A few months back we began selling a new book in our museums, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. Published in 1881, this happens to be the first known African American cookbook and a very rare work.

Cooking 125 years ago? Without the Food Network , the guidance of celebrity chefs  or Alton Brown ?

It was certainly a different world then, one in which cooking required more time and labor than it does today, as well as that all-important cook's touch. Those people really had to know what they were doing.

Mrs. Fisher certainly did.

Abby Fisher was an ex-slave from South Carolina who moved to San Francisco in the 1870s. She and her husband began a pickle and preserves manufacturing business. Mrs. Fisher was so well-known for her skill in the art of cooking (she was awarded medals and diplomas in many fairs in California) that she was asked by her "lady friends and patrons" to write a cookbook sharing her knowledge. Unable to read or write herself, she dictated the information (which explains her "Circuit Hash" [succotash] and "Carolas" [crullers] recipes).

Her cookbook was published by the Women's Cooperative Printing Union  — a union that came into existence with the support of Wells Fargo Bank superintendent James Latham, 50 years before women won the right to vote. Way to go, Mrs. Fisher and way to go, WCPU!

What Southern dishes does Mrs. Fisher share with us? Recipes for sauces, pickles and preserves abound, as these were her specialties and her line of business. The rest are recipes for various meats, breads, cakes, pies and other dishes — from turtle soup to ice cream.

And just to clarify, "Beef a la Mode"  is not served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Let's get cookin'!

Posted by Ileana at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Artifacts, At Home, Barbecue, Experts, Misc, Museums, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

If family is the root of Black culture, as Ebony surmised in 2002 , then family reunions strengthen those roots. With a goal of preserving the family, Black family reunions have become very popular over the past decade, and many families look forward to Juneteenth as a time to reconnect.

Parades, barbecues, fishing and baseball are traditional Juneteenth activities , but the holiday is traditionally focused on education and self improvement — speakers are brought in, and elders recount events of the past. A true Juneteenth celebration leaves families and friends heart-warmed from a day of fellowship and proud of a rich history of struggle and achievement.

These days, Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom, family, education and community. There are many ways to celebrate : from an outdoor cookout with traditional foods, to a special family gathering in the home.

To learn how Juneteenth celebrations have endured and evolved, start with a reading of its history . Plan a special event, and gather the family to acknowledge the importance of the holiday. Discuss your family's history. It is important to build a connection to your past. Separation is a fact of African American history, so genealogy is more than a hobby — it is the search for identity and the establishment of legacies.

Alex Haley said , "In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness."

Juneteenth is a day for everyone to celebrate history and freedom, as well as an opportunity for you to understand and appreciate your family's role among the generations. History is basically events in time, but it's also so much more — it is a force (like weather, maybe?) that affects how we move forward with our lives every day.

When we help each other understand who we were and what we’ve done over time, we can each understand a little better who we are and who we can become over time.

Posted by Charles at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, At Home, Get Involved, Holidays, Misc, Perspective, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Juneteenth  is a celebration that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19th, 1865, Union Army troops landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended.

This was two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation , which took effect on January 1, 1863. The Proclamation declared that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."

The Emancipation Proclamation, despite its enduring greatness, had some practical limitations. It applied only to states that had seceded  from the Union, not to Union states where slavery still existed, nor parts of the Confederacy that were under Union control. It was also an Act issued by President Lincoln  as Commander-in-Chief of the Union Army and Navy — the freedom it promised ultimately depended upon a Union victory.

So the Emancipation Proclamation was unenforceable in slave states during the war. Millions of African Americans in Confederate states were deprived of freedom.

But with the end of the Civil War, the Proclamation took effect everywhere. Enslaved Americans were free at last.

On June 19th, 1865, two months after the war ended, soldiers commanded by Major General Gordon Granger  landed at Galveston with the news: Freedom for African Americans in Texas was officially proclaimed. Juneteenth celebrations followed in ensuing years, as many former slaves and their descendants made a pilgrimage back to Galveston on the date. The gatherings began as a time for reassurance and prayer in Jim Crow  times, and helped bring family members together.

In the recent past, a number Juneteenth Organizations have emerged with the purposes of promoting official recognition of the holiday, and to cultivate knowledge and participation in African-American history and culture. Although Juneteenth has been celebrated since 1865, it wasn't until 1979 that Texas became the first state  to make it an official state holiday.

It may have started with Emancipation, but Juneteenth has evolved into much more — for African Americans the holiday honors memory and family, and celebrates freedom, culture, and achievement.

Posted by Charles at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Barbecue, Baseball, Events, Get Involved, Holidays, Misc, Participate, Perspective, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo is proud of its history in many respects, not the least of which is diversity. Our Chairman of the Board, Dick Kovacevich, says that our commitment to diversity makes Wells Fargo a better, stronger company. Diversity is who we are and has become an everyday part of our culture.

