Strength for the Journey

By Cleopatra Davis Williams

My great grandma Mandy, her mother, sister and many others were brought into the small community of Johnsonville in Conecuh County, Alabama by slave traders. She recounted many times to my grandmother the day she and her mother were separated from her sister by the slave traders. As they were being separated, she and her sister agreed that they would meet again someday, somehow. Even though she was young, she felt that they would overcome any obstacles and be reunited again. My great grandmother listened intently as the slave traders talked about going to Florida and in her childish way, she started formulating a plan. Even though it took some years, she was finally reunited with her sister. My grandma's face would beam as she began to tell Great Grandma Mandy's story of how she and the handsome young black man would sneak out of their cabins at night so that they could share their life stories. During those special times, she learned that he had been brought into South Carolina and had been sold to someone in Florida. After several years, my great-grandmother Mandy got up one morning in pursuit of her sister and went from place to place, plantation to plantation inquiring about how to get to Florida. Other slaves would allow her to stay overnight with them, providing a place for her to sleep and a meal. After finding a family who knew her sister, she was finally reunited with her. But Great Grandma was finally located and sent back to her owner in Franklintown.It is my hope that everyone who reads this book will gain insight into the faith and courage that it took for the slaves of yesteryear to become free people; that each person will find for themselves the faith and the courage that it takes to face every challenge in life boldly and with positive expectations; that this book will enable you, too, to find Strength for the Journey.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1508857881
• ISBN13: 9781508857884
• Release Date: September 2015
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 130 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"