Category Archives: African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research

C – Cuddly Baby Girl Arrives

A-Z Challenge 2025, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Detroit, Grahams

For this year’s A to Z Challenge, I will be posting an event for that date involving someone in my family tree. Of course it will also involve the letter of the day. It may be a birth, a death, a christening, a journal entry, a letter or a newspaper article. If the entry is a news item, it will be transcribed immediately below. Click on photographs to enlarge in another window.

Cuddly Mary Virginia Graham April 1920. Mignon, daughter of the couple that owned the house on the left with the bow.
The Emancipator, Montgomery, Alabama • Sat, April 10, 1920 Page 2

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT.

The hearts of Mr. and Mrs. Merchell Graham were gladened Saturday, April 3rd, by the arrival of a sweet baby girl. Mr. and Mrs. Graham now reside in Detroit, Mich., but both are former Montgomerians.

_______________

Mershell and Fannie (Turner) Graham. August 1919. Detroit, Michigan.

Mr. and Mrs. Mershell Graham were my maternal grandparents. Mary Virginia Graham, born April 3, 1920 was my mother’s older sister and my aunt.

My grandfather, Mershell Graham came to Detroit from Montgomery, Alabama in 1917. He proposed to my grandmother, Fannie Turner in 1918. She accepted and they were married on June 15, 1919 at Fannie’s home in Montgomery and left the same day for Detroit.

They roomed with friends from home and lived there when Mary Virginia was born. Mershell worked in an Auto plant as an inspector. My grandmother did not work outside of the home after her marriage.

______________

The Proposal – 1918
The Proposal Accepted – 1918
Mershell Graham and Fannie Mae Turner Marriage License – 11 June 1919
Graham-Turner Wedding – 1919 Montgomery Alabama
F – FAMILY, MY GRAHAMS in the 1920 Census

A to Z 2025 Theme Reveal

A-Z Challenge 2025, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research

This will be my twelfth year doing the A to Z Challenge. I’ve considered several different themes in the past week. After reading On This Day in April by CRGalvin, I decided to use the event of the day for my theme also. Everyday during April I will pick an event from that date from my family history and write about that, using different years and decades and branches, I hope to find enough to fill up the calendar.

Making it even more interesting will be making the events of the day also match the letter of the day!

AtoZChallenge theme reveal 2025 #atozchallenge

THE CLEAGES 100 YEARS AGO – 1925

African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Cleages, Detroit, Grahams, Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

Albert B. Cleage was born in Tennessee in 1884. He moved to Indianapolis, IN in 1909 to attend Medical School. There he met and married Pearl Reed, who was born in Kentucky and came to Indianapolis as a small child. Soon after the birth of my father in 1911, the family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan where my grandfather became the first black physician. After several years, they moved to Detroit.

The Cleages and friends at Idlewild, Michigan 1925. Three of the children are not in the photo – Louis, Hugh and baby Anna. Cannot identify the others.

In 1920 they bought a large brick house on the corner of Scotten and Moore Place on Detroit’s Old Westside. By 1925 they were the parents of seven children, my father Albert (14), Louis (12), Henry (9), Hugh (7), Barbara (5) Gladys (3), and baby Anna born in January of that year.

Family home 1920-1948. 6429 Scotten Avenue. Detroit, Michigan.

My grandfather’s medical office was several blocks away at 4334 McGraw. He and Dr. Grimes, a dentist, shared the space. My grandmother had plenty to do at home with seven children and didn’t work outside the home after she married.

Dr. Cleage shared an office with in the house above in 1925.
Dr. Grimes and Dr. Cleage on the office steps
Pearl and Anna
Hugh, Barbara, Gladys and Albert Cleage. 1925
Louis
Hugh
Albert and Anna
Albert and Anna
Henry, Albert Jr, Albert Sr, Gladys
Eighth grade class at Wingert Elementary School. My father is second from left, front row. 1924

My father, Albert Jr with his eighth grade class at Wingert Elementary school. The school was a block from their house. Henry, Hugh, Louis and Barbara were also students at Wingert in 1925.

Celia Rice Cleage & Barbara
Jacob Cleage
Henry Cleage

Two of Albert’s siblings, Jacob and Henry, and their families plus his mother Celia were also living in Detroit by 1925. They lived within walking distance of each other. My great grandmother Celia lived with my grandfather. His sister Josephine still lived in Indianapolis. His brother Ed remained in Athens, Tennessee and died there the following year.

They were members of St. John’s Presbyterian church, where Albert and Pearl had been founding members. They had a car which Albert used for work. They took trips both in Michigan and to Indianapolis and Athens to visit family.

Loading up the car

Saw the prompt to write about the lives of your family 100 years ago. Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

The Grahams 100 Years Ago

African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Detroit, Grahams, Great Migration

Last week I realized it was 102 years since my mother Doris Graham Cleage was born on February 12, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan. When I read the Saturday Night Genealogy Fun theme was your family 100 years ago. I decided to do it. Click on the links for more information. Click on the photographs to enlarge them.

