My name is Joyce Salter-
Johnson; I was born, in Good Hope, Mississippi 1939. Good Hope is a
small self-sustaining black community in Newton County, founded soon
after emancipation proclamation, by my great grandfather Filmore Johnson. The
community then and to this day consists mostly of Johnsons, Salters and
others. In 1949, my parents migrated north to Freeport, Illinois, as did
most of the Salters in the community.
The summer of
my twelfth birthday, and several summers after that, I returned to the
little community of Good Hope. Since that time, I have been totally,
immersed in my Salter family history. Who were these Salters, where did
they come from? Were they enslave or free? I spent most of that first
summer asking questions and listening in on conversations I probably
should not have. During that time, however, I learned mostly though oral
history, that my mother’s Grandfather Frank Salter, was one of three
known sons born to Hardy and Louisa Salter.
After forty
years of researching my Salter family history and with new technology, I
was able to trace my ancestry back to my great great grandfather, Hardy Salter.
The 1870 US Census list Hardy Salter (b.1799), and his wife Louisa
(b.1808), as being born in North Carolina. Frank Salter; (b.1835) the
first known son of Hardy and Lousia was born in Georgia. Their second
son, Cason Salter; (b.1844) and third son, Alfred Salter (b.1853), were
born in Alabama. Later, records would indicate that Hardy, his wife
Louisa, their three known sons, and their wives, and most of their
children died in Newton, Jasper, and other nearby counties in the state
of Mississippi.
With the aid
of the White Salter family historians. The valuable assistants of Save
The Family Institute. The Newton County Historical and Genealogical
Society; and years of research I have obtained, what I believe to be
reliable information, and records that document that, the descendents,
of James Salter of South Carolina, North Carolina; Washington and
Jefferson County Georgia; Conecuh County Alabama, Neshoba County, and
Yazoo City, Mississippi were the owner of my family, the Black Salters
I am writing
a book, and filming a documentary about my search for Hardy Salter. Over
the years, I have researched Salters from all over the world both (black
and white). Salters who immigrated from England, Ireland, Canada,
Germany, and Barbados, West Indies. I visited the Salters in Salter,
South Carolina, Salter Path, and Beauford, North Carolina; the Salter of
Washington, and Jefferson County in Georgia. I have received records and
valuable, information pertaining to James Salter in Conecuh County
Alabama. I spent the last year in communication with a direct descendent
of Samuel Salter( b,1800 ), of Yazoo City , Mississippi and most
recently with Gertrude Stephens a long time expert on the James Salter
family in Alabama.
At the age of
65, I have decided to follow the migration trail of the James Salter
family (b.1731South Carolina, North Carolina the journey taken by my
ancestors the Hardy Salter Family of North Carolina. On this journey, I
took along several family members and a small camera crew to document
the event.
On this
journey, we visited some of the places that I discovered during my
research. The birthplace of James Salter and what I, believe to be, the
birthplace of Hardy Salter We spent the day with the slave owning
Salter’s’ in Sandersville and Bartow, Georgia. In Evergreen Alabama, we
visited the Revolutionary War monument erected in honor of James Salter.
In Neshoba County, we visited the gravesite of David M. Salter the Great
Grandson of James Salter. Finally back to Good Hope, Mississippi, and
the little black community where most of my ancestors and I were born.
