Leo T. reviewed on 4/21/2017 + 1775 more book reviews

The high rating is that it is a very complete book, not that everyone would read every chapter (500 pages). Its greatest value is in the discussion of 'Sources' (pp.454-456): The author lays out that tracing the descent of Black Americans 'afore the war' can be made possible by seeking information in the records of the Freedman's Bureau, Military service and pension records, the Freedman's Savings and Trust Co., and from the records of one-time plantation owning families. In his case, the Yankees burned only one of the family plantations (South Carolina) and many account books, correspondence, etc. were to be found among several historical societies.
I found Chapter 16 Aftermath (pp. 351-371) especially interesting about the decline in the fortunes of the Ball family after the war and also how Black families got along. There were at least 842 people freed in 1865 and calculations are provided that estimates 100,000 descendants at the end of the 20th C.
Index, endnotes, acknowledgements (much of the material came because the author called upon people), sources are mostly the records deposited in past years as well as consulting with noted historians, pictures (mostly from private sources), three charts showing descent (Ball family and those of two people held in bondage long ago), and an excellent map of the plantations owned from the 18th C. onward.

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