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    map

    Colton's new topographical map of the eastern portion of the State of North Carolina with part of Virginia & South Carolina from the latest & best authorities. 1861. https://www.loc.gov/item/99447448/

    I recently saw an episode of Finding your Roots on PBS where Henry Louis Gates Jr. shared his genealogy discoveries with Pharrell Williams. One of the most moving segments came from excerpts from the first-person Slave Narrative by his relative Jane Arrington. The entire experience was emotional and it was heartbreaking to watch the response from Mr. Williams.  After finding and reading her entry in the Library of Congress collections, I tried to look for clues of where Jane and her family lived prior to the Civil War.  

    Perhaps your students would be interested to analyze how Nash County, NC changed by comparing maps from 1861, 1870's and present day on Google maps.  What clues does she give in her account? What places are mentioned?  Can you find them on the historic maps or on Google maps?  What towns existed in the 1860's that are gone now?  Based on evidence, can you speculate why?  What other ways could you explore this difficult time period by reading this and other Slave Narratives?

    The following links might be helpful:

    Youtube video segment from Ancestry: Pharrell Williams and Slave Narrative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwSC0ffg5iY 

    PBS Passport is required to view the entire episode. "Write My Name in the Book of Life." Finding Your Roots, Season 7, Episode 5, February 16, 2021., but it is well worth the effort: https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/about/meet-our-guests/pharrell-williams

    Slave Narrative Volume II North Carolina Part 1, Adams-Hunter https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn111/

    Images 48-53 are from the interview of Jane Arrington, Pharrell Williams’ great-great-great-aunt.

    Image 48: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mesn.111/?sp=48

    Image 49: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mesn.111/?sp=49

    Image 50: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mesn.111/?sp=50

    Image 51: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mesn.111/?sp=51

    Image 52: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mesn.111/?sp=52

    Image 53: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mesn.111/?sp=53

    map

    Pearce's new map of the state of North Carolina : constructed from actual surveys, authentic public documents and private contributions. 187-?

    https://www.loc.gov/item/2009582408/

      English/Language Arts    Social Studies/History    6 - 8    9 - 12    13+  

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    Love this lesson! Thank you for sharing. It would be a great one to connect kids to today and yesterday. 

    Thanks for posting this outstanding discussion and ideas for classrooms extensions!

    I saw that episode as well and how Gates had to stop the program to give Williams time to process what he had learned.

    You could also bring in Sanborn maps as we have some for Nash County, North Carolina.

    I'm sure this could be replicated with other maps in other area and perhaps with helping students understand changing country names and boundaries using maps from around the world.

    Thanks for creating this Sherrie.

    The episode was very moving and I think seeing and feeling with Mr. Williams would be a powerful experience for students as it was for me.  Thanks for the ideas   Danna Bell  .  My best guess was that they lived near the town of Peach Tree Grove.  I'm sure there must be a list of plantation locations, too. 

    Finding Your Roots is often so powerful. What a great idea to turn it into a lesson. I think Mr. Williams and Dr. Gates would both approve!

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