Do You Know Them?: Families Lost and Found After the Civil War

by Shana Keller, Laura Freeman (Illustrator)

A moving and triumphant picture book inspired by the printed newspaper ads placed by African Americans who were separated from family members by the Civil War, enslavement, and emancipation.

After the war’s end, everyone is missing someone. Lettie’s missing her family. They had been sold and lost long before enslavement was abolished. Every week, she reads the advertisements in the newspapers to her congregation. “Do you know them? I would like to find my people. My mother’s name was Charlotte King, and when I was sold, I had five brothers.”

Lettie is determined to find her loved ones, too. She saves every penny she earns, but not to buy candy or toys. She saves for something better—something that could bring her whole family together.

Every ad depicted in this poignant tale is authentically historical, bringing the heart-wrenching past to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Family, African American, Historical, Childrens, Civil War

40 pages, Hardcover

Published January 9, 2024

About the author

Shana Keller is passionate about history. She began her studies of African American history at the University of Miami in Florida and has delved deep into our nation’s diverse past ever since. She is the author of several award-winning picture books including Do You Know Them? Families Lost and Found After the Civil War, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; Ticktock Banneker’s Clock, Best STEM book, Children’s Book Council; and Bread for Words: A Frederick Douglass Story, an Irma Black Award Honor. Other titles include Fly, Firefly!; The Peach Pit Parade: A World War I Story; The Sole Man: Jan Matzeliger’s Lasting Invention, a EUREKA! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award Honor; and soon to be released, CeeCee: Underground Railroad Cinderella (2025). Shana has traveled her whole life and has lived all over the United States and in Europe, too. Shana currently resides in North Carolina where she continues to write stories linking our past to the present.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

African American History Month: book number 16.

After Emancipation and the end of the Civil War, young Lettie works hard and saves each penny. She misses her family, having been sold and lost to her years ago. Everyone that she knows is also missing someone: a wife, a husband, a child, a sibling, a parent.

Every Sunday Lettie reads newspaper advertisements to her congregation. Each newspaper ad featured in this picture book is an authentic ad from the post-Civil War era. When Lettie finally saves .50 cents, she places her own ad in the newspaper “Do You Know Them?” …. Then one glorious Sunday, Lettie reads a reply to her advertisement. Someone knows where she can find her lost family!

[Shoshanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible. Such tragic and devastating subject matter, with little moments of joy. I have to say, I know very little about Black community life right after the Civil War. This picture gave me a tiny peak into it.

This is why picture books are so important. If I saw an academic or even just a very long book about something I didn't know, I'd think twice about it. Picture books give people of all ages a beautiful way to learn more, and then continue study afterwards if they choose!

[Deke Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wildly impactful story about the advertisements Black Americans put in newspapers to try to reconnect with family, who had been sold into other parts of the US and whom they had lost contact with, at the end of the Civil War. Important and beautiful and the emotion was as clear as a song. WOW. Perfect.

[Chrisanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a general fiction book that was similar. But I appreciated this one more. Sometimes simple is much more effective.

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Civil War ended, it seemed as though everyone had lost loved ones. Lettie has lost her entire family. They were sold away--long before emancipation. Like so many others, Lettie decides to place an add in the newspaper. It is expensive. It costs 50 cents, money that she must work long and hard to earn. And it is by no means certain. It is a message in a bottle flung into an endless sea. But, it is the option Lettie has. As she works and saves her money, she reads the ads others have placed out loud to the church congregation every week. Every now and then, someone has information to share! Finally she has saved enough to place her own ad. Now, all she has to do is wait...and hope. This was such an amazing story--and one I would like to learn more about.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book brought to my attention an aspect of the Civil War I didn't know much about. Shana Keller has my thanks for teaching me something new about an era I have spent decades researching. The illustrations are lovely. The story is poignant. Don't forget to read the author's note at the back of the book. The only thing that would improve this book would be a further reading list or information about where one can find primary sources.

[Kathy Temean · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I noticed this book written by Shana Keller and Illustrated by Laura Freeman, I knew I had to share it with you. I have featured many of their books, and they have all been spectacular. I just received the physical book, and it is awesome. It makes me wish I could put the book in everyone's hands since what you see in this feature doesn't do it the justice it deserves.

That said, I shook my head, wondering why I never learned this in school or college. And I never thought about the repercussions of the Civil War. I heard of soldiers who were wounded and took years to return home. I read about how hard it was after the war for the freed slaves, but this picture book and Little Lettie made me realize how the heartache of the Civil War continued for the people who were freed. They had been sold and lost long before enslavement was abolished.

With every page, I found myself thankful that Lettie could read. So many of the freed slaves had not been taught to read. Lettie was lucky to have her uncle Charlie, and they practiced reading newspaper advertisements about people looking for missing family members.

As Lettie grew, she worked sweeping floors and helping people sew to earn pennies to pay for her own ad in the newspaper. She didn't buy candy or toys. She saved every cent for something better—something that would bring her whole family together. Every week, she read the ads to her church congregation to assist the illiterate and also serve the network of shared information.

