Winter 2019

Winter 2019 

Winter is here and learning more wisdom is important. There are a lot of things going on in the world. We witness massive new changes. The Mueller investigation is going on. Also, we see uncertainly  the stock market with massive lows in December of 2018. There are tons of people from the Trump administration resigning, fired, or convicted. Individuals have tried to tell people for years that Trump is filled with bigotry and corruption. Now, more people realize the truth along with the hypocrites (including some Evangelical hypocrites) still supporting him despite his anti-moral values. We witness foreign policy complexities with the Trump decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria that caused the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis (who is known for his militaristic assault at Fallujah, Iraq). We have to confront police brutality, Trump’s fascistic attack on immigrants, his anti-working class policies, and his trade war. Also, it is not just the Republicans responsible for this situation. Many neo-liberal, war hawk Democrats do care more for war and obscene escalation instead of true justice. Part of promoting true justice is to oppose the evil, far right nationalism of Putin and to oppose the imperialism found in the West too. Both are evil and both are wrong period. As for the Mueller investigation, Mueller should have all of the time and opportunity to complete his investigation. He ought to finish his job. The American people deserve the truth to be known. A far right America First policy is obsolete. We have to care for humanity internationally since human beings deserve equality and justice worldwide not just in the United States of America.

Worldwide, we see the rise of right wing extremism in 2018. Donald Trump defends convicted criminals, Italy’s new Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini promotes xenophobia, and Brazil’s incoming president Jair Bolsonaro is totally for the oligarchy. We also witness instability in the market. We have a trade war with China. Since Americans pay tariffs, the burden on these items rest on Americans. That is why many farmers are struggling. Our economy is very interconnected because of trade and many of the products that we buy are created from other nations. Tariffs now are regressive since more of the poor and middle class pay more of them than the super wealthy. The Trump tax cuts existed for large corporations and for the rich. This law cut taxes by $150 billion annually. The rich brought stocks, but the boost was temporary. So far, all of the market gains in 2018 are gone. The economy is slowing and if things don't change, America could face another recession by 2020. Trump is arrogant to want his wall and he threatened to have a shut down at the expense of the lives of American people. Now, we have such a shutdown today. We need investments in health care, better economic deals, help to the poor, and an expanded social safety net.

Algebra


For thousands of years, algebra has improved humanity in innumerable ways. From engineering to science, mathematics has been beneficial to the Universe. Algebra comes from the Arabic word “al-jabr” that means “reunion of broken parts.” It is part of mathematics along with the subjects of number theory, geometry, and analysis. Algebra focuses on solving problems, using mathematical symbols, and its rules are relevant in handling the composition of such symbols. Algebra is the glue that holds together other forms of mathematics. It holds everything together. Basic algebra is elementary algebra, and more abstract forms of it have been called abstract algebra or modern algebra. Elementary algebra is used by scientists and engineers including by teachers plus students. It is used in medicine and economics. Abstract algebra used advanced math, and it is studied by professional mathematicians. At the core of algebra is the embrace of abstractions. That means that letters are used to stand for numbers that are either unknown or allowed to take on many values. One example is a simple problem of X + 2 = 5. The letter  X refers to the unknown. So, you have to use the law of inverses to find the value of X. The value of X is, of course, the number 3. Writing and solving equations are key methods to understand algebra.

Linear algebra and algebraic topology are part of the overall algebra subject too. Algebra has roots from ancient Babylonia where they created math with algorithmic parts. They calculated linear equations, quadratic equations, and indeterminate linear equations. Ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, and ancient Chinese mathematics used geometric methods to solve equations too. This process has been found in works like the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, Euclid's Elements, and The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. The geometric work of the Greeks, typified in the Elements, provided the framework for generalizing formulae beyond the solution of particular problems into more general systems of stating and solving equations, although this would not be realized until mathematics developed in medieval Islam. During the time of Plato, Greek mathematics used geometric algebra. Diophantus (3rd century AD) was an Alexandrian Greek mathematician and the author of a series of books called Arithmetica. These texts deal with solving algebraic equations and have led, in number theory to the modern notion of the Diophantine equation.

The Persian mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī (c. 780–850) and the Indian mathematician named Brahmagupta developed an understanding of algebra too. Later, Persian and Arabic mathematicians developed algebraic methods to a much higher degree of sophistication. Although Diophantus and the Babylonians used mostly unique ad hoc methods to solve equations, Al-Khwarizmi's contribution was fundamental. He solved linear and quadratic equations without algebraic symbolism, negative numbers or zero; thus he had to distinguish several types of equations. Al-Khwarizmi and Diophantus are the fathers of algebra. Another Persian mathematician Omar Khayyam is credited with identifying the foundations of algebraic geometry and found the general geometric solution of the cubic equation. His book Treatise on Demonstrations of Problems of Algebra (1070), which laid down the principles of algebra, is part of the body of Persian mathematics that was eventually transmitted to Europe. Yet another Persian mathematician, Sharaf al-Dīn al-Tūsī, found algebraic and numerical solutions to various cases of cubic equations. He also developed the concept of a function. The Indian mathematicians Mahavira and Bhaskara II, the Persian mathematician Al-Karaji, and the Chinese mathematician Zhu Shijie, solved various cases of cubic, quartic, quintic and higher-order polynomial equations using numerical methods. In the 13th century, the solution of a cubic equation by Fibonacci is representative of the beginning of a revival in European algebra. Abū al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī al-Qalaṣādī (1412–1486) took "the first steps toward the introduction of algebraic symbolism". He also computed ∑n2, ∑n3 and used the method of successive approximation to determine square roots. Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano and other scholars developed algebra concepts. Abstract algebra was formed in the 19th century. Josiah Willard Gibbs built algebra of vectors in a three-dimensional space, and Arthur Cayley developed an algebra of matrices (this is a noncommutative algebra).

