Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Welcome to the African-Native American Blog
Welcome to the blog for the African-Native American Genealogy Website!
After over 10 years of maintaining a website focusing on the blended families of African & Native American families, I have decided to enter the blogosphere which will allow me to share data on a more frequent basis with the genealogy community.
My personal interest in this area of genealogy came from my own family history and the possession of a few artifacts left by my great grandmother Sallie Walton. Born in the Choctaw Nation in 1863, Sallie lived her entire life within a small radius of about 30 miles. Born in Skullyville in the middle of the Civil War, she lived the first half of her life in the Choctaw Nation, in what would eventually become LeFlore County, Oklahoma. She would spend her younger years in towns like Skullyville, and Oak Lodge two places that no longer exist. The last 4 decades of her life, she would live in western Arkansas in Ft. Smith, the border city, living with her son and grandchildren, and later great grandchildren.
Sallie, whom I knew the first decade of my life, was my heart, my inspiration and she represented kindness, love and comfort to me. From her life, I got the tenderness one gets from the elders, and from studying events in her life I see other events that help me to unravel more of her story, and more of my own family story. Hers is the story upon which my journey into Choctaw Nation, Choctaw culture, and the lives Choctaw Freedmen, began. From my study of her life, I have learned so much and my life has become enriched by those lessons. This blog is a mere continuation of that genealogy journey!
I have come to expand my studies of African-Native American genealogy beyond Indian Territory, and beyond Oklahoma. The story of Oklahoma is only part of the larger American story and of the African American story. As a result I have come to appreciate the history and the methods of researching the African-Native American story.
This blog will focus upon those cases where such histories can truly be documented.
Welcome to my blog!
After over 10 years of maintaining a website focusing on the blended families of African & Native American families, I have decided to enter the blogosphere which will allow me to share data on a more frequent basis with the genealogy community.
My personal interest in this area of genealogy came from my own family history and the possession of a few artifacts left by my great grandmother Sallie Walton. Born in the Choctaw Nation in 1863, Sallie lived her entire life within a small radius of about 30 miles. Born in Skullyville in the middle of the Civil War, she lived the first half of her life in the Choctaw Nation, in what would eventually become LeFlore County, Oklahoma. She would spend her younger years in towns like Skullyville, and Oak Lodge two places that no longer exist. The last 4 decades of her life, she would live in western Arkansas in Ft. Smith, the border city, living with her son and grandchildren, and later great grandchildren.
Sallie, whom I knew the first decade of my life, was my heart, my inspiration and she represented kindness, love and comfort to me. From her life, I got the tenderness one gets from the elders, and from studying events in her life I see other events that help me to unravel more of her story, and more of my own family story. Hers is the story upon which my journey into Choctaw Nation, Choctaw culture, and the lives Choctaw Freedmen, began. From my study of her life, I have learned so much and my life has become enriched by those lessons. This blog is a mere continuation of that genealogy journey!
I have come to expand my studies of African-Native American genealogy beyond Indian Territory, and beyond Oklahoma. The story of Oklahoma is only part of the larger American story and of the African American story. As a result I have come to appreciate the history and the methods of researching the African-Native American story.
This blog will focus upon those cases where such histories can truly be documented.
Welcome to my blog!
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