In Shana's author note, she lets readers know that Lettie is fictional, but every ad in the story is real. Those ads inspired her to write this book. Throughout the book, illustrator Laura Freedman captured the depth of feelings on the faces of the people attending church and every other character on every page. The people shown throughout the book practically jump off the page and grab the readers' hearts.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handsome digital artwork filled with rich colors and large, expressive images accompanies a slice of little-known history in this picture book [3.5 for me!] . After the Civil War ended, many individuals wanted to locate their missing family members, some of whom had been sold to other owners and moved far away before the war and before the Emancipation Proclamation. In this moving, hopeful picture book Lettie misses her families a great deal. She saves every cent she can so that she can place an advertisement seeking out those that are lost to her right now. While she works at various jobs in order to earn money, she also reads aloud in church some of the lost ads, imagining that somewhere, somehow, her family members are hearing those ads and hoping that someone is looking for them. It's hard not to get discouraged, though, as the years pass. Still, one day, while reading the ads aloud, she is pleased, and she and Uncle Charlie, who is searching for his wife and children, feel encouraged. When she finally has the 50 cents needed for an ad of her own, a response in the form of another ad from a woman who knows their whereabouts. The ads in this story are ones that appeared in newspapers during that time. Although there are no statistics about how successful these ads were, still, this story is hopeful and fascinating. The illustrations contain large depictions of the pennies that were in circulation during that era as well as the ads and close-ups of the characters' faces, including the congregation that celebrated when Lettie and Uncle Charlie got that good news. One girl's determination to locate what was most precious to her--her family--is something to behold and admire. Lettie's journey also may prompt readers to reflect on what a disarray things were in, especially in the South, after the war, and how difficult it must have been to locate someone who was formerly enslaved.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just read the first two plays in August Wilson's decalogue, the Pittsburgh Cycle, one play per decade of the twentieth-century. These first two plays, The Gem of the Ocean and Joe Turner's Come and Gone, focus on post-slavery into the Great Migration, where some chaos continued to reign: Former slaves traveling north, separated from their families, tried to find them, and some of them we find had been kidnapped and forced into farm labor whether through prisons (or otherwise chain-ganged and passed on to farmers who needed labor. More slavery, post slavery. White southern plantation owners were not happy to lose their cheap workforce, of course, and didn't always treat their former slaves well, so millions traveled north, and others tried to. One character in Wilson's Joe Turner Come and Gone is a People Finder for people separated from their families.

Shana Keller's picture book Do You Know Them?: Families Lost and Found After The Civil War, illustrated by Laura Freeman, was inspired by ads she discovered had been published in many northern newspapers paid for by those searching. The book includes the actual scripts from those ads. Rhe story in the picture book focuses on one girl's drive to make enough pennies to pay for an ad, which turned out to be successful.

The story is simple and ends unsurprisingly, but it is nevertheless inspiring and useful at uncovering an important and anguishing aspect of history. Freeman is a much-lauded illustrator, and this work further confirms her expertise as the layouts and key images highlighted are engaging. The story here supports Wilson's similar work on the trauma of family separation in the early Jim Crow era.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The array of picture books devoted to the post-enslavement years in America ih the South its not extensive. This title is very welcome to the niche in history that deserves considerably more attention. Newly freed people, most with minimal or no literacy skills, were desperately eager to rebuild the families which legalized enslavement had destroyed. Those who had (or gained( the ability read and write quickly contributed to the efforts of those seeking information about family members.
This story allows a fictionalized young girl, Lettie, to serve her community and her own intentions, revealing the factual processes that filled decades after the Civil War ended.
Lettie develops reading and writing to search the newspapers to find her own family and that of her uncle. This is a story of her determination by earning and saving a penny at a time, sharing her literacy skills with the church readings on Sundays, and eventually celebrating with those whose families were reunited. It individualizes countless families and lives and communities in which this occurred for years, with and without success. But is a heart tugging account, boosting informational text with a sense of the reality that readers share humanity with people that night quickly be dismissed with a few lines of history about enslaved folks being freed.
It's a micro-view of a massive after effect of centuries of inhumane practices.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heart wrenching nature of slavery is brought home powerfully in this account of a woman and her uncle looking for lost & stolen family members. Lettie works really hard at a variety of jobs in an effort to save pennies. She plans to use those pennies to pay for an advertisement in the local paper asking for help finding her family. Each week she reads the posted ads to the church congregation in an effort to help families like hers, torn apart by slavery. The inclusion of real-life advertisements from the time period right after the Civil War made my heart ache. The story doesn't shy away from the fact that many advertisements didn't result in a happy ending. The sacrifices Lettie makes to pay for the advertisement demonstrates how badly people wanted to find their families. Freeman's illustrations not only beautifully highlight Lettie, her uncle, friends and congregation but also highlight real-life ads and pennies indicating how much was required to purchase these advertisements. A thought-provoking and powerful book about an important aspect of the United States history with slavery. This is one of those picture books that would work especially well with older students who are capable of thinking about the implications of the experiences highlighted.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew this wasn't an easy picture book to read, but I LOVED it. Not only did Laura Freeman do a brilliant job with the illustrations, but I appreciate Shana Keller for capturing a piece of history that so many of us didn't know. While I'm very vocal about the impact that slavery had on the Black nuclear family, I was unaware that advertisements were taken out after the civil war to help families locate each other. It was fascinating to learn how people would raise money to place these advertisements, how information was communicated, and how they were used to help people in the Black community gain literacy. This was such a phenomenal read and one that HIGHLY recommend picking up.

