Thanksgiving treat -- DNA cousin

I'm so excited!  I received a request on Ancestry from a DNA cousin that we connect to share our family trees to see how we are related.  Since AncestryDNA uses an autosomal DNA test that covers both the maternal and paternal sides of the family tree, there's no telling how we'll be related.  Her message below:

"Hello Sansan325, My name is Patrice Whitfield. I am the niece of Raymond Williams, he recently has taken a DNA test through ancestry and you come up as a fifth cousin of his. We are very excited to find our family through this process in retracing our family tree. I am hoping, if you are willing that we could share in this process to find out where we match up. Thanking you very kindly in advance.
Patrice Whitfield"

Of course I responded right away:  "Hello Patrice, Thanks so much for contacting me. I would love to see how we are related. Would you be willing to share you family tree with me? Can you see my tree? I am more than willing to collaborate with you to find our common ancestor. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sandra" 

That led to her response: "Hi Sandra, Happy Thanksgiving to you! I hope your holiday was wonderful. I appreciate you responding back and I would love to share our family trees to see where our families match. Right now, I am unable to see your profile because my uncle just has an account, but I am a member. But he is so excited over this. We will be able to link up soon. Would you be able to see my family tree. How would we do this? Looking forward hearing from you.

Patrice" 

So I sent her back instructions on how we can share our trees (per Ancesty.com Get Help section) and now I'm anxiously waiting the chance to see her and Uncle Raymond's tree that is currently set as private.

Documenting Granny (Lucy Washington Brown)

I know Granny existed because she was a part of my life  --  but that doesn't matter in genealogy research.  As a genealogist/family historian I was so excited to find various records to offer proof to others that, yes, Lucy Washington Brown was here.  In this post I supplied a few of the documents that I have found.

Granny (Lucy Washington Brown) first appeared on the 1910 United States Federal Census in Mississippi, Holmes County, Beat 1, District 0039.

Although Granny and her siblings were born in Mississippi, her parents were born in Georgia.  At age 5, Granny lived with her parents, Peter and Mary; sister Estella (age 12); brothers Ned (age 9) and Gilbert (age 7); and paternal grandfather Ned and grandmother Darkis (spelling?)

Below is the marriage license of Lucy Washington and Noah Brown who were married April 10, 1924 in Erie, Pennsylvania..  My daughter and I made a day trip to Erie  for this copy.  I was so excited to get this  --  so excited that it took me awhile to realize that Granny's mother's name was wrong.   My great-grandmother is listed with the maiden name of "Baird" when her maiden name was "Barrett".

Reverse side  "Consent of Marriage of Child or Ward" signed by Harold P. Dundon as Guardian and also signed by Florence L. Weber, Asst Clerk of the Orphans Court.  Mr. Dundon resided in Erie PA (probably an employee for the department/court)

Granny was 19 years old and Mr. Brown (my biological grandfather) was 21 years old.

Here is a copy of Granny's social security application in her handwriting. Her mother's maiden name is listed as Barrett.  I figure Granny should know but my job is to prove Mary Barrett existed and was the wife of Peter Washington; mother to Lucy Washington.

The Town Club, 805 Delaware, Buffalo NY where Granny was employed when she applied for a social security card.

Honoring Granny

I grew up knowing one grandparent  --  my maternal grandmother, Lucy Washington Brown.  Granny was born November 1, 1904 in Lexington, Holmes County, Mississippi.  Unfortunately she never spoke about her growing up years and she never took her children to Mississippi, so I have no "down home" stories to draw from.

As an inquisitive teen I would ask my mother, Evelyn Brown Williams (aka Mommy), about Granny but as the youngest child my mother wasn't told much  --  I've told her more than she ever knew as I make strides with my genealogy searches.

But Mommy did know that Granny got married in Erie, Pennsylvania  --  about five years ago my daughter and I took a day trip to Erie for Granny's marriage license. So much information!  But the big question for me is why did Granny and her husband, Noah Brown, come from Mississippi to Ashtabula,Ohio but got married in Erie PA and end up in Buffalo, New York?

