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Mississippi to Africa
is not just a how-to book to trace family histories. It's not just
another story about the history of an African-American family. Rather,
it's simply a unique story that chronicles a history-uncovering journey
that unearthed captivating and heart-breaking discoveries and surprising
connections. Many "roots-digging" tips and techniques can be gained
along the way.
Click here for more details. |
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Research Starter
Tips in African-American Genealogy |
Another
Maternal Lineage!! |
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african-american genealogy sites |
personal sites |
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Celebrating Gullah
Heritage on the Sea Islands |
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my paternal family |
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"I am George, Melvin's paternal grandfather. I was the son of a Baptist minister and school teacher, Rev. Billy William Collier, and Ella Butler Collier. A lot of people called me "Fess", which was short for Professor. I was an educator and school principal for many years at several schools in Leake, Rankin, and Scott County, Mississippi. Melvin really enjoyed the fishing trips his grandmother and I took him on when he was a young boy. I taught him how to use a fishing reel just like my grandfather, Surry Butler, had taught me." |
"I am Willie, Melvin's paternal grandmother. I was a school teacher for over 30 years at several schools in Leake and Scott County, MS. My grandson and I were very close. When his Mom cooked something he didn't like, he would sneak away to my house and begged me to buy him a Big Mac from McDonald's. I got my grandbaby whatever he wanted. You can say that I spoiled my son and my grandchildren. I couldn't help it. I was my parents' youngest child and was used to getting anything I wanted. So I did the same thing with my family. My grandson would love to hear me talk about my family, especially my grandfather, Robert "Bob" Ealy."
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"We are Will & Rob
Kennedy, the older brothers of Melvin's
paternal grandfather,
Hulen "Newt"
Kennedy. Yes,
Melvin's father had two fathers - a biological one and an adopted
one. Melvin is using our picture to represent his grandfather. Our double-first cousin, Willie, and her husband, George
Collier, adopted Melvin's father at Newt's request and raised him since he was
a baby. Cut-n Willie did not have any children, so they were happy
to raise our nephew as their own. Melvin's father learned at an early
age why our brother, Newt, came around so much. When he was old enough to learn the
truth, Melvin's father and our brother maintained a nice relationship. He had
the best of both worlds, having two fathers who loved him. He certainly
had uncles who loved him as well. Melvin's father used to work with
us in the field, helping to plow our land." |
Gertrude
Belton
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Great News! Melvin finally found a picture of me. I wished it was one that I took when I was much younger, but I am still happy that he has added a picture of me to his website. Oh yeah, I am his grandfather, Hulen Kennedy, but everyone just called me "Newt". Everything my brothers said is true. Although I didn't raise Melvin's father, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be in his life and watch him grow up. |
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Martha Ealy Kennedy "We are Albert and Martha, Melvin's great-grandparents. The men above, William, Robert, & Hulen Kennedy, are our sons. I, Albert, was born into slavery near Hillsboro and my wife, Martha, was born the year slavery ended. She was the first child of Robert Ealy & Jane Parrott Ealy who was born free. We lived a fairly nice life in Lena, Mississippi, raising our four sons and one daughter. My mother, Lucy Kennedy Cherry, lived with us after my Martha died. A tornado took my beautiful Martha away, but I soon remarried and also had eight more children by Miss Alice Hill. I was able to obtain a large amount of land which I farmed. Everybody think that I was able to accomplish certain things in my life because I looked like a white man. Sure, I passed as a white man one time when I went to Louisiana to see my sister, so why not use certain things to my advantage? They let me sit with the other white folk in the front of the train, never knowing that I was a proud Black man."
(Photos of App & Paul Ealy courtesy of Lynda Rowe-Campbell)
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"I am
Paul, the father of Melvin's grandmother, Willie Ealy Collier.
I was
born into slavery in 1859 near Lena, Mississippi on William Parrott's farm.
I was born into slavery, but since I was so young when slavery ended, I
don't remember much about dem slavery days. I was able to acquire over 600 acres of land
in Leake County. Melvin's grandmother, Willie, was my youngest child,
and she was right when she would tell Melvin how I spoiled her. I
married Willie's mother,
Adeline Kennedy, in 1879, and we had nine
children together. I also had another son, Elijah, who lived to get
106 years old. My wife, Adeline, was a
"mulatto," and if you didn't know her background, you'd swear she was a
white woman. My daughter would always tell Melvin that I was "dark as night."
I was so happy that my daughter and her husband George Collier adopted
Melvin's father. You see, Hulen Kennedy was my nephew, and he was also
my wife's nephew too, so Melvin's father was filled with our blood.
