Formerly, "Just Thinking", this blog presents the thoughts and experiences of a family historian working to demystify the past and uncover the stories of an elusive ancestry. NC surnames are YARBOROUGH, NEAL, GREEN, HAWKINS, DUNSTON, DAVIS, BROWN, ROSS, HILL, BRYANT, and DAVENPORT in Franklin, Warren, Halifax, and Tyrrell Counties.
With so much of my family's history shrouded in darkness, is my personal mission to uncover the hidden details of my ancestry and bring them INTO THE LIGHT.
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Showing posts with label Free People of Color. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free People of Color. Show all posts
I try to do a good job of posting my speaking engagements on my social media platforms, in the order they are upcoming, but the period between late April and mid-June is giving me a run for my money - especially when it comes to "self promotion," which I'm really not that good at. I post my appearances in support of the organizations that are hosting me, and because I want the public to know that great information and opportunities for learning are available. To that end, I've decided to do this quick blog to show what is coming - and a bit of what has already passed, in case you are interested in exploring video options with those organizations. :)
Me speaking at NGS 2023 (Photo compliments of Sheryl Sims)
This is easier than it looks, because I'd already made this list for myself, so it's just a matter of copy/paste and adding the links! I will still try to post, as I always have, but this gives me (and anyone interested) a one-stop reference point! :)
Wed. May 27 - Sat. May 30 - National Genealogical Society Conference - Fort Wayne Indiana (In person: Speaking on Friday and Saturday) - https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/
Sun. June 14 - Speaking Engagement - St. Phillips Episcopal Church - Richmond, VA (in person - private event)
In between these speaking engagements, I have a ton of family events (grandchildren!), also involving travel, so this is a really busy/crazy time for me. There is also the usual slate of meetings and medical appointments sprinkled into all this, so there's that, too. Oh, and I can't forget my coaching sessions and consultations. (Is this TMI?) 🤣 I'm excited about all of it, but just hoping my body can keep up! Anyway, I hope to see as many of you as possible, either virtually or in person, if I'm coming your way. Let me know if I should expect to see you!
Happy Spring and happy researching!
Renate
Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2026/05/busy-busy-me.html
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 Rosses, Yarboroughs, Davenports, the Tredwell/Littlejohndescendants, 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
Are records
available about black Americans prior to the 1870 Census? You’re darned tootin’
they are! Many believe that the so-called “1870 Brick Wall” stifles the research
of those of us who descend from these Ancestors, but that is absolutely not the
case! Check out these slides from some of the presentations I do that address
this topic.
Image 1
From “Researching Free
People of Color in Antebellum North Carolina” Slide 12, updated June
2018. Author, Renate Yarborough Sanders. All rights reserved. Except for the “freedom
badges,” the other record types mentioned on this slide are mostly extant, and
provide helpful documentation of the lives of emancipated or free-born Blacks.
Image 2
From “Researching Free
People of Color in Antebellum North Carolina”Slide 15,
updated June 2018. Author, Renate Yarborough Sanders. All rights reserved.
These are two samples from the very rich collection of slavery related
petitions, collected by UNC’s
Digital Library on American Slavery.
Image 3
From "Researching Formerly Enslaved Ancestors" slide 15. Updated Feb. 2020. Author
Renate Yarborough Sanders. All rights reserved. These are just a few sources
that can be accessed to discover records of our Ancestors of color.
Image 4
From "Finding
Calvin: Following My Enslaved Through Multiple Owners - A Case Study Ancestor" Slide
12. Updated July 2020. Author, Renate Yarborough Sanders. All Rights Reserved. People
often say that there’s no such thing as a slave record, but this slide shows records which certainly give us information about the enslaved.
Image 5
Cohabitation record for my great-grandparents, Calvin and Precilla (Shaw) Yarborough From "Finding Calvin: Following My Enslaved Ancestor Through Multiple Owners - A Case Study"Slide 13. Author, Renate Yarborough Sanders. All rights reserved. I discovered this document at the North Carolina State Archives, in 2007, and took this photo, myself. This was the record that confirmed and documented the fact that my great-grandparents had, indeed, been enslaved.
My goal in writing this post was
to find and share a few slides from my presentations that gave somewhat of an overview
of what type of documentation is available about the lives of our Ancestors of
color, and/or how and where to find it. I do not wish to share too many of my
slides that show that specific documentation. For that, you need to hire me to
speak! 😊
However, before I close, I
absolutely must add something that just happened two nights ago. I got an email
from my DNA-connected cousin (and fellow researcher), Kristen Williams, who,
like me descends from ancestors enslaved by Josiah Collins, of Somerset
Place in Washington County, North Carolina. She, with the help of her
mother, had the privilege of photoscanning original record books from two places
of worship – The St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church in Edenton, NC and The Lake Chapel, located directly
on the premises of Somerset Place. The two record books, combined, contained lifelong
vital documentation of many of our ancestors, as well as many (most) of those
who were enslaved along with them. The St. Paul’s book contains information about
“Masters and Slaves,” while one from the Lake Chapel register contained
information about those enslaved at Somerset, as well as at other neighboring plantations.
Both registers contained the following dated information about our
Ancestors:
births
parent(s) and
siblings names
marriages
(yes)
baptisms
confirmations
communicants
deaths
burial
locations
These registers repeatedly
confirmed the names of the enslavers of our Ancestors. Additionally, there were
indications of when someone was a free person of color and notations of
if an enslaved person had removed to another location (i.e. Georgia). Another
precious research gem was when particular enslaved persons were of “Guinea”
descent, and even when a particular person was “the oldest” enslaved
person on the plantation, at age 90. (See below.)
Here's just a glimpse of
what’s included:
Image 6
Marriage record of Peter
King and Amy Elsy (Amy Littlejohn), December 28, 1858. This is not the date given on their 1866 Cohabitation
Record. I am changing my records to reflect this date, which should be
more accurate. Amy is named "Amy Elsy" because Elsy Littlejohn was
her mother, and all of her children are named that way in the Somerset records.
Amy was my second-great-grandmother. Before marrying Peter, she was with
Mack Tredwell, who is thought to my my ancestor, father of my
great-grandmother, Pinkey Tredwell King, but there are some conflicting
records. Having this marriage date will help to clear up that confusion! (I
also learned from this register that Peter King’s first wife, Sally, had died
just a few months before his marriage to Amy.)
Image 7
Lastly, I’ll share the page
that shows some of the notations I mentioned above. I want to share this photo
in its entirety, for context, but click on it to see notations of Guinea
slaves, parental identification, the “oldest on the plantation,” and more. This
is from The Lake Chapel Register from Somerset Place, officially labeled, “1836 – ‘65
Parish Register of Sommerset Place, Lake Scuppernong, N.C., Masters and Slaves.”
These Parish Registers are
treasure troves of information and contain dated documentation for
genealogy researchers! Though reading through these registers is emotionally
challenging, it is worth every tear drop
to see into this window of the lives of those enslaved by these church
members and to gather more insight into their personal stories. Like
the parish register I posted
about, previously, from the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Louisburg, NC,
where many of these same enslaved people from Somerset are also documented
during the Civil War, these pre-1870 records can be found and do
provide us with valuable documentary information about the lives of our African
American ancestors. These two books, now shared with me by my cousin, are prime
examples of the types of resources that remain hidden in private places, but need
to be released, publicly, so that those of us who descend from the Ancestors
who built this country, can continue to find them and learn about their lives.
Thanks for reading. Renate
Permalink to this post: https://justthinking130.blogspot.com/2020/07/pre-1870-african-american-records-yes.html
