In the time before widespread electricity, radio, television, paved roads, and the internet, there was always the secret of mankind. Few have had the time, means, or patience to entertain such a notion, but for Joseph Fox, Sr. obtaining this secret was a reward that he felt he was granted for going through such pain in his life. Losing his wife during childbirth, seeing the horrors of the American Civil War, and eventually losing his only son, Mr. Fox had known his fair share of heartbreak, setback, and agony. By the year 1900, Mr. Fox's search for the secret of mankind was over and was neatly contained in his worn, black leather satchel. The contents of this carrying case was what he had witnessed and experienced during his travels in and around Egypt, Ethiopia, India, and England over the span of thirty-three years. When he felt his search was over, he decided to pass this information onto his only living relative, Marcus, who was no stranger to the harsh realities of life in rural South Carolina at the turn of the twentieth century. And this is their story.