The Grahams, maybe Belle Isle park, Detroit, 1925 Left is my grandfather Mershell C, Graham holding my mother Doris. My grandmother Fannie Turner Graham is holding my uncle Mershell C. Graham Jr and my aunt Mary V.

My grandfather came to Detroit from Montgomery, Alabama in 1917. In 1919 he went back and married my grandmother and they returned to Detroit. By 1925 they had been there six years. They had three children, all born in Detroit, Mary V. (5), Mershell Jr (4) my mother Doris (2).

6638 Theodore Street, Detroit, Michigan

Mershell and Fannie bought a frame house at 6638 Theodore on the east side of Detroit when my mother was on the way. Fannie’s mother and her two sister’s came up from Montgomery and moved in with them. In 1925 all three worked at Annis Furs.

"Jennie Annis Furs"
Staff at Annis Furs. My great grandmother Jennie Turner is on the far right, middle row. Next to her is her daughter Alice. Aunt Daisy is right in the center of that middle row, #4.

My grandfather worked at the Highland Park Ford Plant as an inspector. My grandmother didn’t work outside of the home after her marriage. My aunt Mary V. at five, would have been attending half day kindergarten at Thomas Elementary school, several blocks from their house.

They were active members of Plymouth Congregational Church where my grandfather Mershell had been a founding member. They didn’t have a car. They walked or traveled by streetcar.

_________________

The Land of Hope – Mershell Graham’s move to Detroit
Eliza’s Children Move North – my great grandmother and her siblings moving north from Montgomery.

Born at the end of slavery

African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Investigations, Montgomery Alabama, One Place Study

While I was studying the women in the Edelweiss Club during the past several years, I came across quite a bit of information about some of their parents. They were in the same age group with my great grandmother, Jenny Virginia Allen Turner. My great grandmother was born October 1, 1866 in Montgomery Alabama, seven months after the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Most of the parents were born in the 1850s and 1860s, during the final years of slavery or during the first years of freedom.

I began by studying these parents and then I became interested in others living in Montgomery, Alabama during that time and began to expand my investigations to include them and by extension, learned what was happening in the community that my family lived in during Reconstruction and after.

I found women and men who worked for themselves as farmers, carpenters, barbers, grocers, preachers and seamstresses. There were others who worked for the government as janitors, teachers and mailmen. Some worked for private families as nurses and chauffeurs. There were murders, scandals and everyday life.

I began by looking for the people I was interested in, in census and death records and city directories. After building a picture of their lives from these records, I looked them up in the local newspapers. I found stories of murders, obituaries, graduations and teaching assignments. Most of the stories appeared in the white papers and were obviously biased towards the African American citizens. I also found stories in black newspapers. Some had long publishing lives, but there were several that only came out once or twice. These papers carried more personal information – marriages, who just moved into town, who was visiting who and other more personal stories. In these newspaper articles I found new people to investigate.

I haven’t written anything on my blog since May and I decided I need to start writing up all the information I’ve found. I need to do a timeline of the events and also place the new people on the map I made for the Edelweiss women. Hopefully I won’t get lost in these for too long!

Reflections on the 2024 A-Z Challenge

A-Z Challenge 2024, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Edelweiss, Montgomery Alabama, One Place Study
Madeline Abercrombie – a member of the Edelweiss Club

I have just completed my eleventh A to Z Challenge. This year I wrote about the Edelweiss Club of Montgomery, Alabama. I had no posts written when the challenge began. This made for the usual nerve wracking experience of writing all day to get the post ready to go live by midnight. And also squeezing in visits to other blogs.

I have researched the 37 members intensively over the past several years, but had not looked at recipes of the day nor at the schools where the teacher members taught except in general, so I did learn about those things. I was surprised to see that most of them did marry, even if some married late and some divorced. I learned that their parents were pretty interesting. I tried to avoid getting sidetracked on them, although there were some good stories there. I’m considering writing about that generation next year, taking it back to my great grandmother Jennie Virginia Allen Turner’s life in Montgomery from the 1860s, to the time of her marriage in 1886.

This year I just didn’t seem to have the zest that I usually experience during the challenge. I was just holding on and getting through. Maybe it’s the depressing conditions all around, local, national and worldwide. Whatever it was, I did finish. I am glad I finally wrote up some of the Edelweiss women and their possible delicious luncheons.

I mostly read the same blogs I follow all year or those that I have on file from past challenges. I tried a few new ones as we went on, mainly finding them through comments on mine or other’s blogs or a few from the list.

These are the blogs I most often read and commented on:

There were others that I visited less often and there were some I discovered late in the challenge.

You can find an index to my April posts here A to Z Challenge 2024 – The Edelweiss Club

Thank you to everyone who makes the challenge work and to everyone who read my posts and to those who commented, I tried to visit and comment back. Also thanks to my husband Jim who proofreads my posts. I do sometimes change up afterwards, so he is not to blame if some errors crept in!

