FROM 1991 - 2018 Still Scratching That Itch
Twenty seven years is how long I have been researching. It is not long compared to others that I know who have been at it much longer than I.
Some days good, some not so good. My pajama research spills into the early morning light. I had to align or manage my feelings and thoughts after I went into the dark places I visited in the pages of yesterday.
The glistening rewards of my heart strings as I stumbled upon the good in humanity.
From The census pages I read where family was found and the next year where one or two had disappeared. That Mortality Schedule half blacked out on the lines I really needed to see.
From The brave great grandmother found in 1880 on the Agricultural Census telling the state how many horses sheep and cows she had and what crop she toiled while her husband was no where to be found so the taxes could be paid.
From The birth certificates of those born healthy as I suddenly see a maiden name of my ancestor or finding out another ancestor was the midwife who helped to bring that child into the world. Then make it a mission to find more of her midwifery.
From The death certificates where I saw family who had expired from high blood pressure, cancer, starvation, burned in a fire, old age, young age, new born to drownings.
From The newspaper articles where humans had been auctioned off to the highest bidder and silently wondering if they were one of my ancestors. From the tears shed when I found the article of my cousins great grand who was being taken to the safety of another jail by a sheriff only to be overtaken by a vicious mob and dragged to the nearest tree.
From The numerous articles with pictures that bought joy to my sisters mother of her ancestor who stood tall in the anals of Texas as President of PrairieView College; Who also was friends with and stood side by side with the likes of WEB Dubois.
From The DNA results that yield so many cousins from all parts of the country. North, South, East and West, with ethnicities tied together from material matter sealed in the complexity of the nucleus. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for "that" matter twenty three of my Chromosomes all paired up like lovers there would not be a Me.
(My favorite chromosomes are sixteen and twenty three but I need four more numbers to play the lottery)
From The spittle and scrapes of my children's mouths, as well as my siblings, nieces, cousins on both sides, the neighbors, they all contribute to who we are and where we come from. All so that our ancestors will never be forgotten and your descendants will hopefully do the same for you.
My daughter would say that if I could ask the dirt to spit when I run out of people I would.
From The sight unseen dear genealogy friends who have shown me through deeds, words and sharing, that their passion is the same as mine.
From The ones who I have chatted with for long hours laughing and talking as if they were with me trying our best to find another link, another clue.
On many occasions a call from all across the country from those who just wanted to say hello.
From The ones I have seen, from cousins to genealogy groups, to the one that I graduated with at the University Of Phoenix, to my AfriGeneas mentors, and to the one who is not RELATED, I look forward to twenty - eight years of research or more with or without finding Mariah.
