By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams
This coming
weekend promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. My husband and I are
celebrating our anniversary. As part of our celebrations we will be traveling to Suffolk, Virginia, where we will be
joined by our eldest son and his younger daughter. The four of us will be
attending the 31st annual Pow Wow of the Nansemond Indian Nation. The
place of my roots.
Y’all know that I’m
a big proponent of tracking one’s roots. Had I not been so diligent in seeking
family members who knew more than I about my Mama’s family, this weekend would
pass me by just as the previous thirty Pow Wows did. But thanks to newfound
cousins who were and are far more knowledgeable about Mama’s family than we
ever hoped to be, we will be in attendance this year.
Unknown Stories
Mama knew
precious little about her roots. She, of course, knew her parents though her
father passed away when Mama was only seven. All she knew of grandparents on
his side of the family was that her grandmother was Ellen and her grandfather
was Andrew.
When my sister
and I began the search for our roots back in the 1990s, we were armed with a
great deal of information on our Daddy’s side. But Mama’s was almost a blank
slate. It was only after I joined Ancestry that I connected with cousins who’d
been working on this side of the family for over forty years. Their research
and documentation were solid considering all the work had been done the
old-fashioned way, by combing through records in dusty old courthouses and
pouring through library microfiche. The hours this must have taken still
astounds me.
Proofs
One cousin volunteered to take a DNA test
for us. It was at this point that we connected to unknown kin. We were able to
piece together a family tree. The records we discovered—census
records, marriage certificates, death certificates, land deeds, wills, etc.
were tangible proof of the discoveries we made.
So, this coming
weekend, we'll travel to Virginia to stand on the land that has been a part of
the history of the Nansemond for centuries. A part of my Mama’s family.
My family. My sons’ family. My granddaughters’ family.
There are no
words for the overwhelming emotions as I write this. I will share photos and
more reactions with you next week.
Roots.
Join our
conversation. Have you searched for your roots? Share your discoveries
with us.
TWEETABLE
The photo above is of my Mama's family. Back row: Alberta Bass Cunningham, Rubye Bass Register, Beulah Bass Elmore, Bura Bass,
Seated: Grandpa Wilburn Bass holding Mama, Dot Bass DuPree, Check Bass, behind in middle; Granny Ludie Smith Bass holding Doris Bass Blackburn, Mary Bass Derby.