Reflecions 2024 #AtoZChallenge

Z – ZOLLIE, ZIP, ZEST and ZIRON

A-Z Challenge 2024, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Edelweiss, Montgomery Alabama, One Place Study

In 1918 and 1919 thirty-seven young women, friends and neighbors of my grandmother Fannie Mae Turner were members of the Edelweiss Club in Montgomery, Alabama. These are snapshots from their lives, place and times.

Click any image to enlarge

I was hoping to find a recipe for zucchini bread in the Montgomery newspapers in 1918, 1919. Alas, twas not to be. I did find these advertisements and a song shared below.

The_Montgomery_Advertiser_Wed__Apr_2__1919
The_Montgomery_Advertiser_Fri__Oct_31__1919
The_Montgomery_Times_Fri__Dec_19__1919
The_Montgomery_Times_Sat__Oct_18__1919
The_Montgomery_Times_Thu__Sep_11__1919

Last, a song from World War 1. And we’re done!

Y – YELLOW Sunshine Cake

A-Z Challenge 2024, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Alabama, Edelweiss, Montgomery Alabama, One Place Study
Swansdown Cake Flour cookbook

In 1918 and 1919 thirty-seven young women, friends and neighbors of my grandmother Fannie Mae Turner were members of the Edelweiss Club in Montgomery, Alabama. These are snapshots from their lives, place and times.

Click any image to enlarge

Today we are going back to delicious luncheons. On January 3, 1919, Alberta Boykin , who I wrote about in depth in 2021, entertained the Edelweiss Club at the home of her sister. A delicious two course luncheon was served. I have chosen to start with a combination salad and finish with a Sunshine Cake. Which as you can see in the picture above, is a delightful YELLOW.

The Emacipator, January 1919

A combination salad The Montgomery Times 12/25/1919

Article from Dec 25, 1919 The Montgomery Times (Montgomery, Alabama)

A Combination Salad

Take two apples, two peppers, two onions a ripe tomato, a bunch of celery, and some crisp lettuce leaves. Cut the celery into small pieces and mix them with the following dressing: Pour a beaten egg into a small saucepan, add one-half cupful of vinegar, one-half cupful of milk or cream, one table-spoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook until thick, then cool and pour over the vegetables. Chill and serve on the lettuce leaves.

The Helping Hand, Montgomery, Alabama • Fri, Oct 20, 1916Page 3

Sunshine Cake. Beat six egg whites until stiff. Boll together a cupful of sugar and a quarter of a cupful of water until it hairs, pour over the whites, beat well and cool. Then beat the yolks of the eggs, add to the whites and a cupful of pastry flour sifted with a teaspoonful of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt, flavor and bake slowly for 40 to 60 minutes. Cover with frosting when cool.”

X – XMAS Meeting With Madge Brown

A-Z Challenge 2024, African-American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research, Alabama, Montgomery Alabama, One Place Study
Unnamed friend of my grandmother Fannie Turner Graham standing in for Madge Brown.

In 1918 and 1919 thirty-seven young women, friends and neighbors of my grandmother Fannie Mae Turner were members of the Edelweiss Club in Montgomery, Alabama. These are snapshots from their lives, place and times.

Click any image to enlarge

The_Emancipator December 25, 1918

The weather that Christmas day was clear and cold, with temperatures dipping down to 24 degrees.

Madge Brown

In the 1920 census, Madge Brown lived with her parents, John and Julia Brown. Both parents were born during slavery in the mid 1850s. They would have been teenagers when the Civil war ended and they were emancipated. Mr. Brown was a farmer and owned his own farm free and clear. He had a truck farm and a stall at the city market where he and his wife sold vegetables. Mrs. Brown gave birth to eight children and six were living.

Madge’s sister, Elizabeth B. Deramus, her husband, James and their one year old son shared the home. Elizabeth taught music and her husband was a medical doctor. All the adults in the household were literate. Madge taught at Booker T. Washington school.

Rites Held For Madge M. Brown Retired Teacher

Miss Madge M. Brown, local retired public school teacher died here Friday night following a lingering illness. She was the daughter of the late John Napolean and Julia Arrington Brown.

Having served in the local school system 30 years, she was honored 3 years ago at Carver High school on her retirement. Her professional career included assignments at Loveless and Carver High.

She was active in several social and civic organizations and was a member of Dexter Avenue Baptist Churh, the March Month Club of Deter, Beta Sigma Chapter of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and the local chapter of the National Federated Club.

Miss Brown was educated at Howard University and the local Alabama State Teachers College.

She is survived by two sisters, Mesdames N. Brown Saffold, Montgomery: Mrs. A. Brown Madison, Atlanta. Nieces included Medames Anna M. Blackwell, San Francisco, Cal’ Anne De Ramus Brown, Schenectady, N.Y., Dr. Helen dermus Mitchell, N. Y. City: nephews, Milton darden, Atlanta, Medames Laura Saffold Carter, Formosa (China), Mildred Banks, Baltimore, Md., June King, John Brown and Zisley Safford, all of this city.

Birmingham Mirror, Birmingham, Alabama • Sat, Feb 10, 1962 Page 10