One More Valley, One More Hill, Post 3

Chapters 2-3

"Jumping the Broom"
A phrase used when
slaves get married

In the first sentence of chapter 2, the author jumps to the time when Clara is 18 years old, in 1818. Clara's owner bought another slave, Richard. He proposed to Clara, Clara said yes, and that was that. Wait, no it wasn't! In order for slaves to marry they had to ask permission from their owners. Not only did he allow it, he and his wife planned a grand wedding. I find it amazing that a slaveowner would care that much to actually plan a wedding. Believe it or not, Clara and her husband actually got to live together, a rarity in her time. Richard was a carpenter, and he was very good at it.

Within two years after her marriage, Clara had her first child. By 1826, Clara had a total of four children. Clara did not get to name her own children, because they were classified as "property". The master always named the slaves' children.

Suddenly, when Clara was about 34 years old, her life was changed forever. Her daughter, Paulina Ann, drowned in the creek. All efforts were made to save her, but none prevailed. Paulina Ann's twin sister turned into a mess. She had crying fits constantly, and could not control herself. People said she was crazy, but Clara knew that wasn't true. Within two more years, Clara's mother died, and so did Master Smith. Needless to say, life was hard on Clara. Money was tight for the Smiths, and they had to sell some things, including slaves. Clara and her family were put up for auction, at what I think seemed to be like a state fair (minus the slaves). There was music, lemonade, dancing, and slaves for sale. Clara cringed as her daughter was taken away from her.

One More Valley, One More Hill, Post 2

Chapter 1

The first chapter covers the early life of Clara Brown. Clara was a black slave born in the early 1800s. Her exact date of birth is unknown because no one cared to record the birth of colored people. In my opinion, she was an amazing child. At about 9 years old she worked all day. At that point, she already knew how to "Bake a pie, darn a sock, mend a hole in a shoe, and launder and press a fine Sunday shirt." (Lowery, Linda. "One More Valley, One More Hill: The Story of Aunt Clara Brown". p7. Random House, Inc. 2002.) She even prepared chicken stew for dinner. 

Running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
A term used in Clara's day. 

Clara was lucky enough to live with her mother, which I think is a blessing God brought upon her. Clara was also lucky enough to attend church, another rarity among slaves. She did however, have to sit in the "Colored" section near the back (no surprise there).  I say she was lucky to attend church because most of the time, slaveowners would take off for church and leave their slaves at home to congregate in the fields. Preachers would teach them verses like "Servants, obey your masters". Many slaves did not know verses existed about equality, freedom, and joy. 

What Clara describes as the most important moment in her life was when she was saved. In 1810 (Clara was probably 10 years old), a huge gathering took place at the Muddy River. They sang songs, they prayed, they shared Bible verses, and the preacher preached. Clara says, "Lordy me, darlin', I was nothing but a child when God came to me and took me to Jesus." She relied on God during tough times, and her faith played an important role in her life. I find this fascinating. I don't believe she would have done as well in life without Jesus. 

Stay tuned for more coming next week!

One More Valley, One More Hill, Post 1: About the Author

Hey guys! My assignment for English class is to jot down my thoughts of a book I’m reading in a blog. I’m reading “One More Valley, One More Hill: The Story of Aunt Clara Brown” by Linda Lowery. Before we get into everything, I’ll tell you a little bit about the author. 

Linda Lowery

New York Times Bestseller Linda Lowery was born in 1949. She was raised in Chicago, and after graduating from college, went on to travel the world. She worked as a hotel convention manager, circus assistant, French teacher, travel consultant, and flight attendant. After visiting numerous countries, she decided to slow down. She had a son, Kris, and became an author. She completed twelve books in Wisconsin, including the well-known “Martin Luther King Jr. Day”. Her family moved to Colorado in 1988, where she learned about Clara Brown. She wrote two books about this incredible woman. Her and her husband, Rick, have written over fifty books varying in genera. Mostly children’s books, Lowerey has written books geared at helping victims of child abuse, educational books,  environmental education books, picture books, adventure series, and more. She says, “Ever since I was in second grade, I wrote my thoughts and feelings in diaries, and I wrote poems. A lot of these writings were about treatment of children. I wanted life to be fair, and I saw very early that life is often unfair, especially for kids. Even when I was growing up, I was extremely aware of kids who were left out because they were a different color from most of us, or because their English wasn't very good, or because they had ideas that were considered weird. … I was very secretive about the things I wrote because it seemed sometimes that my view of life was very different from everybody else's and I didn't want to be criticized. I wrote in my bedroom closet, I wrote under the dining room table, I wrote in corner chairs of the library.” “If there is anything I want to give children through my books, it is hope. There are so many wonderful, powerful people who have worked hard to make this planet a better place. They see prejudice and pain and injustice, and they decide to take steps to make a difference. Change didn't come easily for Martin Luther King, Jr., or for any of those people who have made a difference. It doesn't come easily for any of us, but there is always hope that we will find a way to make it better.”

Linda Lowery is still writing today. She’s illustrated twelve of her books that she’s written so far.