I am quite happy to see this forum; genealogy is one of my things!!
I was always led to believe that I am French Canadian, American Indian, Scotch and Pennsylvania Dutch, but in 2001 I discoverd that I am A WHOLE LOT MORE!
I learned that although I look as caucasion as can be, my maternal grandmother and ALL of her family were considered 'mulatto' in the 1930 US census as well as 'black' in all censes going back to 1810. (And, this is not an isolated case -- there were other mulattoes in the family.) As it turns out beyond the early 1800s, direct connections to anyone is unknown! Her GRINAGE line goes to Maryland and disappears. I cannot determine if she descends from the indentured English servant Abel Greenwich working in Barbados in the 1520s or if her line came out of the Grinages who owned land and operated plantations in the American South. These Georgian Grinages appear to have come from ... no where ... they have no connections to the Barbados Grinages so far.
Maybe Grinage is not English, not a re-spelling of Greenwich?
By now you probably think I am too caught up in this? Well, it was the beginning of a healing experience for me to learn that MY ancestors WERE not just involved in slavery, but were slaves.This entitled me to my strong feelings and opinoins about the American history of slavery and race relations today.
When I read a photocopy of my GGGGG grandfather's manumission, I cried for him, for all my people between he and I, for me, for my children and for everyone. It was a God moment. I know that he, Nasa McCurdy - my emancipated GGGGG grandfather was just a man, and that I am just a woman, but the connection is. I don't know how or exactly what but before I learned his name and of his hardwork ethic, I know he had an impact upon my life.
I have always valued family, but never as intensely as I have since learning of my ancestors! Knowing of them, makes me feel more worthwhile, valuable and fuels my desire to be Christ-like!
Genealogy was/ is important to GOD, so should it be to us!