Granny was beautiful  --  both physically and spiritually.  I remember her long silky, unprocessed white hair and her soft, even brown complexion that was dotted with freckles on her high cheekbones.  She always smelled just clean  --  the only products she used was Ivory soap and Ponds cream, no perfumes or sprays; no make-up.  Wonderfully clean & fresh & simply beautiful!

Granny had a way of asking who I was dating and when was I going to get married (no pressure but after all that's the circle of life).   I got married January 6, 1996 at the age of 42.  Granny made transition on April 10, 1996.  I cannot remember anything that happened in my life for the rest of that year.  There have been times that I've wondered since then, if I didn't get married would Granny have lived longer.  Crazy, I know.

National Association of Black Storytellers Festival & Conference, Hampton VA -- The Workshops

Although this was a storytelling event, three of the workshops I attended spoke to the genealogist in me: 

 "Walking and Talking with the Ancestors" presented by Ilene Evans   

          Storytellers often tell the stories of historical figures --  Ilene spoke to our obligation to do the research!  Just as in genealogy, we must verify our sources.  We should also stay true to the person we are telling the story about and make sure that our stories make sense in historical context.

"Native Americans & African Americans" presented by Linda Cousins-Newton

          Oh the history I learned!  Linda certainly knows her stuff  --  the workshop started a little late because she couldn't find her notes but when she did, she never referred to them.  She has clearly walked in the shoes of those she has researched.  Her concentration is on the Seminoles in the American South/Southwest and the Bahamas.

 "Blog, Vlog, Tweet, Pin & Storify the Culture" presented by Jos Duncan

          Jos stressed that African Americans need to make our presence known on social media to tell our own stories and to education/guide our youth.  Social media is another venue to build our cultural community.  Not only do we need to tell our stories, we also need to put up positive images of ourselves.  As a librarian I wholeheartedly agree with her; too often I have helped patrons that have "goggled" terms like "African American women". "African American family", etc and the results are stereotypical and/or offensive.  We need to flood social media with our positive stories and images!  To that end I started this blog thanks to the encouragement of Luckie Daniels and the African American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research facebook page.

Next year (November 2014) NABS will be held in Chicago & I will definitely be there!

National Association of Black Storytellers Festival & Conference, Hampton VA -- The Tour

From November 6 -10, 2013 I attended the 31st annual National Association of Black Storytellers Festival & Convention in Hampton, Virginia.  On Wednesday (11/6) before the festival officially began, there was a tour that highlighted some of the Black history sites in Hampton.   We had a libation ceremony at the site that is considered to be where the first Africans came into America. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We moved on to the Hampton Museum & Visitors Center and saw a special exhibit, entitled "Toward Freedom: Hampton and the Contraband Exhibit".  The most powerful statement the curator made was that he put together the exhibit to show the human side of enslaved people because too often the enslaved are grouped together as "slaves" with no indication that they are individuals with names, families, and lives (Mike Cobb, curator).  It was very emotional looking upon the faces of the nameless men, women, and children and hearing the "contraband" story.  Escaped enslaved individuals and families made their way to the Hampton area and in some strange, acceptable way they were declared "contraband"  --  not enslaved but not quite free and allowed to stay in the area.  The exhibit includes photographs, artifacts, documents and audio-visual presentations.  Our time there was much too short for me.

 

 

 

At the last stop before dinner we learned that Hampton Institute had an "Indian Program" in the late 19th century with the purpose to "civilize and educate" American Indians.  There were over 1,000 students in the program that came from various Indian nations in the Midwest (not quite sure if they came voluntarily).  The program  ended in the 1920s.  Below are markers of those who died while at Hampton Institute.

 

 

At each of these sites I wanted to tarry and commune with the ancestors.  Very spiritual . . .