User:Aloosli2/sandbox

Ellen's Broom is a children's picture book written by american writer Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by American painter Daniel Minter, originally published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of The Penguin Group publishing company.

Plot
Ellen and her family are sitting in church celebrating in the end of slavery when it is announced that families can be married under the law. As her family prepares a journey to the courthouse Ellen reminisces on the "broom wedding" her parents had. Her parents explain that back when slavery was legal, families were ripped apart and no one could be married under the law. Her parents were wed in God's eyes after jumping over broom, vowing to be together. Her family brings the special broom as they travel to the courthouse. While there, Ellen wants to make her mother feel beautiful for her wedding day. She and her sister collect flowers and decorate the broom for her mother to hold while they get married in the courthouse. On this very special day Ellen learns the importance of freedom of marriage.

Background
Upon moving from Pittsburgh to North Carolina, Kelly Starling Lyons began a new-found interest in her family's heritage. Her maternal family was from North Carolina and she wanted to learn more of her genealogy. While studying, she came across the 1866 Cohabitation List by Henry Country, Virginia; a list only necessary because Salve Marriages were not protected by the law. Families were not legally connected, therefore were easily separated and sold. Marriages were not made legal until after slavery ended. During the Reconstruction period the unofficial marriages of former slaves were made legal, and many were issued marriage certificates. This is what inspired Lyons' fictional story of Ellen and her family's journey to the courthouse.