[Lesa Dierking]

I don't know what type of rating to give this book. I want to like it; and it actually is a very nice book.

I wanted MORE from it though I guess. Yes, I know, it's a children's picture book. It does give "voice" to a problem that I hadn't focused on before., even though I knew there was families pulled apart and separated by slavery, so of course they would want to try to find their family members when they could.

I think I just got too enmeshed with wanting to know more; wanting to know if the little girl found her family members although I'm pretty sure this was just a fictionalized character. I think I just wanted to get actually invested in this book personally....isk.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible true story from the reconstruction era. After the Civil War and slavery fell, formerly enslaved people were separated from their families and would post ads in newspapers in attempt to locate loved ones. The main character in this fictional story, Lettie, was missing from her family. But she decided to focus her sadness into learning to read and then reading missing person ads in her church meetings. I had never heard this story, but I found it uplifting and heartbreaking all at once. An excellent picture book for elementary students and adults.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This piece of historical fiction illuminates a heartbreaking portion of history that is seldom discussed and which I am inspired to learn more about. After the abolition of slavery, thousands of individuals were left wondering what had become of their families and how to begin the mammoth task of being able to find them. With so many former slaves being left illiterate and having no resources, how could they begin the process of putting their fractured lives back together? This book left me with lots to think about and a desire to learn more.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when a picture book introduces me to a historical experience that I didn’t know about and piques my interest to want to learn more - like this one! This beautifully illustrated historical picture book takes a look at the time period after the US Civil War and how advertisements were placed in newspapers by people who had been enslaved that were looking for the family members they had been removed from. Back matter includes an author’s note, but I wish that other resources had been listed for further reading.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about how people had to go about finding lost family after slavery/Civil War was over. It cost $0.50 to put an ad in the local paper, which may go unanswered. I love that we do have an ending resolution to this story! The subject matter is slightly heavy for young readers. This is a text-heavy book. The illustrations in the book are digital and slightly somber. This book is recommended for PreK-3rd, but I think that older readers would appreciate/understand this book a bit more than younger readers. (Diamond 25-26)

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never considered the stories of finding family after the civil war. I really was drawn in by this book. It is picture book format for older students that may be studying the Civil War in class. This book is approachable by all my readers no matter their reading level and will offer a great springboard to discussion of the affect of war on families, especially during the Civil War.

I will be adding this one to my collections in my school libraries.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The legacy of families being separated before the Civil War is shown in this age appropriate picture book of a young woman doing her best to find her own family via a newspaper ad, as many other formerly enslaved people did. She helps her community by reading the ads each week at church, and hopes to save enough money to place her own ad. A highlight of the aftermath of slavery, when even after emancipation families were not made whole.

[Ami Schroder · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I do not think the cover is appealing to students, I loved the story and imagined the classroom discussions that could take place after reading this book!
A young girl reads the missing people ads to her church congregation weekly while she saves enough money to place her own ad. Based on research, Lettie is fictional but every ad in the book was a real ad that was placed.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many stories that came out of the grim history of enslavement that we in the modern era don't realize or consider. Through the experience of one little girl who saves her pennies to place a newspaper ad, this beautifully-illustrated book tells the story of family members flung far and wide who attempted to find each other through newspaper announcements.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Another part of American History I had no idea about. After the Civil War, people who had been freed looked for family who they had been separated or sold away from. Many did this through newspaper announcements. The heart-break makes me think of the signs that people put up looking for loved ones after 9/11.
This would be an excellent addition to any history classroom.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will render you speechless. Have you ever thought about what happened to enslaved people's families who were separated during slavery once slavery ended? This book addresses that issue of what it was like for families to try to find each other in the early days of abolition.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely loved learning about the newspaper ads people would put in the paper to find people after the civil war! Definitely loved reading actual clippings too. The author did a good job putting it together into a story.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning picture book that tells a story about a young black American child after the Civil War who is trying along with her uncle to locate her family. They use actual ads placed of ex-slaves who had lost their families. The ads are placed in the newspaper and sometimes read out loud in churches in the hopes that some who can’t read themselves might find a missing loved one through the classified ads. Beautiful, yet heartbreaking as it’s based on true occurrences.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, simple, and spare, this picture book depicting the struggles of formerly enslaved people to find their loved ones after emancipation packs a HUGE emotional punch.

Highly recommended for elementary library collections.

[Darlena Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great account! Laura Freeman's art caught my eye, so I picked up this picture book. Shana Keller thanks Judith Giesberg for "Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery" project and directs readers to www.informationwanted.org.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting fictionalized slice of history.

[Peoria Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spencer rated this book 3 out of 5 stars.

[Y.Poston]

a beautiful capturing of a history lost,
a moving story born out of loss