Facebook

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Yes, Philadelphia Dunstons - We ARE Related!

 I need to vent.

I am a DUNSTON descendant. This is not a line I knew anything about, before I started my research in the 1990s. My grandmother, Anna Green, was the daughter of Susan Georgiana DUNSTON, who married John Wesley Green. That is where my Dunston line begins.

(As is the case with most of my lines, I have no photo to show of my great-grandmother, so I will just use this clipping from Ancestry to represent her.)

Researching the DUNSTONS
My Dunston line has been tricky to research, but I've done so with extreme care for over 20 years, now. What makes it trickiest is the fact that so many of the names are used over and over, sometimes within the same generation, and many of those names are common ones, like James, John, Anna/Annie and Laura. Because of this, I've been extremely careful about who actually gets a spot on the tree. I must be able to prove, with documents, that I have the right people in the right place - at least to the best of my ability. Anyone I'm unsure about either has a research note added to their profile on my tree, or they don't make it onto the tree, at all, but instead earn a place in my Ancestry "Shoebox," until such time that I can find definitive evidence that they actually belong to me.

Over the years, I've communicated with many Dunston descendants, all of whom have an ancestral connection to the area of North Carolina where my Dunstons are from: Franklin County. For some, the connection to this county is immediate, and for others it takes a few generations into their ancestry to get back there. Branches have conglomerated in nearby Wake (Raleigh) and Vance (Henderson) Counties, as well as a very large contingent, which migrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the early part of the 20th century. And, quite a few of the Dunstons remained in Franklin County, mostly in the town of Franklinton, but with a few families in the county seat, Louisburg. (The Pennsylvania group originated in Franklinton.)

Through my research and also as a result of interactions with others in the genealogy community, I've met numerous Dunston descendants, who hail from various of the above-mentioned locations. Most of us were told, once upon a time, that all of the Dunstons from Franklin County were related. But, proving that has been a challenge, as we've worked collegially to try to explore how we might be - must be connected. In some cases, we've been successful, but the MRCA (most recent common ancestor) is so many generations back that we are not sharing any DNA to prove it. Therefore, we must rely on our carefully constructed family trees for documentation of our connections. And, in a few cases, we are not seeing any matchups on our trees, so we continue to wait, hoping one day a relationship may show us to be connected, but, if it doesn't, we continue to support each other's research and say that we are "cousins" anyway. :)

My Dunston Line
My own DUNSTON line goes back 9 generations (yes, NINE!) to my sixth great-grandmother, Patience Dunston, who was born in 1734. I first learned of Patience through the work of Paul Heinegg, the award-winning author of Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Delaware. My direct line (below) is well documented from Patience, all the way down to me. I continuously search for, find, and add additional sources that support my findings - or, if they don't, changes are made. 


Troubled Waters
There is one line of my Dunston family that refuses to acknowledge their connection to me, simply because "they don't have those names." This is the branch that moved to Philadelphia, which is a line that descends from my third great-grandfather, Wilson Dunston (Sr.). This line, which descends from Wilson's son, James "Jim" Wilson Dunston, is documented on my tree and has come up as the connector between several of my DNA matches and me, as well as for people whose trees reflect that connection, just as mine does. There is just one problem though: it seems that the Philadelphia line, which boasts of having at least 3 family historians, has only been documented up to the generation that includes James "Jim" Dunston.  Because they are unaware (apparently) of James' parentage or deeper ancestry, they choose to denounce it or to even acknowledge and/or learn about his familial origins. So... Houston, we have a problem.


This photo was shared with me by the one Philadelphia Dunston cousin who believed and allowed me to share my research findings - the late Karen Serene Dunston. May she rest in peace. 
On the left is James Wilson Dunston, who was the son of my third great-grandfather, Wilson Dunston. He was the great-grandfather of the cousin denoted by the green dot, above. 
On the right is his wife, Harriet Ellen Fields.

This chart, created using my tree on Ancestry dot com, shows the relationship of one of the Philadelphia-born Dunston cousins and myself. (Said cousin is represented by the green dot.) The relationship, based on the sourced and documented work I've done on my tree, is undeniable. However, because this family has never heard of our common ancestor, Wilson Dunston, he, to them, does not exist; and therefore, we are not related. This stance has been taken by three different members of this particular family, over the course of a few years. I'm not going into the particulars about the difficult attempts I've made to communicate with them - even, most recently, as a result of this cousin reaching out to me - not vice versa. I understand that not everyone understands this work that we're doing; but I'm not in this to be mistreated, talked down to, dismissed and/or disrespected. I simply want to find and learn about my Ancestors, and sometimes that means encountering people who are unexpectedly (and unabashedly) ____________. (You fill in the blank.)

