African Ancestored Genealogy

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Comment by Anita Wills on October 9, 2009 at 11:40pm

There is a committee in Westmoreland County, which is documenting African American Graves. I am communicating with one of the black families that owns property by George Washington Birthplace. My prayer is that the graves are located on their property, and not on the Washington Descendants property. I wrote about the Graves in my first book, Notes And Documents of Free Persons of Color. There are other slave descendants in the area, and we are working together. We need to have a National Organization to put pressure on these states where the graves are located. You have not put a downer on me, as I know what i am up against. I have no intention of quitting, because they should have the same dignity guaranteed to those they labored for.

Comment by Quan Pruitt on October 9, 2009 at 11:30pm

Has anyone looked up the laws of the state that these cemeteries are in? Then work within the laws. I know how this sounds but unless you have the community where the cemetery is located and some relatives involved it will be hard. Has anyone researched any of the names in these cemeteries? Any of them in any wars? (You can request Military headstones) Westmoreland - any research on what the relationship is to George Washington? Can you prove it? Not trying to put a downer on it but you have to get the families involved, great research from genealogist and a very very good lawyer to block.
This is happening everywhere. A lost of family connection in our lost generations. The extended family and history is lost to our lost generations. The old Taboo was - possible child by owner or just that the family owned slaves - The new taboo is DNA testing.

In my hometown two cemeteries this happened also. One they said they moved the bodies but no one can locate where they moved these bodies or old headstones. No records. They put a major highway down the middle of it. The second it was said they move the bodies and headstones to build a school but you can still find headstones in the wooded areas and near the playground. Now that families are researching they are upset.

The newest event is anyone asking for the orginal deeds to AA cemeteries for some reason they cannot find them.

Comment by Toni Carrier on October 9, 2009 at 10:00pm

Art, thank you so much for the cemetery advice and links. I am going to check the links out now. Bless you for taking the time to send the links and your experience in restoring/preserving/honoring the cemetery in Piqua.

Blessings,
Toni

Comment by George Geder on October 9, 2009 at 2:37pm

Hi Anita,

That does it!
Time to put our voices to all of the African Ancestored cemeteries.
I'm setting up a Discussion Forum for this very issue!
Stay tuned.

Comment by Anita Wills on October 9, 2009 at 11:57am

I am also attempting to preserve a grave site where my ancestors are buried. It is in Westmoreland County Virginia, and the cemetery is out in the woods near George Washington Birthplace. It was a burial ground for the slaves from Popes Creek Plantation (now George Washington Birthplace). There is a actually a group in Westmoreland County researching African American Grave sites, and I am trying to contact them. I believe one of the problems is that the slaves were connected to George Washington's' family. I was in contact with one of the Washington descendants and he was fine until I mentioned DNA testing the remains. I would like to see the grave site consecrated, and made available to all of the descendants.

"If not now, when? If not me, who?"

Comment by George Geder on October 9, 2009 at 8:16am

Good Morning Art,

Thanks for the tips & insights regarding the cemetery in Sumter county, Florida. I think they have the NHP people in place. They are also bringing in 5 archaeologists to do further studies, I'm told. I think the burial count is now up in the 70s.

I will pass on your links to the contacts I have.
Thanks again Art!

Peace,
"Guided by the Ancestors"

Comment by Art Thomas on October 9, 2009 at 5:10am

Hello George,

I don't know all of the steps being taken to perserve the cemetery in Sumter Co., Fl, but if not already undertaken, one avenue may be through attempting to have the cemetery recoginized as a "National Historic Place (NHP).

Having a cemetery recognized as an NHP was done in my homeown of Piqua, Ohio several years back preventing an aggressive county move to 'develop' land which contained an AA cemetery. It took the work of a few dedicated individuals, the County Historical Society and some hard work documenting the cemetery. It is now a centerpiece of AA history in that area.

Would contact with the persons involved in the process of saving this cemetery be of help to the folks in Florida?

Art

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/ohpo/nr/details.aspx?refnum=82001475

http://www.tdn-net.com/tdnadmin/tdnhtml/html/rossville/

Comment by George Geder on October 8, 2009 at 11:47pm

Researchers Roll Call--Check In.

So far, we have 18 replies. Yet, we have 96 members.
Let's all participate and improve on the percentage!

Let's all share our research findings
Let's all help one another
Let's all celebrate each other's successes

Come on, we're family!

Peace,
"Guided by the Ancestors"

Comment by George Geder on October 8, 2009 at 11:41pm

County To Move Historic Cemetery -
Help Save an African Ancestored Cemetery


County To Move Historic Cemetery
http://www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?073+article+News+20090923093345073073003

Upon hearing this news, I have Tweeted my contacts.
I have commented on the article in the Sumter County (Florida) News.

My colleague Angela Y. Walton-Raji has spoken about this on her podcast, Http://africanrootspodcast.com.

Even with the published concerns of President Carolyn Shaw and Billy Ray, vice president of the Sumter County Historical Society, County Administrator Bradley Arnold plans to move forward with the removal.

What was initially in dispute was whether this grave site was a family plot or an actual African American cemetery. If the latter, which the Sumter County Historical Society and others have determined, they were still going to remove it anyway.

There are federal, state and local laws regarding removal of cemeteries. This case seems to be at the local level and the county administrator may be within legal boundaries.

However, local officials have an obligation to listen to their constituents and make decisions in the best interests of the community. Preserving one acre of land, a historic cemetery, should have some priority. There would remain, in this case, 74 more acres for future development.

Imagine; the interred African Americans are removed from their 'resting place' and relocated to another cemetery where they were probably not welcomed in the first place! An atrocity on top of an atrocity on top of an atrocity!

Your voices are needed. If this can happen in Lake Panasoffkee, Sumter county, Florida, it can happen in your community as well!

Our Ancestors need us on this one!

Thanks to the USF Africana project under direction of Toni Carrier to bring this issue to the global attention.

Please read the article and comment.

[NOTE- this was originally posted on my blog. I was so caught up in this issue, I forgot to notify my friends at GenealogyWise African Ancestored Genealogy]

Comment by Anita Wills on September 15, 2009 at 8:37pm

Andie,
My Delaware line includes the surnames of Davis and Green, including Jehudi Davis, who was the Governor of Delaware in the 1800's. My line left Delaware in the 1800's and settled in Chester County.

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