Month: March 2019

The Lives of Lewis H. Bailey and Annie B. Rose

Behind the scenes of the Alexandria Gazette Packet’s article on, “The Lives of Lewis H. Bailey and Annie B. Rose: Former slave established churches; his daughter was devoted to her community – dated March 14, 2019.

Over thirty years ago, I met an elderly woman in early April of 1989 coming into the Alexandria Black History Museum in Alexandria, Virginia where I volunteered my genealogical expertise to patrons. I had just returned to the United States from Sierra Leone, West African in March of 1989 when I was blessed with meeting Mrs. Annie B. Rose. At that time, I did not know how powerful this meeting was until many years later.

Mrs. Annie B. Rose died in the same month that I met her but I believe we were brought together for a reason. It took me thirty years to figure it out, that her life story has been my life time preparation in researching families who ancestors were slaves. Mrs. Rose was the daughter of a former slave. Her life and her father’s life have inspired many people who knew them. For me, it was ordained by a higher being that I meet such a lady before she made her spiritual journey.

You can read my article, “The Lives of Lewis H. Bailey and Annie B. Rose in the Alexandria Gazette Packet on page 11 at

Click to access Alexandria.pdf

From Slavery to Principal

John F. Parker
Snowden School for Boys

Behind the scenes of the Alexandria Gazette Packet’s article on, “From Slavery to Principal” February 28, 2019.

I have been researching John F. Parker, the second principal of Snowden School for Boys for a number of years, I found that his accomplishments and his strength to endure hardship and health issues were extremely courageous.

He was born into slavery on his owner’s plantation in Alexandria. After he was emancipated, he worked for several years before becoming a teacher then a principal. Unfortunately for him and his wife, their only child died before his 10th birthday. John had a brother, William Madison Mason Parker who married Mary Hooe. They had several children. Through his brother’s children and grandchild, John’s legacy is known today. His great-nephews and nieces are the Taylor family, Donald, Charlene, John and Alvin; his Dogan family, Bettie and Thelma (Sugar); his Burke family is Frances Burke; he also has many more relatives and great-great nieces and nephews that hold their heads up high because John was such a great man.

You can read the article, “From Slavery to Principal, from the Alexandria Gazette Packet on page 6 at http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2019/022719/Alexandria.pdf.

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