In Black and White: Cross-Cultural Genealogy

Available at: Amazon.com Recently I received two InterLibrary Loans, both of them about apprenticeships in North Carolina. The first, which I am currently reading, is Labor of Innocents: Forced Apprenticeship in North Carolina, 1715-1919 , by Karin L. Zipf (2005). Still in the first chapter, I have already begun to understand the world view of the elite white establishment...going so far as to create a judicial network of wealthy property owners. I was surprised at the discussion about laws in North Carolina concerning eligibility for voting in elections. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, but the more wealth a Caucasian male could produce, the more types of elections he became eligible to vote in, and only the wealthiest could qualify to run for an office...most of which dealt a life-term. Gender also played a large role in power. No surprise there...except that upon a husband's death, a surviving wife was required to petition the court to receive a return of her dower, up to...

I just read such an excellent post by a writing coach I follow which rang so true I had to share it with you here: To Dream, Perchance to Cry , by C.S. Lakin, the author of the blog, Live Write Thrive.  Not only do I feel like that at the end of a completed project, I feel those same waves of momentary depression and perhaps envy mixed with a bit of discouragement every time I finish reading a really good book...watch a really good movie...and I wonder if I'll ever finish...if it will ever get published. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. My writing time is not consistent because it is my "other" job...the one that comes after the day job, which often leaves me drained...my eyes feeling heavy soon after I begin reading a bit of research to help me solve a plot or character problem. I write family history memoir and find I get bogged down because of trying to find the detail which moves the story forward and makes the characters believable. Analysis of facts...

Estate Inventory for Abel Carter,  p. 1 FamilySearch.org: North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1964   Once I located the estate records of my husband's ancestors, I began transcribing them and soon discovered that I needed to create a dictionary for many of the items recorded in these pages.  Below is a transcription of the items listed. Those printed in bold face must be defined. NOTE:  I have omitted the names of buyers and valuations. I have also maintained the original spellings. Estate of Abel Carter Deceased June 13, 1807 the Count of Sail 1 case with bottles, 11 pewter spoons, 1 case and 1 vial,  1 hackle and mouse trap,  2   slays and guears,  1 adds and howel,  1 plain and drawing knife,  1 peck,  1 pail and kealer,  1 tub and pail, 1 gun, 1 earthen pot, 1 wedge, 3 hoes, 3 razors and shaving box, 1 hat, wooling wheel without rim , 1 pail of trumpery , 2 pot trammels , 1 sp...