Mississippi Legacy: Freed Slaves Looking for a Decent Place to Live

 Forty Acres and a Mule—that’s what the rumors were about. The government was giving freedmen a little piece of property and an animal to help farm it. In Mississippi those who had grown up on the plantations had limited knowledge of ways to make a living besides growing cotton. Being set free, they supposed they could plant a little cotton patch, till it, pick it, and buy enough supplies to take care of a family. (Little compared to the plantations where they’d lived and worked as slaves.)

The truth about forty acres and a mule didn’t turn out to be what they’d heard. In 1865, General William T. Sherman issued a field order. He and other Unionists confiscated 400,000 acres of land from Confederate landowners in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Most of the land was along the coast. It was to be divided into forty-acre farms and given to former slaves. Also, he promised to give each new farmer a surplus army mule. Debates about extending the policy throughout the South were held, but Congress didn’t implement such a program. Moves to redistribute property never succeeded.

After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, President Andrew Johnson returned the land to its original owners. The broken promise became a symbol of the unfulfilled hopes of African Americans after the Civil War.

A few freedmen saved enough money to purchase small plots of land, but such events were rare. Various attempts helped African Americans acquire land. For example, the United States government established the Freedmen’s Bureau, which helped by negotiating land sales and by providing loans for land purchase. Another program involved homesteading.*

When freedmen acquired land through government programs, they often settled for small or undesirable plots, not wanted by others. For example, land in flood plains near rivers or rocky soil would be available to those inexperienced in the possibilities of failure.

*Homesteading refers to the Homestead Act of 1862, signed by Abraham Lincoln. (There had been other homestead acts also.) Citizens could claim up to 160 acres of public land if they agree to construct a home and farm the land five years.

My new novel, All Her Dreams of Love, is in the process of being published. It contains a subplot of a family of freed slaves living near the main characters of the story. B. K. and Bertie Barnes have roamed from one farm to another as they tried to survive by sharecropping. Finally, they acquire a small farm. Their situation tugs at the heartstrings of readers.

Visit Mary Lou Cheatham's Author Page

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FREE KINDLE BOOK: The Dream Bucket and Manuela Blayne

The Dream Bucket and Manuela Blayne, combined in one e-book, are free on Amazon June 26-June 30, 2023.

The Dream Bucket shows life in a simpler time–1909–and yet the Cameron family’s problems resemble those we face today when things go wrong. This novel, told from two points of view, portrays mystery, romance, grief, and courage.

  Special Recognition 

International Writers Alive Contest Winner

Audio Creation Exchange Stipend Recipient

(ACX)

Qualified Independently Published Status for Author

(QIP, ACFW)

Living in a Shack

As long as she can remember, Trudy Cameron has adored Papa, who calls her his little princess. In the night when the moon is going down, she hears her father abuse her mother in the next bedroom. All Zoe, her mother, wants to know is where he has stored the family fortune.  Trudy realizes William Cameron is less of a person than she had believed. She wishes he would die. While she is at school, the family home burns, and Papa dies in the fire.

Her mother takes Trudy and her brother Billy Jack (Will) to live in a sharecroppers’ shack, and they struggle to survive with no money. Predators, both human and animal, threaten the family. A gentle neighbor stands by. Kind people from the town of Taylorsburg help as much as Zoe will allow.

Manuela Blayne is the sequel to The Dream Bucket.

·        Tale of self-discovery, emotional, expressive, innocence versus awakening, important (from Reader’s Favorite).

·        Story of racial separation in the early twentieth century, when Black lives didn’t matter.

·        Clean and sparse but loaded with meaning.

·        Depiction of hope and love.

·        White girl’s attempt to understand how it feels to be Black.

·        Realistic portrayal of Southern poverty.

                                 

 Kirkus Reviews

The inherent tension between Trudy’s cheery worldview and Manuela’s family’s troubled lives makes for a compelling read. 

The Dream Bucket and Manuela Blayne

Mississippi Legacy: How would you live in a house like this one?

Hi. I’m a writer from Mississippi, and I’m glad to be in that category. Sometimes I write about other places, but my heart and my laptop always return to the hills of south Mississippi. I spent my early days in a simple wooden farmhouse situated between Taylorsville and Hot Coffee.

The time I write about doesn’t matter much. I like the old days. The way of life changed little from the late 1800s until World War II began. I research before writing to make sure the subtle changes from one decade to the next are accurate. The way of life of my great grandparents, grandparents, and parents slowly transformed, but in the Mississippi piney woods, we were isolated from the rest of the nation.