Concluding with Gratitude
I'm very thankful that what I've experienced in dealing with this family line has not been the norm during my 23 years of formally researching my ancestry. I've met so many relatives, on several different lines, and these are the only ones that have behaved in this way and not wanted to know or discuss anything about our shared ancestry. This Dunston line, for whatever their reasons, chooses to stay in the dark about their own pedigree. That has nothing to do with me. I thank God for the Hills, the RossesYarboroughs, Davenports, the Tredwell/Littlejohn descendants, and several other cousin connections I've made over the years - some due to the blessing of good solid traditional research, and others thanks to irrefutable DNA evidence (which doesn't lie).
I was told that this is my second great-grandmother, Laura Dunston, who was a Dunston already before she and Wilson "Wils" Dunston married. This is the only known photo I have of one of my direct Dunston ancestors. 

Walk in the Light - Beautiful Light!
Today was a slap in the face; but it will take more than this to stop me from my quest to find my ancestors and to connect with those who share them. I started this journey to find out who I am and what I'm made of. Like Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for President of the United States said in his nomination acceptance speech, as he quoted my (Ross descended) cousin, Ella Josephine Baker: "Give people light and they will find a way." And, like Joe, and like Ella, I choose to follow the light. Why? Because, just as Joe said, "Light is more powerful than darkness." 

If any of my Philadelphia Dunstons happen to read this, know that I love you, because you are my family. If you want to reach out to me, I'll be ready to share and move forward; and, just as I've told the three that I've spoken to, if you have evidence that is contrary to what my research has shown, I am open and willing to hear and consider it.

I needed to vent. 

Thanks for reading.

Renate


                                      (I do not own the rights to this music.)

Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2020/08/yes-philadelphia-dunstons-we-are-related.html

10 comments:

  1. So sorry you had this unpleasant experience. We should all be seeing genealogy as a uniting force not a dividing one. Your research is well done as usual and well presented. I hope the Philly crowd takes the opportunity to learn this additional information on their ancestors. Hopefully they will rejoice when they realize the blessing of learning about additional generations. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, ,so much, Margo. It was hard for me to write this post, but I needed to do it, as I knew it would be therapeutic - and it was. My greatest desire is to know more about my family, so I pray that maybe the situation with this branch of Dunstons will one day change.
      I appreciate you!

      Renate

      Delete
  2. Thank you so much for sharing Renate!! Many of our cousins refuse to accept the truth or refuse to welcome family. Why? Lord only knows, but I'm glad you continue to pursue truth all the while maintaining the desire to connect with family. The work we fo to jonor our Ancestors and yo connect with generations of cousins is so important and our own respective calling. I'm hoping that one day soon, your cousins will open the hearts and minds and be receptive as well as embrace their new family branches just as you do. Stay true to your calling!! Continue to walk in your purpose!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Thanks, Dante. I’ve seen, from the many comments that were shared on Facebook, that more of our fellow researchers have dealt with this (from our same-melanated cousins) than I knew. It’s really a shame. It’s very hard for me to understand or relate to the idea of turning away a connection to my own history.
      Oh, well; as I read somewhere earlier today, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Se le vie.

      Thanks for commenting!
      Renate

      Delete
  3. Thanks, Dante. I’ve seen, from the many comments that were shared on Facebook, that more of our fellow researchers have dealt with this (from our same-melanated cousins) than I knew. It’s really a shame. It’s very hard for me to understand or relate to the idea of turning away a connection to my own history.
    Oh, well; as I read somewhere earlier today, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Se le vie.

    Thanks for commenting!
    Renate

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are a blessing to your family, even if some of them won't acknowledge it. I'm happy to bust through brick walls or correct errors when someone can show me good solid evidence about one of our shared ancestors. Hopefully they'll come to appreciate you very soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Auriette. (What a beautiful name!)

      I don’t know you, but I’m assuming you must be a cousin. Tank you for your kind words. It means a lot to me that you took the tone to comment. Please feel free to reach out to me via email, using the contact button.

      Be well,
      Renate

      Delete
    2. Sorry about those typos. Also, I misread your comment and thought you said "our" family, not "your," so that was why I said you must be a cousin. My apologies!

      Thanks, again, for your comment. :)

      Renate

      Delete
  5. If not a cousin of the blood (de sang), she might be a cousin "a la mode de Bretagne", as we say in my family. That is a person who is honored as a relative, due to familiarity or a long- time connection. They were entitled to family style holiday cards, thankyou notes for gifts & letters or phone calls just to keep in touch!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ha ha … sometimes those are the BEST cousins! But, in this case, it’s blood.

    Thanks for your comment!

    Renate

    ReplyDelete