RESEARCH DETAILS
This research began as a result of my need to seek details about my roots. It has led to extensive hours of piecing together the puzzle of our history. I encountered a few obstacles and sometimes a bruised ego due to fear. Fear as applied by family members who were skeptical and afraid. The fear, in this case, is attributed to secrets held over the years. However, other family members and cousins, I met along the way through DNA testing, have been angels in helping me to put the pieces together. I am grateful for each of you.
I humbly bow to my ancestors, my grandparents, great grandparents and my parents. I call on my ancestors constantly to lead and guide me onto the right path. They responded as you will see!
The general origin, of our ancestors, was from the West Coast of Africa. The genetic makeup of our family genes is from Nigeria, Cameroon/Congo, Ivory Coast/Ghana, Senegal, Mali, and Ireland. This information is based on the DNA results from my maternal side that of my brother, 1st cousin and myself. The three (3) of us are direct descendants of Susie May Redfearn, our Grandmother, as pictured above.
This has been an awesome journey for me, reliving their lives through the struggles and achievements of what I believe were a proud and strong people. So I, personally, salute my ancestors for their tenacity in keeping the family together in such a difficult time. It is amazing how they manage to keep a family together in a time considered almost impossible for people of color. Yet we, as their descendants, are scattered and apart from each other. It is my hope that we will reach out with love and respect for those who paved the way for us.
I have tried to include as much documentation as possible. Hopefully, this story will be told over and over again as I and others will update, as more information, becomes available. My efforts are and will continue to be, to determine their names before enslavement, if possible. I remain just as excited as the first day I began my research. I, like my cousins, had to tell their story.
Like so many others in contributing to the growth of United States of America, the most extensive roots of our family seem to be in Virginia, North and South Carolina,
Our Family History 