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church & Robert "Free Bob" Louis Vernon, Jr. Collection
• Grant Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Collection

With the addition of these two collections, the Untold History Foundation has now established seven archival collections at the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies.

These collections provide invaluable resources for genealogists, historians, scholars, students, and researchers seeking to better understand the African American experience in Tangipahoa and St. Helena Parishes, Louisiana. They preserve family histories, church records, community photographs, and other rare historical materials that might otherwise be lost.

Researchers can explore the online index for each collection by visiting the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies website, where the collections are available to
assist anyone interested in African American genealogy, local history, and community research.

Hidden Treasures of History: One Baptism Certificate, One Family Story

Certificate of Baptism

Courtesy of Dennis James

For more than three decades, I have dedicated my life to researching and documenting the genealogical and local history of Louisiana's Florida Parishes. The history of older churches, African American schools before integration, Black cowboys, and Negro baseball teams has long been the focus of my work. While these stories are deeply woven into the fabric of our communities, uncovering them is rarely an easy task. For one thing no one want to depart with their treasures. Today we use portable scanners and even our phones to take photographs of the materials, ensuring that the orginals never leave the person care and home. 

Historical records, photographs, church documents, and family papers are often scattered, forgotten, or lost over time. Many of the most valuable pieces of our history never made it into an archive or library. Instead, they remain tucked away in dresser drawers, old trunks, family Bibles, and boxes stored in people's homes. These personal collections are priceless treasures that help tell the stories of our ancestors, events and communities.  Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1869. The church was ninety-eight years old at the time of Dennis was baptized. 

The greatest challenge is not simply locating these records, it is finding people who are willing to share them.That is why I was especially grateful when lifelong Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church member Dennis James entrusted me with an original copy of his baptism certificate. His willingness to preserve and share this document ensures that an important piece of the church's history will not be lost to future generations.

The certificate records that Dennis James was baptized in 1967 by the Rev. R. L. Primus. Serving as witnesses were Fairy Dean Hannibal, Allie Ruth Leonard, and Jamie Dillon. The document also identifies his parents, Wallace and Rosa Anderson, preserving another important genealogical connection for the family and the church. At that time they were still baptizing in the Amite River. 

To many people, a baptism certificate may appear to be a simple religious document. To a genealogist and local historian, however, it is far more than that. It is a historical record that documents family relationships, church leadership, community members, and significant life events. These records often provide information that cannot be found in census records, vital records, or courthouse documents.

Every photograph, church program, funeral bulletin, handwritten letter, membership roll, and baptism certificate has the potential to fill gaps in our history. Collectively, these records tell the story of a people whose experiences have too often gone undocumented or overlooked.

I am sincerely thankful to Dennis James for recognizing the importance of preserving his family's history and for trusting me with this remarkable document. His generosity serves as a reminder that preserving our history is a community effort. Each person who shares a document, photograph, or family story helps ensure that the legacy of our ancestors will be remembered, documented, and passed on to future generations.

History lives in the homes of our elders. We simply have to ask, listen, and preserve it before it is gone forever.