[Geder Genealogy has
begun a series of 'Guest Posts' by African Ancestored genealogists, historians
and cultural evangelists. Contact us at geder.genealogy(at)gmail.com if you
would like to contribute.]
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| Kathleen Brandt; Professional Genealogist |
For as long as I can
remember I would boast, to any victim who would listen, about the African
American Griffin and Morris families. I would share the family stories of my
ancestor’s heritage, travels and other privileges, expounding on my slave-free
ancestry, the black relatives who passed for white, the Indian blood I
possessed, and the diversity of my family.
To me, these stories were a reality of unproven truths that defined the “me” of me.
I willingly accepted the family stories spun into epoch fairy tales that
defied logic. Perhaps under microscopic
review, 20% was reality but the other 80% was clearly muddied by the
storyteller’s liberty.
I’m
not sure why or how I became so enamored with the theory of a slave-free “Tobe” Morris family. I can only assume that
being a “free-colored” was an anomaly, and somehow under-handedly explained my
non-traditional family. Perhaps it was the
pride in which these compilations of passed-down stories were told. “Tobe was
part Indian.” Aunt Laura staked land in
the Cherokee Run.” “Great-Grandpa Thomas
had Indian head rights.” Maybe it
was the fact that we were one of the few black families from central Kansas
without the term “Exoduster” attached.
But if you listened closely to my tales of a “slave-free” heritage, you
would also hear my doubts, my questions, and the absurdity of the stories.
Uncovering the Truth
In less than two
months of research, I came to some mouth-dropping
realities. Tobe wasn’t Tobe, (his
name was actually Wiley), we had no Indian blood, we were not from the Midwest,
but transplants from western North Carolina and western Tennessee - Appalachia, and there was at least one Morris ancestor
who was indeed a slave. As it turns out,
those weren't even the stories to uncover.
Tracing
my 1807 free-colored Rutherford, NC ancestors’ migratory path to western Kansas
by 1884 is not a documentary of Exodusters through Kansas. It isn’t even a
genealogical research of my Morris or Griffin family roots. It is, however, the
story that challenges and defies the standard teachings of American history,
erasing stereotypes and historical myths of formal education; forming a new and
more vibrant reality. Visit a3genealogy African American Research.
Through genealogical
research, I’ve walked with ancestors in their brave struggle for rights, and
have learned there’s more to our past than slavery and lynchings. Court
documents proved that more than one of my ancestors married in the 1860’s (and
earlier). The Griffin’s owned land in North Carolina as early as 1811. A few
owned slaves for what appears to reap economic gain, not just for freeing
family. These facts introduced many unanswered questions: Why were most of the western North Carolina Griffin’s
and Morris’ free-born? Who taught them
to read before the Civil War? Why did
they (like many free-coloreds and ex-slaves) change not only surnames but also
given names after the War? Why did my
Morris family choose to live in communities where they were the only coloreds? For more information on the Wiley “Tobe”
Morris family, visit The Face of Genealogy.
Uncovering African
American historical truths, validated through genealogical research using state
documents, newspapers and political writings, offers a clearer picture of
American history and our families. “When we
honor the struggles and triumphs of our fathers and mothers, we honor the
struggles of all families at all times in all places” (What is Genealogy?).
Kathleen Brandt, a3genealogy
Professional
Genealogist
a3genealogy@gmail.com
Ms. Brandt has over ten years of experience in International genealogical research,
documentation retrieval and research, National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) document analysis, as well as family and lineage
research.
