Ancestor Approved Award!

I am returning to revise this post because I have just discovered, by way of a Google Search, that I was actually one of the first bloggers to be acknowledged by Leslie Ann Ballou, the creator of the Ancestor Approved Award!  Somehow, I must've missed, forgotten, or overlooked the initial honor, so for that, Leslie, I do apologize.  Leslie is an outstanding blogger in her own right.  Please check out the original posting of the Ancestor Approved Award on her blog, Ancestors Live Here.
I am humbled and honored to have also been given the "Ancestor Approved" Award by not one, not two, but SEVERAL fellow bloggers, all of whom are very supportive readers of mine, and have outstanding sites of their own. Thanks so much to Dionne , Heather , and Betty for blessing me with this award. And, since my original post, I've also received this award from two more blog-friends,  Kathy and Mindy! Please click on their names to visit their wonderful blogs! 

The rules of this award are that if you receive it, you must list 10 things you have learned about your ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened you, and then pass the award on to 10 other genealogy bloggers who you believe would make their ancestors proud.

1.  The biggest surprise for me about my ancestors has simply been that so many of them existed!  Before I started this venture many years ago, I only the names of about 20 - 30 relatives/ancestors, and now I have 1149 on my tree!

2. I was surprised to learn that a segment of my GREEN ancestors had moved away from their Franklin County, NC hometown and were "passing" as white in another state.

3. I was surprised to discover that my great-great grandfather, Nathaniel HAWKINS, was a "negro trader".

4. I was honored to find out that my great-great grandfather, Calvin R. YARBOROUGH, Sr., who was formerly enslaved, was a teacher in 1869-70.  He was also one of the first trustees of the "Colored Presbyterian Church" in Louisburg.

5. I was honored to discover that my great-grandfather, John GREEN's youngest brother, William, served in the Spanish-American War.

6. I am honored to have learned that my grandmother, Anna/Annie B. (GREEN) YARBOROUGH was one of a group of women who founded the Mount Hebron United Holiness Church in Louisburg, NC.

7.  I've been enlightened as I've learned about the hard times my YARBOROUGH ancestors faced as they struggled to overcome the destitution and poverty they inherited post-emancipation from their widowed, and indigent mistress/former owner.  (I just learned about this today at the National Archives!)

8. I've been enlightened to learn about my maternal ancestors, (DAVIS and BROWN) whom I've had no knowledge of before.  There's lots of family lore which needs to be sorted out and documented before I can start writing about it, so stay tuned!

9. It's been enlightening to have discovered, and then to have embraced the fact that I am a compilation of several opposing societal components from 19th Century America.  Through my veins runs the blood of people who were Free-Blacks, Slaves, Slave Owners, a Slave Trader, Mulattos, and possibly Native Americans (unconfirmed).  From this mixture of ancestors have risen educators, lawyers, judges, medical professionals, PhD's, and successful people from too many more walks of life for me to name!

10.  This last one is not about my ancestors, but I must add that it has been enlightening to have discovered such a supportive group of like-minded family-historians as we have here in the blogging community.  For so many years, I worked in solitude, as most of us used to do. Being a part of this community gives me comfort, and I know that the way we share our skills, talents, and respective knowledge bases with each other is a blessing that will help all of us in our research efforts!

Now to pass this award on to other deserving bloggers.  Many of the blogs I follow have already received the award, but here are my choices:

Mavis at Conversations With My Ancestors
Robyn at Reclaiming Kin
Cheri and Ruby at The You Go Genealogy Girls
Elyse at  Elyse's Genealogy Blog
George at Geder Genealogy
Mindy at Roots and Branches
Elizabeth at Little Bytes of Life

Please check out these wonderful blogs! :)

Thanks, everyone!
Renate