A Paper Trail and Tears of Joy

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I haven’t posted anything about genealogy lately. I thought you all might like to hear about this. This past Sunday, twenty-five of my cousins were accepted as new members of the Nansemond Indian Tribal Association, or the Nansemond Indian Nation. Here is a link to their site.  https://nansemond.org/history/

Believe me when I tell you that cries of victory were being heard around the country. For such a long time, many of my cousins have sought admission into the Tribe. But for a very long time, they were excluded. It does no good to hash out the whys or wherefores as that is in the past. The thing is, they succeeded in securing what had become for them, a life-long dream.

A Moving Experience

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Well, we made the move from Florida to North Carolina without incidence. A very good thing. We are very tired. It’s a long trip for anyone, but when one gets to a certain age, those long trips become more and more difficult to manage.

Sciatica is my biggest culprit. It causes us to have to stop every couple of hours, to get out, and walk around for a few minutes. I guess it could be worse.

 Unpacking-Head in a Box

We’ve spent the past week unpacking boxes and finding a place for all the things we brought from Florida. Yes, we had two homes, but we didn’t bring everything from Florida. Our furniture will be either sold with our home or sold separately should the buyers not want it.

God is Always Up to Something

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Man am I pooped! I need some of Lucy’s Vitameatavegamin. I don’t think it would do me any good as I am just way too pooped to pop out at parties. Those of you of a certain age will know exactly what I’m talking about.

Not this past weekend, but the one before that, my husband drove our son and all of his belongings to Texas. Now, from Tampa, that’s a long, long trip. Two full days of driving only to arrive to find that the apartment isn’t ready and son couldn’t move in. He finally got to do so this past Friday, a week later than promised. Heavy sigh.

Change-Packed with Blessings

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Confession—I don’t like change. I like settling into my life and getting comfy—like a favorite pair of old shoes.

But life has never been meant to remain stagnant. Like the water that word brings to mind, it begins to smell. When we sit too long without changing, without growing, without adding to the world around us, we too, become stagnant.

In the past few months, years even, my life has had more changes than I felt prepared to deal with. Yes, bad sentence structure, but that is how jumbled things have been. Seemingly all out of order.

Reach Out Even If You Think It's Too Late

By Debra DuPreeWilliams @DDuPreeWilliams

This has been a difficult week. Over the weekend, I heard that a dear friend was very sick. This friend was one of my college roommates, and also, one of my bridesmaids. We stayed in touch during the years that I remained in Birmingham, her home, but when we moved to Florida, I lost touch with not only her, but so many of my old friends.

You know the friends I mean—the ones who helped to form you into the person you are today. The people who influenced your past, thus creating the path to the future you.

A Discovery Worth the Twenty-Year Wait

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Last week I told you about genetic traits which have been passed down in my family for generations, indeed, since at least the 1500s. This week, I’d like to continue with genealogy.

My sister and I began our search for our roots about twenty years ago. When we first began this journey, we were helped by having been given a copy of a two-volume set of books titled, The DuPre Trail, compiled with the years of research done by Emimae Pritchard Langley. While we may not have known much about our father’s side of the family at the time, having these books greatly helped in our being able to piece together our DuPree tree. We are forever indebted to Mrs. Langley.

It's in the Genes

 By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

By now, you all know that I’m the family genealogist. This isn’t something I ever saw myself doing, but since my sister and I set out about twenty-five years ago in search of our roots, most of our family members have looked to me for answers. I usually have an answer to their questions and if I don’t, I try my best to find one.

Being the genealogist of the family has led me to all manner of info. I’ve discovered genes that have been passed down for at least twelve or more generations. For instance, my Lanier ancestors were musicians and instrument makers. Nicholas Lanier, the younger, my first cousin eight times removed, was the master of the King’s music in the court of English Kings. I have many cousins who are musically talented. I and my sons also have been blessed with an extraordinary ability with music. Three of my sons are bassoonists and one plays professionally.