Brenda Ross-Dulan blogs today about Wells Fargo's announcement last week that demonstrates how our tradition of diversity remains as strong as ever. (CR)

As national spokeswoman for Wells Fargo's African American Business Services, I am always proud to represent the great strides Wells Fargo has taken to support the African American business community. This month, my role as spokesperson holds a special significance for me. Just recently, I had the privilege to announce that Wells Fargo has reached its goal, set in 1998, to lend $1 billion to African American business owners nationwide by 2010. That's right — we accomplished this goal two years early!

Reaching this significant lending milestone is a testament to the entrepreneurial vision and success of African American business owners. The African American business community is showing significant growth. In fact, according to the most recent (2002) U.S. Census data , there are more than one million African American-owned businesses in the U.S., a 45 percent increase over the 1997 census figure — that's four times the national average!

Wells Fargo is committed to supporting this growth by sponsoring African American organizations and activities in the communities it serves. Over the past ten years, the Wells Fargo Foundation has given more than $38 million to community organizations throughout the nation that serve African Americans.

Black History Month   is an opportune time to recognize the achievements of African American business owners — but this success extends far beyond the month of February. As we continue into 2008, Wells Fargo will be setting a new goal for African American business lending and we are excited to continue our long-term support of this important segment.

African American Business Services provides outreach and education to African American business owners through resources including workshops, seminars, tradeshows, and regional and national alliances. We maintain close relationships with national organizations including the National Black Chamber of Commerce , 100 Black Men of America  and the National Black MBA Association  (NBMBAA). As America's #1 small business lender, Wells Fargo has loaned close to $35 billion to women, African American, Latino and Asian business owners since 1995.

Posted by Charles at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Misc, Perspective, Wells Fargo Bank

Here's a video piece about George Monroe, the celebrated stagecoach driver we wrote about the other day! It's from a video Wells Fargo made a few years ago on our history, "Since 1852: The Universal Friend and Agent."

The piece is short, but it's vid which is über  hip. Welcome to Guided By History, progressive in all ways...

Share your story with us!

Posted by Charles at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Misc, Remember, Stagecoach, Transportation, Travel, Wells Fargo Bank

The story of Colonel George S.Roberts is one of our faves here at Wells Fargo History. There's a great addition to the story his wife told at a recent event honoring the Tuskegee Airmen.

When Col. Roberts retired from duty with the U.S. Army, he was job hunting and dropped into a Wells Fargo office to discuss opportunities. Roberts got to talking with the Branch Manager who, like Roberts, had served in the Second World War.

When the Manager learned Roberts was part of the famed flying squadron that had protected so many lives, he hired him on the spot. The Branch Manager understood that anyone who had accomplished what Roberts had was capable of handling the pressures of banking. Without a doubt.

Check out the short video piece below. It's from our production, a few years back, on Wells Fargo's 150-year (plus) history.

Share your story with us!

Posted by Charles at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, At Work, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Remember, Sacramento, Wells Fargo Bank

In Stagecoach days, drivers carried Wells Fargo treasure shipments and passengers across the frontier. It took skill to drive a coach and Wells Fargo added rigorous standards of its own: superior reinsmanship, self-reliance and upstanding character.

(FYI, it still takes driving talent and good character to drive Wells Fargo stagecoaches today.)

In 1855, 11-year old George Monroe came west from Georgia. When Monroe had grown, he came to exemplify the greatness of fact and legend of the best stagecoach drivers. He was described by his employers as "the best all-round reinsman in the West."

Early on, George Monroe exhibited a knack for training and driving horses. At age 22, he took a job driving for the A.H. Washburn and Company stage line into Yosemite . That stage line carried passengers and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express into Yosemite Valley. Monroe expertly navigated the treacherous cliff-side roads into the Valley and became the best driver around.

One time, the brakes of Monroe's coach failed between Mariposa  and Merced  while full of passengers. Monroe stayed cool, and at an opportune moment drove his team into a clump of brush, bringing the stage to a safe halt. Grateful passengers passed the hat and presented Monroe with $70.

In 1879, the celebrated Monroe was asked to carry a fellow celebrity into Yosemite — Ulysses S. Grant , 18th President of the United States. Grant's schedule took him and Mrs. Grant down the dangerous, 26-mile route into Yosemite Valley, with hairpin turns and fallen rocks and chuckholes. There was a stretch so narrow, the stagecoach's wheels brushed against the granite walls of the cliff. Inches from the other wheels was a thousand-foot gorge.