I ran across two interesting photos I want to share with you. These are pictures taken in 1939. In that year, the New York World’s Fair showed displays of televisions with the prediction wide audiences would soon watch them. Judy Garland starred in The Wizard of Oz. The completion of the Golden Gate Bridge was the source of a big celebration.

Today I went to the Library of Congress website and found two pictures of a residence near my hometown, Taylorsville, Mississippi. These photographs were taken in 1939. Until the coming of electricity, automobiles, decent roads, desegregated schools, and telephones, life remained primitive in our neck of the woods.

By the time I came along, some things had started to change, but modernization came slowly. I can remember knowing people ten years later living in houses like these. They left a permanent impression on my brain. As we age, our minds go back to our youth. These photos bring bittersweet memories of my childhood playmates. 

African American cabin showing grass and mud chimney and broom made of corn husks for sweeping yard. Taylorsville, Mississippi digital file from original neg. Lee Russell, Photographer  

If you haven’t read Manuela Blayne, allow me to invite you to do so. In the simplest of words, I'm trying in this little novella, to evoke some thought about how other people feel inside. For example, I'm trying to paint pictures of how it feels to be African American and how it feels to be saturated in white prejudices in the early 1900's. (It’s part of a series, but it stands alone. You can read it first.)

Available as Kindle, Audible, and Printed Book

My oldest brother, who was born on this day 98 years ago used to say, “But for the grace of God, there go I.”

The Refiner's Fire, Guest Blog by Regina Rodgers

 

Regina Rodgers, an author who has released her excellent debut novel, The Gamble on Love, tells about an experience in her life that is a testament to the power of God. 

In March 2009, I got a phone call that no one wants to receive. After a routine mammogram, my doctor wanted me to come to the office so he could talk to me. On the appointed day, I sat in the examining room. A young intern strode in ahead of Dr. Reuter, and without a word, approached me, felt the lymph nodes in my neck, and gave me a sympathetic look. A few minutes later, my doctor came in and told me very matter-of-factly that I had breast cancer. He said many other things that rushed past my ears as I sat there in shock. One thing that I do clearly remember was him telling me to buy a wig because all my hair would come out.

My ears roared, and I felt like I was in a bad dream. No, my loving Heavenly Father wouldn’t allow this to happen to me. I’d often heard people say that after a terrible experience, they were angry with God. I wasn’t angry, but I felt so very hurt.

As I drove home, I passed the tiny church just a few blocks from my house. Although I was saved at nine years old and have always had a relationship with God, I wasn’t attending church. I set up a counseling appointment with the pastor of Susquehanna church, and he invited me to start attending there.

“We have a wonderful women’s group. They’ll make you feel right at home.” He asked for my permission to tell an older lady in the congregation about the battle I was about to fight, and I said okay.

The following Sunday, I took tentative steps into the sanctuary and found a seat on a back pew. A tiny, eighty-something-year-old woman walked up and introduced herself. She stood probably four feet ten inches tall, almost a foot shorter than my five feet nine. Her hair was a fiery red, reminding me, for all the world, of a little match stick. It suited her perfectly—she was a diminutive dynamo.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.” She sat down and took my hand. “I’ve prayed and prayed that the Lord would send someone to me who I could help through breast cancer. I had it, too, a few years ago.”

Teresa sat with me at every church service. She’d bring me little gifts. She called me almost daily and prepared me for every step of my treatment, telling me exactly what to expect. I showed up for Bible study every Wednesday morning, where we’d have wonderful lunches and fellowship afterward.

When I laid my head on my pillow at night, I felt peace. As I think back on this year-long experience, I find it amazing that I have no unpleasant memories. I felt the Lord with me every step of the way. I grew closer to Him during that time than I could have grown otherwise in a lifetime. And He sent me my sweet little Teresa, who kept me wrapped in motherly love.

I learned so much from this season in my life. While having breast cancer isn’t something I’d wish on anyone, God turned it for good. What it taught me was to lean on Him through everything. Sometimes we must pass through the refiner’s fire, so the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and leave our faith bright, intact, and strong.

INTERVIEW WITH REGINA RODGERS, AUTHOR OF THE GAMBLE ON LOVE

Regina Rodgers has published her debut novel, The Gamble on Love. I found this inspirational historical romance delightful. Here is the blurb about it, followed by an interview.

What could a devil-may-care riverboat gambler and a widowed Christian horse rancher have in common?

As soon as Evangeline Gentry locks eyes with the rogue Black Jack Brannigan, he tells her she’s beautiful and insults her in the same breath. In spite of his insult, she can’t help the attraction she feels for him.

