Life is a puzzle and sometimes it helps to write down the pieces and put things into perspective. — Verna L. Hamilton, author of Poems for Life’s Puzzle
On any given day that I choose to interact with human beings, inevitably the following conversation happens:
- Random person: Where are you from?
- Me: Philadelphia.
- Random: No, where are you from? Your parents?
- Me: Philadelphia. Dad from North Philly, Mom from Passaic.
- Random: Where did you learn to speak _________?
- Me: Philadelphia.
- Random: I find it hard to believe that you are American.
(Good morning, Good Tea People! I trust that these words meet you with flavor and fill your cup. Welcome to all the new Straight From the Leaf readers. Please let’s pour and connect. I’m steeping some green tea in my left-handed kyusu — very unconventional, I know. Please try not to get distracted: Drink the tea that suits you and your palate.)
Climbing the Family Tree
I grew up knowing vastly more about my maternal side of the family than my paternal one. This family connection runs deep: we are proud of the picture capturing our first family reunion held in 1938 on the land we purchased. I am blessed to have known and loved most of the people pictured in this landmark photo.
Our last living matriarch, Sarah Carter Perry Brown, wrote a book at 105 years old with Cousin Caryl Lucas. I still remember learning about different herbs like horehound from her. She transitioned at 107 years old, and, for me, transformed what getting older looks like. Mother Brown would lead the line dance at the family reunion.
It is a privilege to be a scholar of my maternal family’s history and entrusted with its archival materials. What does that mean? I can tell you how someone is related, maintain family records, and help others on our tree connect the dots so that we do not forget all that they invested in us. It is the rare gift that keeps giving.
(Shout out to all of the Good Tea People who also share DNA with me. Love YOU, madly. No, I’m still not interested in organizing the next family reunion. I would rather have tea and conversation in-person. Hopefully soon. Love, V)
What about my father’s family? I am my father’s only daughter and named after him. The day of Grandmom Catherine’s homegoing service, I was seated next to him on the front row of the church. People came around to pay their respects. They all knew who I was — “Look at how that baby has grown!” — but they were unknown to me. What and who was I missing?
Who am I? I was a person with a whole last name and limited knowledge about the people who carried it. I am thankful for my beloved Uncle Marvin and the cousins who share my curiosity. We all decided to find out what we could in our own way.
Digging Around the Roots
Author with Dr. Henry Louis Gates at the New York Genome Center / Photo: Author
(Yes, Good Tea People, that is the Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and not an AI-generated image. Cups up to Professor Gates and his scholarly work.)
Being an avid fan of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., I decided to dig into the information that I did have about my paternal family, especially my great-grandfather Daniel “Dan” Hamilton. My original plan was to get a sample from one of my brothers for the African Ancestry PatriClan Kit and then surprise my father with the results. We would all then plan a family trip to travel to the area.
There was a delay for several reasons and I patiently awaited the African Ancestry results.
Then the results arrived (genetic markers not included below):
(Good Tea People, you already know that I don’t receive compensation from African Ancestry. Sometimes you have to state the obvious for the people who don’t know you in real life. Thank you for reading and understanding. Let’s pour a cup for good sense.)
Gathering the Fruit
These unexpected results from African Ancestry generated more questions for me than answers. I’m still researching to solve this peculiarly personal puzzle.
If I were Dr. Gates’ guest on Finding Your Roots, then I’d ask him:
What were Chinese people doing in North Carolina approximately 200 years ago?
What made the Han people of China amenable to coming to the United States?
What were these “reservations” and who lived there?
I am researching now in preparation for that future tea conversation with Dr. Gates. Dr. Lindsey Stewart‘s book entitled The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic provided me an introduction to historian Dr. James W. Loewen, author of The Mississippi Chinese: Between Black and White. Although he transitioned in 2011, his book is available via the library and I’ve submitted my request to read it.
(Thank you Dr. Stewart for the excellent scholarship presented in this book, especially the Granny Midwives and how it relates to maternal health. Raised cup salute!)
Cups Up Conclusions
Who am I? I am one of my ancestors’ wildest dreams and creating my own legacy every day.
I am exponentially more than the sum total of my experiences and the calculator behind the math of my imagination. This equates my potential as infinite and my worth without limits. Read: I am more than a set of boxes to check.
What is my purpose? Another soul question that leads me to the places, people, organizations and countries to contribute what only I can. There is no competition: we all have our life puzzles to piece together. Every single piece is necessary.
What am I grateful for? That’s another 500 posts! Gratitude is a cup of tea: every sip is a warm reminder of just how beautiful this life journey is. The journey continues and so do I.
Cups up with overflowing gratitude! #DrinkTea #PuzzlesMakeProgress