150 Years Later (Paperback) | Released: 28 Jul 2011

150 Years Later is a unique story of DISCOVERY, TRIUMPH, and CELEBRATION. No other book unravels a historical mystery that led to an unprecedented family reunion. This book takes readers on a mouth-dropping quest that mended ties that were broken during slavery. In 1859 near Abbeville, South Carolina, 12-year-old Bill Reed was forever separated from his family. His father was sold away, and his mother, grandmother, and other family members were all taken away from the state soon afterwards. Waving goodbye to them, young Bill would never lay eyes on them ever again. He left South Carolina in 1866, shortly after he was emancipated, and moved to northern Mississippi after he was told that Mississippi was the "land of milk and honey with fat pigs running around with apples in their mouths." He died near Senatobia in 1937, at the age of 91, never learning that his family had been within 75 miles away from him, also in northern Mississippi. 150 Years Later is a riveting story of discovery that chronicles Collier's relentless journey of unearthing his great-grandfather Bill's mysterious history, finding his family's whereabouts and their living descendants, and breaking down barriers to mend the broken ties in an emotional reunion in 2009 - 150 years later. The involuntary break-up of families during slavery due to selling and other means was very common. However, the discovery of those lost branches and the reuniting of the descendants after 150 years is uncommon. This is what makes 150 Years Later very captivating and uplifting.
About the Author: Author Melvin J. Collier, a former archivist, historian, genealogist, and a former civil engineer, has been conducting historical and genealogical research for nearly two decades. He was only 19 years old when he began a quest to trace the histories of his family. His first book, Mississippi to Africa, A Journey of Discovery, was published in 2008. A native of Canton, Mississippi, Collier appeared on the NBC show, Who Do You Think You Are, as one of the expert genealogists of the Spike Lee episode in 2010. He continues to give numerous workshops and presentations on historical and genealogical subjects. Collier received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in African-American Studies from Clark Atlanta University, 2008. Melvin Collier can be reached at MelvinJCollierATyahoo.com. Replace AT with @.