The basic form of algebra is called elementary algebra. Basic algebra uses arithmetical operations (such as +, −, ×, ÷) greatly. In algebra, numbers are often represented by symbols called variables (such as a, n, x, y or z). This is useful because it promotes functional relationships, it helps to solve equations, and it promotes arithmetical laws. In the algebraic expression notation of 3x2-2xy+c, you have the exponent, the coefficient being 3, 2, and 1, there is the term (or 3x2, and 2xy), the operator (or the subtraction and addition sign), and the constant term which is c. The variables or constants in the notation include the letters of x, y, and c. A polynomial is an expression that is the sum of a finite number of non-zero terms, each term consisting of the product of a constant and a finite number of variables raised to whole number powers. For example, x2 + 2x − 3 is a polynomial in the single variable x. A polynomial expression is an expression that may be rewritten as a polynomial, by using commutativity, associativity, and distributivity of addition and multiplication. For example, (x − 1)(x + 3) is a polynomial expression, that, properly speaking, is not a polynomial. A polynomial function is a function that is defined by a polynomial, or, equivalently, by a polynomial expression. The two preceding examples define the same polynomial function. You can factor polynomials, add them, subtract them, multiply them, and divide them. To factor them, you have to find the polynomial greatest common divisors. The example polynomial above can be factored as (x − 1)(x + 3). A related class of problems is finding algebraic expressions for the roots of a polynomial in a single variable. Algebra is readily taught to children as young as 11 years old (or younger).

American schools have algebra classes in the seventh or eighth grades. Some schools start algebra in the ninth grade. Abstract algebra uses sets or numbers found in matrices, polynomials, and two-dimensional vectors in a plane. It has binary operations and identity elements. Inverse elements are negative numbers. The inverse of a is written −a, and for multiplication, the inverse is written a−1. A general two-sided inverse element a−1 satisfies the property that a ∗ a−1 = e and a−1 ∗ a = e, where e is the identity element. Many integers have associativity too. That is, the grouping of the numbers to be added does not affect the sum. For example: (2 + 3) + 4 = 2 + (3 + 4). In general, this becomes (a ∗ b) ∗ c = a ∗ (b ∗ c). This property is shared by most binary operations, but not subtraction or division or octonion multiplication. Numbers include natural numbers, integers, and rational numbers too. The quadratic formula, which is the solution to the quadratic equation ax2 + bx + c =0 where a doesn’t equal to 0. Here the symbols a, b, and c  represent arbitrary numbers, and  x is a variable which represents the solution of the equation.  The quadratic formula is  x = (-b+/-square root of b2-4ac)/(2a). The Pythagoras rule is a similar formula that means a2 + b2 = c2 which refers to right triangles. Linear equations with one variable deal with the expression of ax + b = c. Linear equations form a straight line in a graph. One simple equation in algebra is about how if you double the age of a child and add 4, the resulting answer is 12.

How old is the child? The equation will be 2x + 4 =12. When you solve it, the X will equal to 4. A quadratic equation is one which includes a term with an exponent of 2, for example, x2, and no term with higher exponent. The name derives from the Latin quadrus, meaning square. In general, a quadratic equation can be expressed in the form  ax2 + bx + c=0 where is not zero (if it were zero, then the equation would not be quadratic but linear). Because of this, a quadratic equation must contain the term ax2, which is known as the quadratic term. Hence, a is not equal to 0 and so we may divide by and rearrange the equation into the standard form. Quadratic equations look at parabolas on the graph. Complex numbers, exponential equations, and logarithmic equations are all part of algebra. Radical equations use square roots, cube roots, and nth roots. The system of linear equations and the substitution method are great ways to understand mathematics.

Genealogy

In this new era of time, more people are discovering about their genealogy all of the time. There was a time when I knew very little about my ancestry beyond my grandparents. Now, I know more information about my relatives than ever before. Millions of people are researching census documents and doing DNA tests to establish a connection with their relatives constantly. DNA is a wonderful thing since it is the one tie that documents not only our common humanity. It represents the beauty and the creative aspects of life. The more that we learn about DNA and genetics, the better we appreciate our inherit value as human beings. In 2018 alone, I learned more facts about my relatives than at any time in my 35 years living on this Earth. At early 2019, it is the perfect time to show the truth about my people. Transparency is a necessity since I have nothing to hide about my ancestors. The following information will not show every aspect of my ancestors since that is impossible to do as we are humans. Yet, it will give a comprehensive summary about my relatives on both sides of my family. I am appreciative to God first and foremost for giving me the opportunity to learn about these truths and to show them to the world. Like always, every human being originated from Africa historically and genetically. It is important to point that truth out.

