{"id":4082,"date":"2021-08-23T19:52:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T23:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodgenesgenealogy.com\/?p=2272"},"modified":"2021-08-23T19:52:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T23:52:42","slug":"31-where-are-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodgenesgenealogy.com\/index.php\/2021\/08\/23\/31-where-are-you\/","title":{"rendered":"#31 We are looking for you!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The African American families in the post-slavery, Reconstruction years<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

See informationwanted.org<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
\u201cEliza Jane Elam searching for Eliza Jane Owens,\u201d Lost Friends Ad, Southwestern Christian Advocate <\/em>(New Orleans, LA), January 25, 1883, Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery<\/em>, accessed August 23, 2021, http:\/\/informationwanted.org\/items\/show\/1904.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

The “Lost Friends Ad’ in a New Orleans newspaper in 1883 by a lady described with two names — Eliza Jane Elam and Eliza Owens — showed the dedication of former slaves who sought their loved ones some 20 years after the end of slavery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also a dangerous, Reconstruction Period, as former enslavers were conversely placing ads in newspapers for their so-called “runaway slaves.” The end of slavery meant that the free labor and horrific labor period ended for persons who considered slaves their property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the danger of having former enslavers finding them or loved ones, nearly 1,000 ads were placed primarily in African American-owned newspapers across the United States in search of “lost” persons who were separated from them during and after slavery. Thanks to a free website <\/a>sponsored by Villanova University, African American and Afro Caribbean families are still locating their “lost” ancestors because of the detail found in the ads that include the enslaver names, plantation locations and who slaves were sold to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, a “must see” is the stage production<\/a> that depicts the enactments of hundreds of “Lost Friends” ads that were generously posted in mostly African American newspapers for little to no costs to those seeking loved ones. There is also a social media presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Former slaves also often listed their contact information and asked church ministers to make announcements on Sunday mornings. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The desperate hunt for mothers, fathers, children and other relatives, also yielded positive results as explained in the second half of the newspaper article found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n