6 News reporter learns Virginia town was named for her ancestorPosted in Articles, History, Media Archive, United States, Virginia on 2013-07-17 22:39Z by Steven |
6 News reporter learns Virginia town was named for her ancestor
WATE.com
Knoxville, Tennessee
2012-07-23
Erica Estep, 6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) – How much do you know about your family history? Where did your ancestors live? What were their daily lives like, and what do you have in common with them?
Whether it is physical features or an adventurous spirit you’ve inherited, have you ever wanted to know more? These were all questions I had about my own family history, so I went in search of answers and hoping to help others along the way.
My journey began with research online. Genealogy sites like ancestry.com and familysearch.org make it easy for anyone to begin filling in their family tree.
I quickly traced my father’s ancestors from the Carolinas back to England.
However, my mother’s line included the most stumbling blocks. I found that my third great grandmother married two brothers, and I still haven’t confirmed the father of my great, great grandfather.
Among unusual surnames like Lockhart, Honaker and Stump, I uncovered a few kissing cousins, illegitimate children, an abundance of preachers and even an outlaw or two. All of them originated from the same small mountain town in Virginia…
…Tracing your roots is easier than ever with online records available at the click of a mouse, but with traditional research, many people hit a brick wall. Sometimes there’s just one piece of a puzzle you can’t find, but DNA tests can help.
Science is offering a deeper understanding of where you come from. I traced my roots to a small town in Southwest Virginia, but still had a lot of un-answered questions.
I turned to DNA tests to help fill in the blanks…
…I’ve always been told that I have Native American ancestors, and found pictures of relatives with darker complexions, just like one Alma showed me of her great aunt.
When asked about what she knows of her heritage she said, “Spanish and German, I think. Yeah, and a possibility of Indian, there’s a little bit of Indian in there, somewhere.”
My fourth great grandfather was also listed as mulatto in the 1850 census. Researchers at the East Tennessee History Center told me that would not be surprising.
“It’s highly probable,” said Dr. George Sweitzer, a genealogist and professor at the University of Tennessee. “Mulatto meant that you had black blood.”…
Read the entire article here.