Congratulations and Thank You Valencia:

Pardon my delay in congratulating you on Afrigeneas' Reconstruction Research Forum. I wanted my first message to include a link that resonates the spirit of this forum and contributes to the history of African American genealogy.

The African American women described in this article would be pleased, surprised and grateful to know that a century and a half later, Afrigeneas.com created an electronic forum for researching the black experience.

"Sweet Dreams of Freedom: Freedwomen's Reconstruction of Life and Labor in Lowcountry South Carolina" by Leslie A. Schwalm describes the transition from slavery to freedom. The article gives the reader a unique view of Reconstruction through the prism of their experience.

The diaries of slave owners and confederate men and women are chock full of descriptions about their former slaves. In doing so, their resentful descriptions present a different persona than the antebellum slave. Mammy and faithful Uncle Mose have shuffled away. In their place are women like Peggy who are very well informed about their rights as free persons. The author describes many more.

Thanks for your continued dedication and leadership, Valencia. Enjoy the article.

K Wyer Lane