The Blacks were a distinguished African American family who resided in Clinton through the Reconstruction. Frank Black (1868-1928) was a farmer, mail carrier, and chairman of the Republican Party of Jones County. Frank and his wife, Sally Barfield Black (1871-1964), of African and Mexican ancestry ((pictured below), had one known child, Frank Butler Black (1893-1979). He served in the United States’ Army during World War I. The Black family exemplifies how African Americans of Jones County sought land ownership, engaged in civic activities, and served in the US armed forces (Spanish-American War, World War I) during the post-Reconstruction decades and early twentieth century. These activities demonstrated their ability to be productive, patriotic Americans and to resist the social forces that attempted to prevent them from voting and exercising other rights of citizenship. Like William and Ellen Craft, who escaped middle Georgia specifically so that their future children could never be sold from them, the Black family cultivated a secure household and maintained the close bonds of love and affection that slavery threatened through constant sales and forced separation. Sources Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Archives, University System of Georgia Type: Story
