Finding Your Roots

Many of you will know that I’m an amateur genealogist. As such, I’m the keeper of the family history, records, and photographs. I don’t have as much time to spend on this as in the past, but I still love finding new information about all my ancestral lines.

About twenty years ago, I learned that Mama’s family was descended from the Nansemond Indian Nation.  https://nansemond.gov/

The young man featured on the Nansemond site is a distant cousin of some degree. I met his aunt at a writing conference in 2019. We’ve been friends ever since. Talk about a God-incidence! He is an amazing young man who has brought only good things to The Nansemond Nation. An outstanding representative of an ancient People. His name is Kalen Anderson and his father is Chief Keith Anderson. Wonderful people!

UNKNOWN HERITAGE

Mama only knew her first cousins on her mother’s side, and none past those who lived nearby. She did not know any of this before she went to Heaven in 1996, long before I knew these things.

Mama’s father was born in 1859 and her mother was born in 1888. A big gap. That is an amazing story. Grandpa was the one with the Indian heritage. Yes, they do prefer to be called Indian and cite that anyone born in this country is a Native American.

OUTSTANDING BOOK AND AUTHOR

I didn’t know this until I recently read Lisa Carter’s fabulous book, Beyond the Cherokee Trail.  https://www.lisacarterauthor.com/beyond-cherokee-trail

If you’ve never read Lisa Carter’s work, you should. She’s an excellent writer and historian. Her research, as well as her access to and relationship with the Cherokee, lends an authentic air to her work.

HISTORIC MARKER

Years before I knew of my connection to any of the Indian tribes, my husband and I drove from northern Virginia to Alabama. Just over the Alabama line, we came upon a historical marker, one of the big brass ones, that commemorated where the Cherokee crossed on the Trail of Tears. Just reading it brought me to tears. I stood and wept for people I would never know.

https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/historicmarkers/trail-tears-drane-overland-route/

If you have Indian roots, or if you only think you may learn as much as you can about your people. I’m learning about the Nansemond, but I long to know so much more.

Finding Your Roots @DDuPreeWilliams #family #DNAtesting #TheTrailofTears Share on X

DNA TESTING

As always, when you begin doing family research and you start your family charts, always begin with you and work backward, one generation at a time. I love Ancestry for making cousin connections and learning my ethnic makeup.   https://www.ancestry.com/c/dna/

If you are male, I suggest doing testing at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). I did the big-Y 700 test on my husband. You learn so much by doing those tests. Just so you know, there is NO test for Indians at this point. It will show up as native, but it could mean South America, Mexico, or North America. It isn’t Tribe specific. That’s where your paper trail and making those cousin connections comes in.   https://www.familytreedna.com/products/single-tests

Let me know if I can answer questions or help in any way. As I said, I’m an amateur at this. I don’t understand the deep, deep scientific things, but I get the basics. Happy hunting!

Blessings, y’all!

This isn’t the melody so familiar to most of us, Cwm Rhondda, (Welsh name of the tune said Coom Ron-dah with emphasis on the second syllable). The Cherokee sang this on The Trail of Tears. It has become their anthem since that time. I pray this blesses you. Do read more about The Trail of Tears. But keep your tissues nearby. Blessings to each of you.