Hulen Kennedy's mother Martha was my sister, and Hulen's father Albert was
my Adeline's brother. Hulen, his siblings, and all of my children
could have all easily passed for siblings because they all looked alike. "I am App Ealy. Melvin's grandmother, Willie Ealy Collier, was my baby sister. Newt Kennedy was my double-first cousin. Melvin does not have a picture of my grandparents, Robert "Bob" Ealy & Jane Parrott Ealy, so I am representing them. They were the parents of Paul Ealy (my father) and Martha Ealy Kennedy (Newt Kennedy's mother). That would make them to be Melvin's great-great-grandparents in two ways. Ain't that something! Anyway, I remember Grandpa Bob quite well. He died in the late 1900's. He had been born into slavery in Nash County, North Carolina on Jesse Bass's farm around 1814. When his first "masser" died in 1822, Grandpa Bob went to Miss Frances, who was Jesse Bass's baby daughter. Miss Frances married William W. Eley, and the Eleys left North Carolina around 1837, taking Grandpa Bob with them to Leake County, Mississippi. Grandpa Bob told us how "Masser Billy" used him as a breeder. He kept him housed by himself in an one-room log house. Grandpa Bob fathered many children, a lot of them he never saw. He and Grandma Jane, Melvin's great-great grandmother, had a whole bunch of children too. During slavery, Grandma Jane and her children lived on William Parrott's farm, but "Masser Billy" Eley allowed Grandpa Bob to visit Grandma Jane and their children often, since the Eley & Parrott farms were next to each other. My grandparents had a hard beginning, but they survived and were some of the strongest people I know." |
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my maternal family |
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"I am
Melvin Collier's uncle and namesake. My baby sister
named her only son for me in honor of me. I was the owner of Reed's
Barber Shop on Alcy Street in Memphis, Tennessee. I have two nephews carrying my name, and I am grateful to
my family for remembering me in such a nice way." |
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representing Simpson
Reed |
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We are Melvin's great-uncles,
born in 1893 & 1896, respectively, in Como, MS to John & Mary Davis. |
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"I am
Pleasant
Barr, Melvin's great-great grandfather. Most people just
called me Pleas. For obvious reasons, Melvin is using a picture of my
grandson, Pleas Reed, to represent me. Melvin learned a lot about me
during his genealogy research. You see, my son, Bill Reed, talked
about me a lot and some of that information was passed on to Melvin.
Bill and I were forcedly separated in 1859 in Abbeville, So. Carolina, when he was
13 years old. William Barr, Jr. "sold" me to James Giles, and he
took me to Ripley, Mississippi. William then sold my children to Lemuel
Reid. When Mr. Giles took me away from So. Carolina, that was the
last time I saw my children, my mother, Fanny
Barr, my siblings, and other family members
again. I am grateful that my son never forgot me, and he even named
his youngest son after me. What a joy it would have been if Bill and
his sister, Mary, had
found out that I was over in Ripley, just 60 miles from Senatobia where
Bill settled and raised a large family. |
"We are John & Mary Davis, Melvin's great-grandparents. We both were
born just
shortly after slavery. I, John, to
Hector Davis &
Lucy Milam Davis and my wife, Mary, was born to
Edward Danner & Louisa Bobo Danner. Thank God we escaped living in that dark time.
The lady above, Minnie, was our youngest daughter of nine children we had
together. Our daughter, Minnie, and my granddaughters, Melvin's
mother & aunt, followed in my wife's footsteps. You see, my wife became a
teacher during the 1880's. She was beautiful and educated, qualities I
like. She and her sisters taught at some of the
earliest schools for Blacks in Panola & Tate County, Mississippi that
were formed during Reconstruction." |
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Lucy Milam Davis "We are Hector and Lucy, Melvin's great-great grandparents. His grandmother, Minnie, was our granddaughter - the daughter of our oldest son, John Hector Davis. I was born into slavery in South Carolina. But our slave "masser", John Burnett, transported me, my siblings, and my parents, Jack & Flora Davis, to Como, Mississippi in 1861, shortly before the Civil War started. When we were living in South Carolina, Pappa 'belonged' to a neighbor Davis Family, but he was allowed to visit us on the Burnett place often. When "Masser" John Burnett decided to move to Mississippi, he "purchased" Pappa so Pappa could be with us. Shortly after the War, I married Lucy and we had 15 children. Lucy, her parents, Wade Milam & Peggy Briscoe Milam, and her siblings had been enslaved on Joseph Milam's farm near Senatobia. "Masser" Joe Milam had brought Lucy's pappa, Wade, to Mississippi from Alabama. Her momma, Peggy, had come from Tennessee. Melvin's mom and grandmother, Minnie, look a lot like Lucy." |
"I am
Ed, Melvin's
great-great grandfather - the father of the lady above me. Melvin is
using the picture of the black soldier statue to represent me because I was
a soldier in the Civil War, serving as a private in the 59th Regiment
Infantry of the United States Colored Troops. Melvin was so proud to
learn that I had fought with the Union Army. He has dedicated a
website in honor of me, and you can go there to learn more about
me. The link is listed
here." |
"I am Louisa
Danner, Melvin's
great-great grandmother. Everybody
called me Lue. The lady right above me is my oldest daughter. I
was born into slavery on Dr. William Bobo's farm in South Carolina. From my
picture, everybody see a lot of Indian in me, but my father was a white man,
Elijah Wilbourn. My mother, Clarissa Bobo, was also a slave and my
Indian features came from her side of the family. When I was 16, Dr.
Bobo took all of his slaves to Como, MS. I was married at the time to
Mack Ray, a man enslaved on a neighboring plantation with whom I had my first two
children, but we never saw him anymore when we were taken to Mississippi.
Our son, Mack, was born shortly after we arrived in Mississippi. I
later married Edward Danner, and
had 8 more children. After my husband died, it was up to me to
raise my ten children. When I saved up enough money, I bought 100
acres of land, and my sons and I farmed to make a living. My daughters
were teachers. By the way, my great-great granddaughter's DNA test revealed
that I am part of the Fulbe (Fulani) people of northern Cameroon.
Ain't that something! Hallelujah!" |
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