Blacks search for their rootsConference fuels interest in genealogy By James Scott
The Post and Courier
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Charleston resident Mary Thomas can trace her family back five generations in Charleston. Then, like many blacks looking for clues to the past, she hits the painful era of slavery and information vanishes. "Some people have memorabilia. We don't have all that," said Thomas, 75, who is eager to learn more about her family so she can share it with her nieces and nephews. "We don't have our own last names." Thomas joined nearly 100 other men and women Saturday for Roots and Branches: An African American Genealogy Conference at the College of Charleston. The daylong event included seminars and guest speakers, offering advice on researching the past and anecdotes about the challenges blacks face in uncovering family history. Event organizer Wevonneda Minis, The Post and Courier's genealogy columnist, said the conference will be followed by six workshops next year designed to help people interested in genealogy network and share ideas. One theme many voiced during the conference is the challenges blacks face in tracing their history, from dealing with plantation bookkeeping practices to the challenges of segregation-era record keeping. Dorothy Spruill Redford, author of "Somerset Homecoming: Recovering a Lost Heritage," detailed her challenges in piecing together the history of 500 slaves from the North Carolina plantation where generations of her family were enslaved. In doing so, she said she disproved a misconception historians and genealogists have long believed: that many former slaves changed their names after emancipation. That idea has been cited for the difficulty in tracking the 4 million freed slaves. Instead, Redford said the challenge lies in deciphering the individual bookkeeping methods many plantation owners used to catalog slaves. Since it was against the law for slaves to be numbered, she said owners often created various ways to name slaves or added on names to differentiate between them. In some cases, she said slave owners used adjectives such as "old" or "big." In other cases, she said plantation owners listed slaves by their middle names. "Don't blame the victim for the problem when the problem is not the victim's creation," said Redford, who is also the executive director of Somerset Place plantation. "Enslaved people didn't write the records." Deciphering the bookkeeping from the era of slavery is not the only obstacle genealogists face, said Tony Burroughs, author of "Black Roots: A Beginner's Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree." Burroughs said the era of segregation presented its own unique challenges. "In order to do genealogy, we have to place a person into the historical context," Burroughs said. "It is one of discrimination, segregation, racism — all of that affects our research." Lillian Miller, who attended the conference, faces challenges in her search. Miller, 71, has pored through the state archives in Columbia as well as searched out headstones in at least one area graveyard. The challenge, she said, is finding good information. So far, Miller said she only has been able to trace her family back to the 1920 Census. "It's for me," she said of her interest in tracing her roots. "I share the information with my family. I think it is important for them to have an idea of how we are connected in this country." |
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Comments
This article has 5 comment(s)
Posted by My_50Cents_Worth on October 30, 2007 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Is this not the EXACT article from yesterday? Where are the comments from yesterday? What did I miss?
Posted by Diamondhead on October 30, 2007 at 7:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
50 cents… Yesterday was a busy day for me. Did the human interest story get too political? You have to understand one thing about liberals, they like to control free speech. Grant you , there are some bone head opinions out there, but you fight those opinions with your opinions and it is only through the course of debate that one finds a grain of truth in any of this.
Contrary to your opinion of me, I do want race relations to move forward, I just don’t believe liberals have the best interest of the black community at heart.
Posted by My_50Cents_Worth on October 30, 2007 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Diamondhead,
I thought the comments posted yesterday were insightful and surprisingly it did not get ugly...Can you believe it?!!!
I ‘m as sincere as I know how to be when I say: I don‘t think ill of you; I don’t know you and you don’t know me. I have divulged no personal information about who I am although I’m certain there are assumptions based on what I post. :-) Additionally, I make no assumptions about any of the posters as it relates to race, sex, religion, or political affiliation because that’s, in my opinion, none of my business and many times irrelevant.
Since you have brought it up, who do you think has the best interest of Black people at heart, other than, of course Black people? Why is there the assumption that Black people need a savior? The assumption that all Black people have the NAACP, Al Sharpton , and Jesse Jackson on speed dial is as absurd as the assumption that White people have Shawn Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh on speed dial. After reading some of the comments you have posted, I would certainly not assume that “your team” has the best interest of Black people at heart. You came across very racially divisive. Which, is part of the reason why Black people I KNOW, who share conservative views tend lean more towards the "liberals." ---Perhaps your efforts to "bring people to the light" turns them away based on your approach. This has been the topic of many discussions in my workplace...we're always productive!
My main points to you yesterday and again today are: get to know individuals on a personal level so your statements can be a little more accurate and give some Black people credit for having common sense…which I already know “ain’t that common!”
Again, I don’t think ill of you and thanks for responding to my post.
Posted by Diamondhead on October 30, 2007 at 5:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
50 cents….I look at life as a card game. Not everyone is going to be dealt a with good hand. You got to play the hand that was dealt to you and believe or not you can still win if you play your cards right. If I was reinforce everyday from my family, friends, community leaders etc. that I was going no where in life, guess what… chances are I probably end up going no where in life. How many of these kids have a positive attitude on life? Everything boils down to one basic principle, whatever you put into life, that’s what your going to get out of it. If you don’t put too much into it, don’t expect very much in return.
It won’t be the conservatives or the liberals that will save the black community from the degradation they have to endure everyday but it will be the individual with the support of the family or any support system from the community. My team as you refer to it has nothing to offer the black community if social programs is what you‘re making reference to. It contradict it’s basic principles of self reliance and personal initiative of the individual, with the support of the family, faith in god and the community.
I’m willing to bet that once a young black man or woman through personal initiative, hard work, develops a plan, follows it through and succeeds in life, he’ll vote republican not because of social program or affirmative action because it was inside them all the time. Once the Black community becomes middle class, what will happen to the NAACP?
I’ll admit my approach is not touchy feely more like hard love that you get from your parents.
Posted by My_50Cents_Worth on October 31, 2007 at 5:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Diamondhead,
What you stated in your first "paragraph" everyone knows. That's common sense. Your attempt at being patronizing failed, is that not the “law of the land?”
Not sure what "these kids" you are referring to, however you should note that success and failure knows no race…or political affiliation.
Additionally, you missed another point. The black race does not need anyone or any group to "save them." Unfortunately, your perception of assisting the Black race revolves around social programs and “saving them from degradation“ . That's appalling and pathetic, but not surprising since all Black people require social assistance and handouts according to you and those who think like you.
Here's something else you should know, there are Black people in Charleston and beyond who are doing exceptionally well and got there due to hard work, personal initiative and well developed and followed plans...Just because you don't know them as you may an Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, or Clarence Thomas it does not mean they don't exist. Something else you should know, many of those who are doing well are as conservative as they come and do not vote Republican…
Your political affiliation, in my opinion, is NOT “in you.” It's just that, an affiliation that may or may not change over the years.
I'm not sure what your obsession is with NAACP, you have to deal with that on your own. You have made yet another generalization. Again, you have concluded that all Black people have associations/affiliations with the NAACP. I’m not sure where you get your data, but note that it/he/she/ is not a reliable source. To answer your question about what would happen to the NAACP, I would dare say the NAACP will do what the KKK did when racial tensions "died" in [particularly] the south .
Again, your approach is divisive and you make extremely merit-less generalizations about a whole race which, your statements prove, you don’t know too much about other than what you get from various forms of media.
You don’t have to approach anyone as would there parents…However, you don’t spit in a person’s face and tell them, “I did it to try to help you.”
We’ve gone everywhere and have, in my opinion, gotten no where. You are who you are, I am who I am. We have differing opinions, both very strong.