George Harris and Mary J. Brooks reunite and remarry after 45 years

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

I noticed that the ad projects that there were incidents of loved ones from both families of Harris and Brooks. I also noticed that both Harris and Brooks were former slaves and had came from the same plantation originated in Fresno. There were separated by sale on 1859 in Louisiana. They were also already planning on getting remarried after their tragic split. I wonder how quick they decided to get married because it states that after losing a loved one, they came to a quick decision on being together for the rest of their lives. I also wonder how difficult it was to hold that commitment after not being able to see each other for a long period of time.

Time/Place:

This ad was published on July 1904. The events have occurred in Fresno County, Chicago, Louisiana and Tennessee. In the ad, it states that Harris and Brooks were from the same plantation which took place in Fresno. Within the transcript, In Fresno, on July 22nd, Harris and Brooks met each other once again. They decided to be life-long partners after being separated. They decided to live on an old plantation that was in the state of Louisiana. Harris was sold around 1859 to a plantar that have lived in Tennessee.

Implications/Conclusions:

During this time era, people were still being put into slavery and have been separated from their families. Former slaves still experienced hardships. Overall, Harris and Brooks were completely decided on remarrying each other after being split apart for forty five years. They have been married in the past. In module 2, there were some similarities that related towards this topic. In Jourdan Anderson’s letter, he writes to his former enslaver. He explains how he has been separated from his daughters and that he hopes they are in safe hands. There has been an absent gap between them and that is how it related to this topic.

Discussion Question:

How would you feel if you ran into someone you loved after 45 years has passed by?

If you were to be in Harris and Brook’s situation, would you consider remarrying after that long period of time?