Archive for the ‘Plantation Life’ Category
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
Baker-Presents-His-Book-to-Mrs-Cooper
While in Atlanta for a presentation and book signing at Auburn Research Library for the National Black Arts Festival in February I had the honor of presenting Mrs. Ann Nixon Cooper a copy of my book; The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom. I also had Mrs. Cooper to sign a copy of the book for me on the page she was pictured on. Mrs. Cooper is now 107 years old.
Tags:Ann Nixon Cooper, Auburn Research Library, John Baker, National Black Arts Festival, Wessyngton Plantation
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | Comments Closed
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Native American Arrowheads found at Wessyngton
Based on arrowheads found on Wessyngton Plantation, Native Americans lived in the area thousands of years ago. Arrowheads and other Native American artifacts have been found at Wessyngton by farmers plowing the fields for many years.
During the Cherokee removal known as the Trail of Tears during the 1830s, hundreds of Native Americans passed through Robertson County, Tennessee. Descendants of the Washington family and African Americans who lived at Wessyngton told their descendants that Native Americans came to the Wessyngton mansion to get food and water enroute to Port Royal. They were marched from Port Royal to Hopkinsville, Kentucky where they spent the winter of 1838-39. From Hopkinsville they were forced on to the reservations in Oklahoma.
Tags:Arrowheads, Cherokee, Cherokee Removals, Hopkinsville Kentucky, Indian Artifacts, Indians, Native Americans, Port Royal Tennessee, Trail of Tears, Washington family, Wessyngton Plantation
Posted in Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | Comments Closed
Friday, May 1st, 2009
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5373517&nav=menu374_9
On March 31st I was honored to have Tuwanda Coleman interview me for the Plus Side of Nashville about the release of my book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom. I really enjoyed being on the show. Mrs. Coleman asked how my research started more than thirty years ago, how I got a book deal with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster and my future plans.
Tags:Ann Nixon Cooper, Atria Books, Barack Obama, black history, DNA Testing, family tree, Genealogy & DNA, News Channel 5, Plus, Plus Side of Nashville, President Obama, Roots, Simon & Schuster, Slavery, Tennessee history, Tuwanda Coleman, Wessyngton Plantation
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research | Comments Closed
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Emanuel Washington Portrait by Howard Weeden
During the late 1890s and early 1900s the Washington family commissioned [Maria] Howard Weeden to paint the portraits of several African Americans who were once enslaved on Wessyngton Plantation. One of them was of my great-great-grandfather Emanuel Washington. During the Civil War Emanuel ran away with Union soldiers. He and his family returned to Wessyngton after the war. Emanuel was famous for telling ghost stories to all the children on the plantation. He was born at Wessyngton April 23, 1824 and died there in 1907. His portrait remains in the Washington family.
Tags:Adams, Bell Witch, cedar hill, Emanuel Washington, ghosts, Howard Weeden, portrait, story telling, Weeden Museum
Posted in Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Plantation Life | Comments Closed
Friday, March 13th, 2009
I invite you to listen to an indepth interview: On with Leon Presents John F. Baker Jr. with host Dr. Leon Wilmer.
http://www.wilmerleon.com/shows/022109-JB.mp3
Tags:African American History, Black History Month, Civil War, DNA Research, Dr. Leon Wilmer, education, Emancipation, Genealogy & DNA, Slavery, Tennessee history, Wessyngton
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Civil War, Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Introduction & Personal, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | Comments Closed
Thursday, March 12th, 2009
I invite you to listen to an indepth interview: The African American Literary Review Presents an Evening With John F. Baker Jr. with host Tracey Ricks Foster.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tracey-ricks-foster/2009/03/05/the-african-american-literary-review-presents-and-evening-with-john-f-baker
Tags:African American History, DNA Research, Genealogy & DNA, President Barack Obama, Roots, The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation, Washington
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Genealogy & DNA, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | Comments Closed
Saturday, February 21st, 2009
While in Evansville, IN a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting a new cousin, Mildred Moore Robinson. When she saw my book cover she was very surprised and told me that she had the same picture in an old album. It turned out that the photograph she had was an original and had my great-great-grandfather’s name (Emanuel Washington) written on the back of it. He he had paid forty cents for the photograph which was nearly a day’s pay. The photo had been passed to his daughter Martha Washington White, who was Ms. Robinson’s maternal grandmother. I was honored when Cousin Mildred gave me the photograph.
Original 1891 Wessyngton Photo
Tags:baptism, cedar hill, school, Wessyngton
Posted in Book Tour & Reviews, Plantation Life | Comments Closed
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
I invite you to watch a short video in which I describe my research:
Wessyngton Plantation Research
Tags:African American, Black History Month, Civil War, dna, Emancipation, Genealogy & DNA, history, Plantation, Research, Roots, Slavery, Washington, Wessyngton
Posted in Current Events, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews, Plantation Life, Research, Videos & Audios | Comments Closed