Our History Still Saddens Me

Those who know me well know that I like to discuss and write about race and ethnicity. They also know that I have been pursuing genealogy for more than 25 years now. Though I came of age at a time when, at least in my high school, there were no black history classes, I grew up with a strong knowledge and pride of my black ancestry. As I've pursued my personal genealogy over these 25 years, I also developed a knowledge of and love for history. As I've read and discovered many of the atrocities African-Americans underwent during our history in this country, I have still not become inured to what occurred. I am often amazed, but more often saddened, at the mindset of many whites in the early history of this country. One such person was Dr. Walter Plecker. Dr. Plecker was the first Registrar of Vital Statistics for the state of Virginia. Dr. Plecker was a racist, a white supremacist and a proponent of eugenics. For the uninformed, eugenics is the now discredited theory that applying the principles of genetics to improve humankind. That is the "nice" definition. Its most rigorous proponents felt that interracial relationships diluted the superior race and, therefore, should be prohibited. Sir Francis Galton, in 1904, stated "Eugenics is the study of the agencies under social control that may improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally." Wikipedia defines eugenics as a "social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention." See http://www.ourfounder.com/jleroy/eugenics.htm for a primer on eugenics. All of this is, of course, code language for selective breeding and a method to promote irrational fear of miscegenation.

About ten years ago, I stumbled across what I thought was an index of the marriage license of my paternal great-grandparents. I mailed the required fee to Virginia to obtain a copy of the actual license, knowing it would not only contain the dates of their marriage, but also the names of their respective parents. After an anxious two-week wait, I received the copy. As I eagerly perused the license, I realized that, rather than it being the marriage license of my forebears, it was the license of white couple with very similar names. Disappointed, I filed the license away. Several years later, I was able to obtain via inter-library loan, the actual microfilm of the marriage license. On the microfilm, I once again saw the marriage license of this same couple, but the race white was struck through and "Col." was handwritten on the license. After some research, I learned about the infamous Dr. Plecker. It seems that shortly after he was appointed Registrar, Dr. Plecker decided there were no true "Indians" left in Virginia, but rather "negroes masquerading as Indians." He then sent a directive to all of the vital records offices in Virginia warning of these negroes and directing the staff in those offices to comb vital records and "correct" the records. His memo even included a list of the negro families who were doing this. See http://www.melungeon.org/node/91 for an actual copy of Plecker's 1943 letter. In 1924, Plecker had this to say at a joint session of the Public Health Administration and Vital Statistics Section of the American Public Health Association in a speech that was published in 1925 in The American Journal of Public Health:
"When two races live together there is but one possible outcome, and that is *the amalgamation of the races. The result of this will be the elimination of the higher type, the one on which progress depends. In the mixture the lower race loses its native good qualities which may be utilized and developed in the presence of a dominant race."

"The mongrels are superior in mental power to the lower race. They are more cunning and more capable, but they lack the creative power of the higher race, and cannot sustain a lasting civilization that will rank with the best of the world."

Both my paternal and maternal great-grandmothers were Native Americans. After Plecker's racist initiative, many Native Virginians fled Virginia rather than be classified as "colored" or negro. Following Plecker's death in 1947, his successor continued Plecker's legacy. At about the same time Virginia's Racial Purity Act was passed, another act, "The Sterilization Act was passed. From 1927 to 1979, about 8,300 Virginians were sterilized involuntarily in Virginia.

From the grave, Plecker continues to harm the Native population of Virginia. In order to be a federally recognized tribe and receive certain federal benefits, a tribe must prove its continuous existence since 1900. Because of Plecker's actions and his declaration that there were no Indians left in Virginia, many Virginian tribes are fighting to this day to prove their continuous existence.

Further reading:

http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2004/09/the_black_white.php
http://www.virginiavignettes.org/?p=45
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1157/is_1999_April-Sept/ai_70872606/pg_5

Random Acts of Kindness

One of the many blessings I've received since beginning my genealogy quest 25 years ago is how willing and helpful other genealogists have been to me. Most people who are pursuing their genealogy are more than willing to share information they have discovered on surnames others are also searching. There are others who take note of information on surnames that aren't in their ancestry and share this information with those who are researching those surnames.

