This column, rather appropriately titled “Buried Truth,” provides accounts of African-American heritage that have for too long been ignored, overlooked, hidden, denied or misrepresented. As the author, I do not claim to be the only one sharing this history, thank goodness and grace, because it is far too vast for one person! It requires the …
To the emancipated former slave, ownership of a piece of rich, red loam was an empowering thing. As stated in “Black Farmers in America,” by John Francis Ficara and Juan Williams, “It was true emancipation—no one could confuse a slave with a landowner.” Owning land historically has been a motivating force for all Americans, sustaining …
I am thrilled to report that the Orange County African-American Historical Society (OCAAHS) will host its first-ever awards banquet. Now, this may seem somewhat humdrum to a lot of folks, but that would be an incorrect assumption. OCAAHS was founded in 2001 and adopted the following mission statement: “The Orange County African-American Historical Society (OCAAHS) …
Oliver Lewis: 1856-1924, born in Fayette County, KY he was the winning jockey in the first running of the Kentucky Derby An excerpt from last week’s column and the hunt for living descendants of those whose ancestors had worked for Marion duPont Scott’s horse business: “There were a depressing …
I wish to take a few minutes out of the research schedule to share a few thoughts as to why the work I am privileged to do is so very gratifying. If I am successful in this type of storytelling, many more of you will come on board to enjoy the ride! Ferreting out the …
Have you met “Pete” Hill? John Preston “Pete” Hill was an outstanding Negro Leagues Baseball player often talked about in the same sentence as the better-known Babe Ruth. In July of 2006, a man named Joseph Preston “Pete” Hill, born in Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1880, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, …
By August 2009, the path to Hill’s personal life including his correct name, birthplace and birth date was well worn by at least a half dozen baseball historians. Yet, the data had not been compiled, analyzed and concluded. This was my first foray into the vast world of baseball history and I was duly impressed …
Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Buena, Culpeper Co., VA Research has proven irrefutably that Pete Hill was born in Virginia. But Virginia is a vast state and a birthplace often provides the single thread, imbued with color, character and strength, that connects the generations. Pete Hill’s Social Security application recorded Rapidan, Va., as his birthplace. …
Photo of Lizzie Seals contributed by the Pete Hill’s descendants. Baseball Hall of Famer and most likely the son of former slaves, John Preston “Pete” Hill, born in the village of Buena, Culpeper County, Va. in 1882, lived his entire adult life north of the Mason-Dixon Line. He played ball, not for fame or fortune, …
Photo of Reuben W. Hill believed to be the father of John Preston “Pete” Hill courtesy of West Virginia archives The Hills William and Betty Hill of Madison County, perhaps members of the well-known, lighter-skinned Hill family of Culpeper and Madison, settled in the Buena area as early as 1870. Migrating with them were numerous …