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I wish I could trace my family’s history. Unfortunately, like many African Americans, it’s a bit difficult to do. Some are lucky and are able to, but for some, maybe they can only go back a generation or two. I envy those who actually can go back centuries, knowing where they came from or lived and imagine what they could’ve gone through during that particular time in history. I didn’t start thinking this way until maybe my mid-20s.
For my mother on her mother’s side, we can go back as far as my great great grandmother. She was born in 1881. Not sure about my mother’s father’s side.
As for my father’s family, I have nothing. My father’s relatives were all pretty old so they died out before I even had a chance to start questioning it. All I know is that my grandparents were originally from North or South Carolina, but moved to New York. My grandmother died when my father was 19. My grandfather died when I was 11. My father also said that when he was very young, his grandfather was “taken away by white men” and never saw him again. No idea what all that’s about and neither does he.
So yeah, I would just like to know this for my own personal knowledge. Where is my family from? Where did I get my name, aside from the obvious (slave owners probably)? I have an Irish last name.
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