The crusty General chose to sit next to the driver, a place of honor in those days. An expert horseman in his own right, Grant's assessment of Monroe's skills would make or break his reputation as a stagecoach driver. Monroe did his magic and Grant was duly impressed: "He would throw those six animals from one side to the other," the President marveled, "to avoid a stone or a chuckhole as if they were a single horse."

By 1885, Monroe had driven two more Presidents to Yosemite: James A. Garfield and Rutherford B. Hayes, as well as General William T. Sherman. George Monroe died in 1886 when a stage overturned and mortally injured him. Ironically, Monroe was not the driver, but a passenger — it's a good bet he'd have avoided the accident entirely if he had been "in the box" as driver.

Posted by Charles at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Animals, At Work, Branding, Events, Experts, Misc, Remember, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

George S. "Spanky" Roberts was among the first African-Americans selected for pilot training at the famed Tuskegee Army Airfield . He commanded a fighter squadron and flew 78 combat missions over Europe in the Second World War. Upon retirement from the Air Force in 1968, Roberts embarked upon a second career as a banker for Wells Fargo.

The Tuskegee Airmen  story is one of the most inspiring of the Civil Rights era . In 1941, Congress mandated an all-African American flying unit within the U.S. Army Air Corps . In June, the 99th Fighter Squadron formed at Tuskegee Institute , the distinguished university founded in Alabama 60 years earlier by Booker T. Washington .

The African American squadrons were deployed the following summer in North African and Italian campaigns, which began the record of combat excellence the units established. Black pilots escorted bombers and flew raids, amassing an impressive number of enemy aircraft destroyed, in addition to the tremendous number of Allied bombers they protected. It was hard enough to protect cumbersome bombers from wispy attack planes; it was another thing entirely to keep them intact and shoot down attackers.

Black fighter pilots  took on double duty under the stress of combat, and did it with distinction.

George Roberts commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, which saw action over North Africa and Italy. After President Harry S. Truman desegregated the armed forces for good in 1948, Roberts became the first African American officer to command a racially-mixed unit at Langley Air Force Base  in 1950. Roberts returned to combat in Korea, commanding the 51st Air Base Group and the Air Force base at Suwon.

During the Cold War, Colonel Roberts oversaw logistics for most of the Air Force's fighters and all of its missiles in the Pacific. During his 26-year military career, Roberts was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross , Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, eleven battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citations .

When Colonel Roberts was preparing for retirement from uniform, he was recruited into a banking career by a fellow former pilot and Wells Fargo banker. In 1968, Roberts moved into a new career as a credit officer for Wells Fargo in Sacramento, California. He retired from Wells Fargo in 1982, and died soon after. In honor of his distinguished career, the Sacramento chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen  is named after Colonel Roberts.

Posted by Charles at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History

As we celebrate the significant contributions of famous African Americans this month, I think it's important to introduce our collective memory to the often forgotten local heroes and pioneers of African American history. In the 1880 census, 31 African Americans lived in the area of Julian, California . That number, small as it was, constituted 60% of the entire African American population in San Diego County. The town of Julian, located in the back mountainous country of San Diego County and long known for its gold (and more recently for its apples ) is also where early African American pioneers made their mark on San Diego.

One of those pioneers was A.E. "Fred" Coleman . A former slave, Coleman had spent some time in the gold fields of northern California during the '49 gold rush. In 1869, Coleman was a cattle herder living in the area of Julian. One day, after leading his horse to a small creek, Coleman looked into the stream and discovered the unmistakable glitter of gold...and the Julian Gold Rush  was on!

Coleman was soon elected Recorder of the newly formed Coleman Mining District. Between 1870 and 1875, the Julian mines produced about $2 million in gold. The creek where Coleman made his discovery was renamed Coleman Creek . And a nearby street, Coleman Circle , was also named in his honor.

Another pioneer, Albert Robinson, originally came to California as a slave. Robinson won his freedom and moved to Julian around 1880. With his wife Margret, he opened the Robinson Restaurant and Bakery. Margret's reputation for good cooking and hospitality brought in so many customers that Albert soon added rooms to the restaurant. The new Robinson Hotel became very popular during the Julian boom times and beyond. The Robinson's owned and operated the hotel for 28 years. The Robinson Hotel, (presently known as the Julian Gold Rush Hotel ) has been in operation for over a hundred years and is the "oldest continuously operated hotel in southern California" according to the National Register of Historic Places .

These are just three of the African American pioneers who helped shape San Diego County. I invite everyone to do a little digging and learn more about little-known African American pioneers in your own town. For more on Black pioneers in San Diego, check out this article  from the Journal of San Diego History.

Posted by Casey at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in African American History, Gold, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, San Diego, Wells Fargo Bank

Here's a video piece that works nicely with our story about William M. Robison, from the other day. It's from a video Wells Fargo made a few years ago on our history, "Since 1852: The Universal Friend and Agent."

