Roots of Resilience: My Tooson Family Story by Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson is a new historical and genealogical work that documents the Tooson family’s journey from slavery into landownership, leadership, and cultural preservation while placing that story within the broader arc of African American history. Drawing on oral histories, family interviews, archival materials, and genealogical research, the book creates a written record of a family legacy shaped by resilience, faith, and continuity.

The foundation of the book comes from videotaped interviews conducted in April 1999 by Russell Tooson Jr. and Herbert Johnson with second-generation Tooson elders, including Samuel Columbus “SL” Tooson, Nannie Mae Tooson Collins, Pinkney Tooson Jr., Annie Mae Williams Tooson, and Alberta Williams Mullins. Dr. Johnson, a fourth-generation descendant of the family, builds on those preserved voices to create a multi-generational account designed to protect family memory and make it accessible to future generations.

At the center of Roots of Resilience are Berry and Jane Tooson, whose lives form the foundation of the family’s story. Berry rose from slavery to become a landowner and patriarch. Jane, through her care work and family ties, became linked to 1,500 acres of land, giving the family an extraordinary foothold in the post-emancipation South. Their descendants carried that foundation forward through farming, faith, education, service, and community leadership.

The book also explores the legal and social realities that shaped Black family life over time. Chapters address genealogy, inheritance, land transfers, heirs’ property, racial identity, social dynamics, military service, education, economic enterprise, family reunions, Reconstruction, Black landownership, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Movement, and African American life today. In doing so, Roots of Resilience moves beyond private family memory and becomes a broader reflection on how Black families preserved dignity, property, and identity under changing and often hostile conditions.

Faith and family continuity are central themes throughout the book. Dr. Johnson presents the Tooson story as one sustained not only by land and labor, but also by moral conviction, oral tradition, and a commitment to gathering across generations. As of 2025, the family had celebrated fifty-three reunions, underscoring the lasting role of reunion culture in preserving memory and strengthening kinship.

With its combination of historical context and personal testimony, Roots of Resilience will appeal to readers interested in African American history, genealogy, family legacy, oral history, and the long struggle to retain land, identity, and community across generations. The book stands as both a family record and a public contribution to the preservation of Black history.

Roots of Resilience is now available on NPCL.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffery M. Johnson is a fourth-generation descendant of the Tooson family and the author of Roots of Resilience: My Tooson Family Story. His work draws on oral histories, family interviews, and historical research to preserve the legacy of the Tooson lineage for future generations.

Website: https://www.npclfathersandfamilies.org/