Jack soon lands in jail in Independence, Missouri. When he discovers his gambling winnings are gone from his saddlebags, he can’t pay his fine. To be released from jail, he must agree to thirty days of community service on Evangeline’s ranch.

For almost a month, Jack and Evangeline argue, take care of two orphaned children, and fall in love despite everything. After regaining his gambling winnings, will Jack decide to pursue his dreams in California, or stay and take the gamble on love?

       Interview

1.      When did you decide you wanted to be a writer of novels?

 

Probably in about 1995, I’d guess. That was when we got our first home computer. I’ve always loved to write. Even as a small child, I’d make up songs and sing them to my family and I used to write poems as a child.

But when I experienced a craving to read a particular kind of book and couldn’t find what I was looking for, I wrote it instead.

 

2.      How did your travels help you become a writer?

             Probably my biggest inspiration was living in Arizona. The Southwest United States has had a                 strong influence on me. I absolutely fell in love with the scenery. I loved the mystique of the                 distant mesas, the smells of the desert, the Native American culture and lore.

             I’m sure that subconsciously I’ve soaked up the culture of other places I’ve lived and traveled                 to, such as the warm friendly nature of most Southerners I’ve met. I’ve been very blessed to                 live in a multitude of places, from Italy to Monterey, California, to North Carolina – all                         The Gamble on Lovecourtesy of my husband’s career in the US Army.

 

3.      Do you have another career?

No, I’m retired from my 9-5 job at Social Services. Now my only jobs are writing and taking care of my family.

4.      How do you find time to write?

It’s not too difficult now that I’m retired, but sometimes I’ll lock myself up in my bedroom and let people know I’m busy. I confess, I need to set a real writing schedule and stick to it faithfully. It takes real discipline.

5.      What is the best time of day for you to write?

When I was working, I used to do my best writing late at night when my family was asleep and the house was quiet. Now, I find that early morning works best for me.

6.      How did you become interested in writing about the nineteenth century West?

I’ve always loved the old Westerns. Not only books but movies and TV shows. One of my earliest memories is getting up on Saturday morning and watching Westerns with my uncle. We watched Roy Rogers, Maverick, and several others. I’ve read all of Louis L’Amour’s books and a lot of Zane Grey. I’m a huge fan of Tony Hillerman and his Southwest mysteries too.

7.      What is the name of your new book?

My debut novel is The Gamble on Love.

8.      What is its genre?

It’s an Inspirational Historical Romance.

9.      Where is it available?

On Amazon in both paperback and Kindle.

10.   Who is your publisher?

Winged Publications.

11.   How did you find your publisher?

I discovered them through their Taking Flight contest. I’m a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the contest was shared through their website.

12.   Is it a stand alone or part of a series?

I am currently working on the prequel to The Gamble on Love. It tells the love story of secondary characters, Rusty and Rachel Cunningham. It’s set in Sonora, Mexico on a huge hacienda. I have plans for three books in this series.

13.   How long did it take you to write it?

Oh, gosh. I started The Gamble on Love several years ago, but put it aside until about a year ago. My daughter found the manuscript and wouldn’t let me rest until I finished it.

14.   When will your next book be published?

I hope to have it ready to publish by this coming spring or early summer.

15.   What kind of support do you get from friends and family for your writing?

My family and friends give me incredible support. You’d think I had written the next Gone With the Wind.

16.   Besides entertaining…and your book is very entertaining…what do you want the reader to take away from the experience of reading it?

I want the reader to come away with a new or renewed faith in God. I want them to remember that lives can be changed and reinvented when one trusts in God and puts their faith in Him. I love the message that, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” And I always want my reader to get their Happily Ever After ending and put the book down feeling a little warmer inside for having read it.

  

Joyful, Joyful

Photos of Ransom Canyon, Texas

       

Lately I've been busy finishing a new novel so you can enjoy giving it as a Christmas present. Where the Hummingbirds Feed is a tender love story between an emotionally defeated young woman and a young man who has been used by a gold digger. The romance surrounds a mysterious evil force, which reults in a shocking crime. Will good prevail?

Where the Hummingbirds Feed

 

Where the Hummingbirds Feed is a new novel. It's full of love, hardships, mystery, and suspense.

Lana Jacobs dreams of becoming a professional photographer. She loves to take pictures of the beauty surrounding her. Scenes of nature, such as hummingbirds and landscapes, challenge her to find the most interesting angles for her camera lens. Instead of spending her time looking at the world through a camera, Lana sits in an office, where she works at a profession she detests. Why? She tries to please her father.

