If you are a poor writer like myself researching your ancestors takes quite a bit of searching, letter writing, begging and travel to uncover the vast mysteries that are your ancestory.
In another post I mentioned that my mother loaned me a notebook full of research about my ancestor John May.
This research was done by my mother's cousin.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate her tireless effort to provide this information for all of her relatives.
You have to remember that she did this research before the internet.
I have uncovered many interesting things and people.
I have discovered for instance that one of my ancestors on the Ely side was Oliver Cromwell, the ironic thing about that was that his decendant married John May's son who was of Irish decent.
Also on the Long side the ancestor of interest is Martha Dandridge later to be Martha Washington.
These pieces of information gave me pause as I thought of the connections.
That was until I found where my Maryland and Georgia ancestors were slave owners.
When I found this information I could not believe it.
Tears came to my eyes and I felt sick to my stomach.
I found this information in a will and testament.
The language was deplorable and the promise to bequeth a human being as a gift to ones relative struck me as simply outrageous!
My whole life I have been a loving person who accepts all races and ethnicities and made my way through life believing that my ancestors never owned slaves.
That simply was not true.
I feel that everyone needs to know where they come from.
In saying that I know where I came from, but that does not change where I am going.
My ancestors settled the Carolinas to such an extent that they named national forests after them. The pride I feel for that link to early America is always overshadowed by my disgust over their slave ownership.
ReplyDeleteWe have become so much more intelligent since then. That is what I keep telling myself...
Wow. I can't imagine the grief you feel about this information.
ReplyDelete