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Ancestor: A person from whom you are descended; a relative from long ago such as your great- grandmother.

Ante-bellum: Before or existing before the war, especially the American Civil War. From the latin: "before the war."

Bourbons: At the end of Reconstruction in the South (1877), white Democrats regained control of Southern state governments, and the post-Civil War participation in local government by black citizens virtually ended. These conservative white Democrats were sometimes referred to as "Bourbons" or "Redeemers."

Census: An official counting of the population. The Constitution of the United States says that in our country a census must be taken every ten years.

Descendant: The offspring of the relatives who lived before you. You are the offspring (or descendants) of your parents; your parents are the offspring of their parents.

Genealogy: A study or investigation of our family histories; a record of a family’s relatives.

Glimpse: A brief and incomplete view of something.

Emancipation: The act of freeing someone.

Integration: The act of bringing together groups of people who were once thought to be different in some way.

Involuntary servitude: A condition of being made to labor against your will.

Indentured servant: A situation where a person agrees to labor for another person for a set period of time and under certain conditions; a kind of contract between two people.

Last Will and Testament: A legal document in which a person states what he/she wants to happen to personal belongings, including property upon his or her death.

Mulatto: A person having one Caucasian and one Negro parent; any person of mixed Caucasian and Negro ancestry.

Prejudice: A preconceived preference or idea. The act of forming a judgment beforehand without knowledge of the facts.

Readjusters: When the conservative white Democrats regained control of Southern governments after Reconstruction, they lowered taxes, and greatly diminished state services, including support for public schools. A vigorous "Readjuster" movement emerged in Virginia demanding that the state revise its debt payment procedures to make more money available for state services. Blacks in Virginia were attracted to this movement, which they believed would better protect the rights guaranteed them by the Constitution.

Segregation: The act or condition of keeping groups apart.

Servitude: A condition of forced labor.

Society of Friends (Quakers): A group of Christians who formed a sect in 1650 in England. Their leader was George Fox. Friends, also called Quakers, have simple church services, and are opposed to violence of any kind. In the time before the Civil War, they were opposed to slavery.