She’s single. During her college years, guys took her on scary dates, and she learned not to trust men. Now she has given up on meeting someone. She needs a vacation spent in peace. Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas will provide plenty of scenery and solitude.

The last thing she wants is to meet a guy, but on the first evening at Petit Jean, an intriguing man catches her eye…and her heart. Kyle Bankston, an attractive, lonely man recovering from a failed romance with a gold digger, drives to Petit Jean Mountain every evening to enjoy dinner in the quaint lodge. He doesn’t want to become involved with anyone else, but he finds himself drawn to Lana.

Lana has hoped she could leave the baggage of her miserable past. In a new location for one week, she hopes to sleep through the night without the nightmares that have plagued her, but the dreams have come with her. After spending a night at the lodge, a despicable man gropes her. Something about him reminds her of a guy who ruined her college social life.

Her sinister past emerges when she least expects it. Lana needs courage and strength to combat the evil forces she encounters. The hazards of her life can cause her to shrivel into a passive person, or she can benefit from her experiences so she can let her love shine.

Reflexology: the benefits of foot massage

 

Here is a fascinating guest blog entry from a fellow novelist, Ruth Wong. After you enjoy the article, you will find her impressive biography. 

 Being trained in the Western science of biochemistry, I used to object to anything related to Chinese medicine and alternative healing, until we took a trip to Shanghai that changed my belief.

During a visit to our family in Hong Kong, we decided to detour to Mainland China. Back then, China just opened up to tourists. While our tour group went to Shanghai, one of my teeth gave me trouble. The pain became more intolerable by the minute. To our surprise, we noticed a sign in the hotel showing that a doctor specializing in reflexology resided there.

“I’m going to give it a try,” I muttered to my husband, my face contorted with agony. “It can’t get any worse anyway.”

I entered the doctor’s office and caught sight of a middle-aged woman sitting alone.

She gave me a questioning glance but didn’t say a word.

“I-I—” I grimaced with wry amusement, feeling foolish.

“Yes?” Her tone was gentle.

I swallowed. “I’m here for my toothache.”

She gestured for me to take a seat. “Please remove your shoes and socks.”

I did as she commanded. She wiped my right foot thoroughly with alcohol and pushed along the length of my sole. Pausing at one spot, she raised her head. “You had bronchitis recently?”

My jaw almost dropped to the floor. How did she know?

She moved to my other foot. After a moment, she looked at me again. “You have a diabetic family background.”

I couldn’t control my curiosity anymore. “You can tell from touching my feet?”

“Yes, I can.” She uttered one simple response and went back to work. “Which of your teeth gives you trouble?”

I opened my mouth and pointed to the culprit.

She nodded. “Be prepared. I’ll press hard on one of your toes. It’ll hurt like crazy, but your toothache will subside.”

I wasn’t fully convinced. Then she pushed down on the second toe of my right foot, and I almost jumped up from the chair.

“How does your tooth feel?” She calmly asked.

Tears gathered behind my eyelids. I didn’t know if it was because of the distractive pain on my toe or else, my toothache was gone. “It works.”

“Good. But the pain will be back. Next time when it starts, just massage this point.” She showed me the exact spot on my toe. “By the way, you can delay the onset of diabetes by pressing here.” She pointed to a small area on my sole. 

I walked out of her office with bewilderment in my heart. Entering our hotel room, I couldn’t help blurting out, “Ken, you wouldn’t believe what I’ve experienced.”

After I told him the story, he shook his head. “I don’t believe it. It sounds like magic.”

I crossed my arms. “Why don’t you go check it out yourself?”

“But I’m not sick.” He scratched his head. “Did you say it only cost you twenty Chinese yuan? It’s not even five US dollars. Well, I’ll go.”

Thirty minutes later, Ken returned with a disbelieving expression on his face. “She touched my feet and told me I had appendicitis before. She also inquired why I wanted to see her since my health is excellent.”

Astonishing, isn’t it?

Since then, I’ve been massaging my feet every morning. My mother had her diabetic onset in her forties. I passed that age long ago and still haven’t developed diabetes. Maybe foot massage does delay the onset of diabetes.

Do a Google search, and you’ll find ~ 485,000,000 results on this subject. You can easily purchase a simple foot massage tool for a few bucks. Some books give elaborate illustrations about where to massage, etc. I found the simplest way is to massage your whole foot, bottom, top, and toes. If you make it too complicated, you’ll give it up sooner or later. Keep it simple and make it into a habit.

