Christian Heritage News

By Angela Wittman Dear Friends, Yesterday I saw this tweet repeating a comment reported by the LA Times that Roy Moore made at a campaign rally last September when one of his supporters asked him when he thought the last time America was "great:" "I think it was great at the time when families were united—even though we had slavery—they cared for one another…Our families were strong, our country had a direction." (Taken from Roy Moore: Last Time America was 'Great" was During 'Slavery';  Newsweek , 12.7.2017 ) I realize this is being presented out of context and sensationalized, but really, folks, what on earth was Roy Moore thinking when he said it?  Regardless of how foolish making such a comment is during a public campaign event for a national office, it's just plain wrong. My father's family is from the south - we can trace our ancestry back to the War for Independence with our family patriarch Capt. John Somers possibly

By Vikki Bynum - Posted at Renegade South : I’ll never forget the excitement I felt when, in the midst of researching The Free State of Jones , I came upon the WPA’s 1936 interview with Martha Wheeler, a former slave of Laurel, Mississippi. Today, I realize more than ever that Martha just may be the best source for verifiable remarks about Newt, Rachel, and Serena Knight, and the interracial community they built in Soso, Mississippi, in the aftermath of the Civil War. (1) Although long a staple of folklore and the subject of numerous books, the story of Newt Knight and Rachel Knight’s collaboration against the Confederacy was not well-known before the June 2016 release of the movie, The Free State of Jones. Because of their long-term intimate relationship, Rachel emerged as a central figure in the film version of Jones County’s insurrection. Her dynamism, her struggles, her experiences of slavery and freedom, have since generated international interest in the full story of her life.

By Angela Wittman   "Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." Ephesians 6:2,3 (AKJV) The following caption appears under the original image: Above is shown the last photograph ever taken of the remaining members of the famous Thomas Legion, composed of Cherokee Indians in the Confederate Army. The photograph was made in New Orleans at the time of the New Orleans Reunion of Confederate Veterans. The inscription on the banner, displayed in the photograph, is as follows: "Cherokee Veteran Indians of Thomas Legion. 69 N. C. Regiment. Suo-Noo-Kee Camp U. C. V. 4th Brigade, N. C. Division." Reading from left to right, those in the picture are: front row, 1 Young Deer; 2 unidentified; 3 Pheasant; 4 Chief David Reed; 5 Sevier Skitty; back row, 1 the Rev. Bird Saloneta; 2 Dickey Driver; 3 Lieut. Col. W. W. Stringfield of Waynesville; 4 Lieutenant Suatie Owl; 5 Jim Keg

By Angela Wittman Image from Wikipedia "Our Heroes and Our Flags 1896" by Southern Lithograph Co., New York  Regular readers of this blog will know that I've been researching my father's family heritage and periodically post my findings at the Somers Family Heritage blog. What you might not know is I discovered my 4th, 3rd and possibly 2nd Great Grandfathers were slave holders. As one who has firmly and consistently denounced any form of racism this information rocked me to the core. In fact, I was so dismayed at the revelation, I almost stopped researching my family tree because I wasn't prepared for the historical truth of my ancestry. You see, I was always taught that my grandfather hid his Native American heritage due to the persecution of the Cherokee. Grandpa was a "half-breed" and looked down upon by others for something he had no control over - his race. It never occurred to me he might have been the grandson of a slave holder. So, after confidi