Recently, I was contacted by a man who, after reading my query on a genealogical bulletin, recalled his encountering my surname during his research at the vital records office of Virginia. We began an e-mail correspondence and he has given me such valuable information! Through him, I discovered that one of my ancestors was possibly enslaved on Thomas Jefferson's plantation. He has also put me in touch with a historian at Monticello, Jefferson's plantation. This historian has begun to eagerly assist me with my research. I am thankful and blessed to have met both of these people.

The random acts of kindness of two strangers has enabled me to finally begin to chip away at the brick wall of 1960 that most African-American genealogists encounter. If while pursuing your genealogy you encounter information that may be helpful to others, please share that information and help another. Your tiny bit of information may be just the help that someone needs.

Blessings,
T

Genealogy Tips

• Begin your research by talking to your oldest living ancestor. If you've a grandmother, great aunt or uncle or even better great-great ancestors living, talk to them. You will be amazed at the wealth of information they have. Many can remember not only people and events from their childhood, but also remember the stories of their parents and grandparents.
  
  Don't rely on your memory, invest in a micro-cassette recorder and record their conversations. This will also become important as you provide documentation (sources) for your research. In my own case, I began talking with my father's older brother who had a wealth of family history gleaned from his hiding as a small child behind the bureau and listening to the "grown folks talking." Don't delay in talking with these elders. The years are passing fast and often, before we know it, these elders will pass away, taking with them the wealth of information stored in their memories.
  

• Approach all of your research with a non-judgmental approach and assure all those with whom you speak, that you are only attempting to document your ancestry, not to make any judgments about behavior or lack thereof. In your research you will undoubtedly encounter "illegitimate" births, "mixed" marriages and even criminal behavior. Your role is that of researcher, not judge or clergyman. Tread gingerly when these subjects arise while talking with your family. What is common and accepted today may still be considered unacceptable and even shameful to your older relatives.
  

• Invest in a good genealogy software program, such as Family Treemaker™, Roots Magic™, Ancestral Tree™, or any one of several others. I have always used Family Treemaker and feel personally it is the best that's out there. There are free programs out there, but as with most things, you get what you pay for, imo. Regardless of what software you choose, back-up your family file often. Store this backup on cd-rom or on another computer. Do not store your backup on the same computer as your program. The hard drive on my laptop computer crashed recently. Had I not backed up my family file (to another computer), more than 20 years of research would have been lost!
  

• Don't attempt to do both sides of your family (maternal and paternal) at once, keep the two separate. This is important because as your family tree grows, you will become overwhelmed attempting to manage it all. And, your mother's sister's husband's sister is not really related to your father.
  

• Document, document, document. Don't rely on your memory. If you find information from another, outside source, verify the information and document the source. Many researchers have eagerly added information obtained from someone to their family tree only to later discover the information was erroneous or in error.
  

• Allow for misspellings of names in public records such as the census. I searched for many years for my great-grandfather, knowing the surname was spelled Cottrell. When I searched for the soundex version of Cottrell, up popped Great-grandfather Granville Cottrell, spelled Granvile Cotrill in the 1870 census. In another, I found him as Granvil Cotrible.
  

• As with names, there are also errors in racial classifications in older public records. African-American ancestors may be classified as Mulatto, Colored or even White in various censuses. Caucasian ancestors are also sometimes labeled as something other than White. Native American ancestors may be listed as I for Indian, C for Colored and even B for Black. Relax, forget your assumptions and what you think you know.
  

• If you find an ancestor in one county in one census, but cannot find them in the same county in the next census, check neighboring towns and counties. In earlier times, people rarely moved far away from their home towns.
  

• In earlier times, diseases that are curable today were fatal, e.g., pneumonia, tuberculosis, influenza and others. There were periods when cholera and influenza killed thousands in one town alone. If you find a person listed in one census, but cannot find them in any others, consider that the person may have died. Check the death records for that time period.
  