Author Bio: Ruth Wuwong obtained a master’s degree in Christian Studies from Logos Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Ohio State University, and an M.B.A. in finance and management from the University of Illinois. She has published 120+ scientific books and papers. Although she is a late comer into creative writing, so far, she has completed three books. She published Love at the Garden Tomb in 2022 and plans to publish two more books, Blazing China (a family saga about the cultural revolution in China) and Confessions of a Pastor’s Wife, a paraquel to Love at the Garden Tomb.

Two Kittens and a Dog

Greetings! A year ago, my daughter and son-in-law adopted Chevy, a German Shepherd, from the pound in Lubbock, TX. Christie and Brandt play with Chevy, but they have to leave him while they go to work. They adopted another dog as a playmate, but since she proved to be unsatisfactory, they returned her to the pound. John and I plan to bring Chevy down to our house to visit when he matures a bit. (We used to keep their dog Bubba with us, but he passed away.)

Some days I walk down to Chevy's house and find him sitting by the backyard gate, where he waits for his owners to come play with him. I give him affection and biscuits through the fence. When he gets an opportunity, he tries to drive the truck.

Chapter Two: A friend gave Christie, Brandt, and Chevy some kittens. The yellow one, an aggressive boy kitten, is Bright Eyes. The black one, a perfect tuxedo girl, is Nimby.

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Pets make us smile. Most of my novels include pets--usually dogs and sometimes cats. Here's a story that includes an amazing dog--The Dream Bucket

Unforgettable Christmases

Trailer for Brilliant, Essential Language Reference

 

Ponderings over Styrofoam

 

Our nation now suffers a shortage of Styrofoam. The lack of sufficient amounts of Styrofoam is serious. So far, we haven’t found a solution to the problem. One manifestation of the predicament is the lack of 44 ounce drink cups. The Pandemic has caused people to buy to-go food. Also, we don’t have enough employees to wash dishes. With the stalling down of imports, restaurants cannot purchase cups with brand imprints from other countries. Suppliers within the United States have not been able to fill the orders for Styrofoam cups. Styrofoam shortage impacts restaurants nationwide (msn.com)

The trend in restaurants is to serve beverages in glass. Convenience stores have developed campaigns to encourage customers to bring their own containers. 

 My new interactive language reference book, Brilliant, https://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-Essential-Mary-Lou-Cheatham/dp/1888141980 contains a brief but valuable reference to the word Styrofoam. The “Quick Pronunciation Guide” on page 123 shows how some folks mispronounce the word and how it should be pronounced. The technique of saying the word correctly involves pronouncing each of the three syllables with some emphasis. Recognized authorities scoop over the middle syllable, but I don’t because some dear ones in the lower half of my beloved native state of Mississippi leave out the middle syllable entirely and thus make it a two-syllable word—STY FOAM.

I was visiting my sister, who lived in Laurel, MS. “Mary,” she said, “would you please bring in the styfoam [sic] cooler from the front doorsteps. I traveled southward toward the Gulf Coast and visited a friend who brought me a glass of Coke in a styfoam [sic] cup.

During our shortage of Styrofoam, I feel a compulsion to give the word some much needed attention. Besides observing the way to pronounce the word, we need to observe that it starts with a capital letter. Why?

Confusion over what Styrofoam is explains the capitalization of the S. Styrofoam as a trade-marked brand was patented in 1944. A product used in construction, it is often called Blue Board. <Styrofoam - Wikipedia>   Sometimes Styrofoam manifests itself as insulation panels.

What we usually call Styrofoam is a foamed lightweight, white, polystyrene we use for food packaging in fast restaurants. While some of us worry about the disappearing Styrofoam cups, others rejoice about the decline of the cup supply.

“Many environmental groups want to abolish foam entirely because if it ends up as litter, it can break down easily into small pieces, harming fish and animals that ingest it. For humans, plastic fibers have been found in everything from drinking water to table salt, though the long-term health consequences are still being studied.”Your Foam Coffee Cup Is Fighting for Its Life - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

Brilliant, an Essential Language Reference Worth Crowing About

 Brilliant:Essential Language Reference is now available. It is a handy guide useful to look up words and expressions that speakers and writers often use but may not be sure about. The arrangement is alphabetical with items starting with each letter of the alphabet. 

It's here in time for Christmas gifts. If you are an employer or company manager, you will want to give a copy to every employee you supervise. It's helpful to have employees speak standard English, and this book contains some of the most glaring errors we hear often. 

You can order the Kindle version. Also it is available as a paperback or hardcover book. It is interactive with practice drills, but it is not a textbook. Some of the entries will make you chuckle.