Mystery of Margarett Booker: One Woman's Triumph Over Slavery in West Virginia to Ohio

Sold for one dollar on your twelfth birthday? Margarett Booker, a Black woman with five children by the man who enslaved her, traveled to freedom in the midst of the American Civil War. From Beverly West Virginia to Barnesville Ohio by buckboard, Margaret's extraordinary pluck and survival skills fueled her journey and gave her children a chance to grow up in the freedom she had only begun to taste. Once settled, Margaret built a home business in a thriving community of Black and Quaker families.

Winner, International Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Book Award

Review: Margarett Booker Asserts Her Birthright in Truth!

Falling in love with Margarett Booker the very first time I heard her exclaim, "Once upon a time in Ol' Virginny! You feel her presence while she recited the history of her lineage. In true Griot fashion, Margarett lulls her listeners into those memorable times in her life that many can relate to. The author gives us an ironclad research method within the writing, especially when geographical markers, roads and bridges are mentioned. There's a point in this work where I'm excited to read a Civil War, "Gone With the Wind" type of account from a matriarchal elder. Excellent book!
Tanisha L. Watson, Educator and Genealogist

A Striking Tale in Historical Context Not to be Missed
The author has created an important story of family and history! The Mystery of Margarett Booker surpassed my expectations. The illustrative writing pulls you into the story and you cannot put this book down. Her stories are remarkable and historically accurate told from and in her ancestor's voice. Children, there are often two sides to every story depending on who is telling it. This is a historical text not to be missed.
Robin A. Harris, M.Ed