• Don't think you are going to be able to do all of your research online and by talking to relatives. If you don't find a record in a census at one site, don't assume you won't find it in a census at another site. You will definitely have to travel to libraries, vital records offices and the like. Be prepared when you do. You will quickly be overwhelmed by the vast amount of information contained in these public offices. One clue will lead to another and that to even another. You'll quickly forget that the main reason you went to the library was to discover the date of your grandparents' wedding! Make lists of specific tasks, concentrate on those tasks and make plans for future trips. I spent two full days in the Library of Virginia and didn't scratch the surface of what they have.
  
  An additional note about census records. Most of the 1890 census records were destroyed or badly damaged in a fire at the Commerce Department in 1921. Only approximately 1% of the census records survived the fire. For a list of the surviving schedules, see Surviving 1890 Census Records.
  

• If you're fortunate enough to have old pictures, find out who is in the picture, the date and location of the picture and LABEL it accordingly. Your grandmother may know that the picture is of her, her cousin Jake and Aunt Mabel, but when grandmother passes away, the people in that picture will become anonymous. The same can be said of current pictures. You know everyone in the picture but will your grandchildren know 30 or 40 years from now?
  

• START WITH YOURSELF AND WORK BACKWARDS. I cannot stress that enough. I met a woman who decided to start with her great-grandmother and work forward. Her family tree consisted of two generations. Genealogy is about ANCESTRY. The first name in your genealogy software should be your name, then enter your parents' names and their parents' name and so forth.
  

• Lastly, relax and enjoy your journey. It is, indeed, a fascinating exploration!
  

• If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail.

Standing on the Shoulders of our Ancestors

Like many others, after watching the t.v. series, Roots, I began a quest to learn about my ancestry. I had an overwhelming need to find out who I was, from whom I descended, in short, who were my people. As an African/Native American, I knew little beyond my maternal and paternal grandparents. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I was surrounded by many different ethnic groups. I grew up in an Italian neighborhood, went to a then predominantly Jewish high school and attended a black church. My Jewish friends had traditions, recipes and pictures that went back hundreds of years, likewise for my Italian, Polish and Asian friends. I had no traditions or recipes that went beyond my grandparents. I often refer to what is called African-American culture as a bastardized culture. A culture forged out of slavery and its aftermath. Few, if any, African-Americans know the culture, the music, the foods, the traditions of more than two generations of ancestors. This has always saddened me. When Princess Diana died in 1997, she was buried in a cemetery where Spencers have been buried for hundreds of years. When that was reported on t.v., I once again felt that pang for knowledge of my ancestors. Someone once said that until we know from whence we came, we don't truly know where we are headed. I agree with that.

And so I began a quest for my ancestors, a quest for my story, a quest to see upon whose shoulders I stood.

I began by talking to my father's oldest brother, Uncle Chuck. Luckily for me, Uncle Chuck was a wealth of family history. In the old days, children did not partake in the conversations of adults. So, Uncle Chuck used to hide behind an old bureau and listen to the talk of the elders. This was in 1983, well before the popularity, and access to, The Internet. I was naive, a novice. I've made some mistakes, some missteps and miscalculations over the years. Perhaps the biggest mistake was to attempt to research my paternal and maternal ancestry at the same time. One of my paternal grandmothers was one of sixteen children. Her husband, my paternal grandfather was one of at least nine children. The maternal side was nearly as large. If you consider that if I go back three generations to my great-grandparents, there are 13 individuals, you can easily see the problem with my attempting to research both sides at the same time.

I will share in a later post genealogy hints that I have found helpful.

Twenty-five years later, there are more than 1,000 individuals in my family tree. I've discovered that one of my paternal great-grandmothers was born in 1861, the product of a Native mother and a white slaveowner. That she and my great-grandfather each brought three children to the marriage and together had ten children. That she became a very successful farmer and businesswoman, who, at the time of her death in 1948, had nearly 100 acres of prime land in Virginia. The story is similar on my father's side. I am fortunate enough to have pictures of many of these ancestors. When I look at their faces, lined, light and dark, keen and broad-featured, straight and nappy haired, I see courage, I see strength of character, I see the wisdom of the ages in their eyes. These images give me strength. There is nothing that I've encountered or could encounter in this, the 21st century, that could hold a candle to what they endured.

These are the shoulders upon which I stand.

T