This book is about local history of families in an approximately 300-square-mile region of Yazoo County in central Mississippi from 1865 to 1965. It sketches the lives of these African Americans in a violent environment. It transcribes the 1865-66 plantation census of the county. It identifies relatives who fought in the Civil War, and points out the betrayal of Southern United States Colored Troops by Reconstruction presidents. It discusses survival skills, and compares life spans of two generations. Addressing unpleasantness it fills gaps left by oral family history.