The piece is short, but it gives a little more detail for your Robison files. Which, I assume, you are accumulating?

Share your story with us!

Posted by Charles at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Misc, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

For forty years, William Robison was the Express Messenger who carried Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express between Stockton, California   and the Sierra Nevada gold mines . He was active in community affairs and worked forcefully to protect the civil rights of African Americans in California. What distinguishes Robison's accomplishments is the fact that he was active in an era when African Americans faced the hardest attitudes against them: the era of slavery and Jim Crow , 1850-1899.

Born into slavery in Virginia, Robison gained his freedom in 1836 after serving with the U.S. Army in the "Seminole War ." Robison came to California during the Mexican War  and settled in Stockton in 1850. Following a stint at mining (like just about everyone in those years!), he worked for Page, Bacon & Co. , California's largest bank. Robison then hired on with Adams & Co.'s  express business. His route was from Stockton to the mines, carrying mail and newspapers to be first with the news. Adams & Co. crashed in the financial panic of 1855 and Wells Fargo happily hired Robison. He worked for Wells Fargo for another forty years.

Robison actively fought for civil rights. He was a delegate to the State Convention of Colored Citizens in 1856 , which circulated petitions to allow non-Whites to testify in court cases. In the early 1870s, Robison worked to integrate Stockton's schools.

In pre-Civil War years, California was a Free State  and Robison was not quiet about reminding people of that fact. Robison took action as well: According to Stockton historian Virginia L. Struhsaker, Robison was one of an armed band that liberated slaves held illegally in San Joaquin County. An African American man took a huge risk by participating in such an act because negative attitudes were everywhere, even in Free States.

In 1861, for instance, a business agent along Robison's Messenger route protested the employment of a black wagon driver. George Tighlman, Wells Fargo's cashier in the Stockton office, sarcastically replied, "we are obliged to you for your advice...We get along very well with ours; have never had any trouble."

Robison was a respected man in his community. Even the pro-slavery San Joaquin Republican  praised him as "a worthy and noticeable man," noted for "his remarkable kindnesses." Robison was a member of the Stockton Pioneer Society, one of many such organizations formed in that era by "Forty-niners"  and other early-comers to the Golden State. At his death in 1899, other Pioneers wrote of Robison's trustworthiness and the positions of responsibility he held.

In sum: Robison had a military career and claimed his freedom, stayed in one job for decades, was active in civic affairs, joined community organizations, risked his life for justice — and leaves a primary legend as being a great guy. Robison is THE model of citizenship. It's an honor to work with him.

Posted by Charles at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in African American History, At Work, Gold, Misc, Perspective, Protests, Remember, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

Guided By History is pleased to feature this guest post by Cheryl L. McDonald. Cheryl is Wells Fargo's vice president of Diverse Growth Segments specializing in the African American segment. This team develops initiatives to address the financial needs of diverse and emerging customer groups nationwide. She is responsible for planning business strategies and marketing programs for the African American market — then making them happen. (CR)

I always look forward to Black History Month  because invariably I learn something new about the historical achievements of African Americans. One of my favorite little-known "jewels of history" is the Pattersons of Greenfield, Ohio . They were an African American family who manufactured cars, trucks and buses.

The patriarch of the family was Charles Richard Patterson , a blacksmith who escaped from slavery in Virginia by running away to freedom. In Ohio, Patterson took over a blacksmith business and founded the Charles R. Patterson Carriage Company , which built horse-drawn vehicles in the 1860s. When Patterson died, his son Frederick Douglass Patterson  took over and produced the new "horseless carriage." The Patterson family manufactured their first car in 1915 and called their line the Patterson-Greenfield .

The Patterson Company produced cars until they could no longer compete with larger companies. Apparently there was a better market for custom-bodied vehicles, and the company decided to cease production of cars and concentrate efforts on such products as buses, hearses, moving vans, and trucks for hauling ice, milk and baked goods.

Only in recent years have we learned about the remarkable history of the Patterson family's manufacture of motorized vehicles well into the late 1930s.

Please share some of the little-known "jewels" of African American history that you run across this month. Use the "Feedback" button at the bottom of the page, or send it to "Ask the Expert" to your right. Or just send a comment to us!

Posted by Charles at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in African American History, Misc, Perspective, Remember, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

It's February (already?!) and that means Black History Month . Black History Month acknowledges the contributions to American life made by African Americans: yesterday, today and in days to come. Wells Fargo History.com has a series of short videos that give a brief overview of Wells Fargo's heritage and the part diversity plays  in that heritage.

Throughout Black History Month , Guided By History will feature stories of African American contributions to this heritage, in the past and today.

Posted by Charles at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in African American History, At Work, Holidays, Misc, Participate, Perspective, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank