Sometimes the greatest part of writing a book is the process. I have been working on this book for several years. Recently I renewed my focus for getting this project done. I have been pouring over documents and finding things I never would have dreamed of such as the book where James Marshall registered to vote and a marriage verification for Nancy Ross to Peter Gooch, Pearley Monroe’s real signature, along with the original receipt that was written from James Marshall’s probate stating that Andrew Monroe was paid $10.00 to dig Marshall’s grave.
Coloma
This is a real photo of the Monroe Family.. Andrew, Sarah Ellen and their kids. Pearley is n the back row standing next to Grant. I am so excited to be able to include some real photos in “The Adventures of Pearley Monroe” and some other facts about what life was like and the policies that helped shape the state such as the Arch Lee case and the necessity of having manumission papers.
Today, I was working on the chapter “Good-bye Rose”. One of the songs that would have been part of a keening, where slaves sang into a bucket of water to keep their voices from echoing into the night air, would have been “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”.
Looking forward to doing some more research,writing and being inspired by this amazing story.
What have you been inspired by lately?
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