These are the books in the Sketches of Lee Collection
My family history represents tales of the diaspora; a Negro family’s 1957 migration from the bustling city streets of Brooklyn, New York to a dirt road in Lee, New Hampshire. These stories were transcribed after my father, Harold E. Ward, requested that I do so as he laid on his deathbed in the short days before he passed on June 9, 2015.
The Sketches of Lee Collection consists of these four volumes.
“A Colored Man in Exeter” 09/01/2017
This is a biographical account of my father Harold E. Ward’s, life and times. It begins with his maternal family’s slave origins on Zachary Taylor’s plantation in 1852-54. It proceeds through his childhood, his WWII US Navy career, and his post retirement in the Exeter, NH hospitality trade.
In 2018 “A Colored Man in Exeter” was included in the National Archive of the “Daughters of the American Revolution” as a historically significant document.
ISBN: 978-0-9990942-0-4
“The Colored Folks Ain’t Gonna Make It” 09/06/2019
These are stories of the Ward’s “normal family life” as the “Index of Integration” in Lee, NH and the local area. It encapsulates the year from 1957 until 2017, with our home “Solar Vista” as the nexus. The early years were tough. We made it, but it wasn’t easy.
In 2019 “The Colored Folks Ain’t Gonna Make It” was also included in the National Archive of the “Daughters of the American Revolution” as a historically significant document.
ISBN: 978-0-9990942-2-8
Works in progress:
“Titanium Rose” Release Date: TBD
These are my mother, Virginia E. Ward’s life stories. This is her family history from 1850 onward. It includes her stories, quotes, poetry and recipes. She was beautiful, brilliant, caring, and tough. She ran a tight ship, painfully excoriating any and all who failed to meet her standards. And as needed, she and Harold would throwdown a whipsaw on anyone dared attempt to scam them. She was the “Titanium Rose” in Harold’s fisted glove.
“Tales of the Big Hook” Release Date: TBD
Some of the more interesting activities and residents on Lee Hook Road with tales of: Countrymen and women, Police “Incidents”, Veterans, Pets, Street Racers, etc. It includes miscellaneous “Ward” and “Lee” stories that needed a home.