And Grace Will Lead Me Home - by Michelle M Mears (Hardcover)

About the Book

Fleshing out the births and deaths of fifteen post-Civil War communities

Book Synopsis

After the Civil War ended in 1865, many freed slaves in central Texas began new lives in or near the capital city. At least fifteen freedmen communities formed in Austin proper and nearby rural settlements, but most, for various reasons, had disappeared by 1928--when the city implemented a master plan that encouraged blacks to move into a single, racially-segregated section of town. Covering the births and deaths of these communities, And Grace Will Lead Me Home also illuminates what life was like for African Americans who lived there. Michelle M. Mears's careful combing of archival sources fleshes out life's amenities as well as the essentials of life for freedmen and their families.

Review Quotes

"[Mears] add[s] to our understanding African American life in the post-Civil War years. . . . [and] provides a unique view into the small African American settlements in the late nineteenth century.'' -- Cary D. Wintz "Texas Southern University"

"And Grace Will Lead Me Home is a deeply researched and extensively illustrated analysis of how once-enslaved African Americans built their lives as Freedmen in communities located in and around Austin. This is local history at its best." -- Randolph "Mike" Campbell "University of North Texas"

[Mears] add[s] to our understanding African American life in the post-Civil War years. . . . [and] provides a unique view into the small African American settlements in the late nineteenth century. -- Cary D. Wintz "Texas Southern University"

About the Author

Michelle M. Mears, university archivist at the University of North Texas, has been researching African American history in the Austin area for many years and has published articles on the subject. A native of Austin, Texas, she has held archivist and librarian positions with Scott and White Hospital in Temple, the Texas Historical Commission in Austin, and the Research Medical Library at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.