Halpogroups

In our generation, more and more people are studying genealogy. Learning about our ancestors certainly is interesting and makes us aware of the common bonds that we have as human beings. Nothing is new under the sun. So, our forefathers and our foremothers had the same emotions, the same yearnings for justice, and the same motivation to enact action as we do in our time near 2020. Recently, I have investigated much of my ancestry and I have certainly made incredible discoveries. I discovered distant cousins that I didn’t know and I knew of my many ancestors who made an incredible impact on American history. For example, my 3rd great-grandfather Johnson Brickhouse was born in 1826 and he was a man who fought on the Union side of the Civil War. Also, my fifth great-grandmother was Zilphy Claud (1820-1893) of Southampton County, Virginia. She was born a slave and lived to see the end of slavery in witnessing her children and her grandchildren. My mother told me stories about a man named Arthur Boss Claud (1891-1974), who is my second great-grandfather. He was a short man and a famous man of Southampton County. My father talked about my second great-grandmother Esther Brickhouse Bailey (1862-1955) too. She was born a slave and lived to see freedom. She lived in Northampton County, Virginia. So, I have been blessed enough to know a lot about my ancestors. Today is the time to show more information not only on DNA, but on my family history on my father’s side and on my mother’s side. Haplogroups and other components of genealogical research are very important. As technology develops, even more millions of human beings will get DNA tests in figuring out their genetic ancestral story.

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA in essence is a molecule made up of 2 chains (made up of nucleotides) that coil around each other to form a double helix. DNA carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses. The instructions dealing with life is encoded in DNA. DNA is organized into pieces called chromosomes. Then, chromosomes are organized into genes. DNA plus RNA (ribonucleic acid) are nucleic acids. Nucleic acids are one of the four major types of macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life. The two strands of DNA are called polynucleotides since they are made up of simpler monomeric units called nucleotides.

Therefore, DNA stores biological information. A chromosome is a DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material (genome) or an organism. Chromosomes are made up of chromatin fiber. So, you have a cell. In the middle of the cell is the nucleus. Part of the nucleus is the chromosome and a chromosome is made up of DNA. The unit of DNA packaging in eukaryotes (i.e. any organism have cells with a nucleus enclosed with membranes. Humans therefore are eukaryotes. Conversely, prokaryotes are bacteria and archaea) is called the nucleosome. So, genetic information is held in DNA via genes. The genetic information in a genome is held within genes and the complete set of this information in an organism is called the genotype. A gene is a unit of heredity and is a region of DNA that influences the characteristics of an organism. The genotype represents the genetic makeup of a cell. The genotype influences the phenotype. A phenotype results from the expression of an organism's genetic code, its genotype, as well as the influence of environmental factors and the interactions between the two.

The phenotype is an organism’s observable characteristics or traits like morphology, development, biochemical, or physiological properties. For example, black hair or dark skin is a phenotype. Also, the egg and sperm are necessary to create human life. They have only 23 chromosomes each in humans. A sperm from a man and an egg from a woman combine to create the zygote (via fertilization. The sperm binds with the eggs and fuses the gametes to form a new organism. One cell divides constantly and ends up with a human life). Sperm cells have an X and a Y while egg cells can only have an X. The zygote has 46 chromosomes and grows into a baby. This process of the sperm and the egg merging into one human with the DNA is called meiosis. In genetics, all of our chromosomes are inherited from both of our parents. Genes can dictate our characteristics. For example, if you have long arms, then the genes inherited from your parents will instruct your body to have long arms. Genes have proteins to do functions like giving cells shape, digesting foods, and carrying oxygen in the blood. By about 60,000-70,000 years ago, modern day Homo sapiens sapiens lived in all over Africa started to travel into the world beyond Africa as well.

A lot of people don’t know what haplogroups mean. In genetic testing, haplogroups are discussed all of the time. What is a haplogroup? A haplogroup is a genetic population group who share a common ancestor on the patrilineal or the matrilineal line. Researchers give haplogroups assigned letters of the alphabet and refinements are made up of additional number and letter combinations. Haplogroups have shared genetic variation. So, a haplogroup is like a signal of your genetic ancestry. A haplogroup is made up of similar haplotypes. A haplotype is a DNA signature that is made up of markets on a single chromosome that the end to be inherited together. In other words, a haplotype is a group of genes in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent. A haplogroup is a group of similar haplotypes that share a common ancestor with a single-nucleotide polymorphism mutation. More specifically, a haplogroup is a combination of alleles at different chromosomes regions that are closely linked and that tend to be inherited together. Each letter and number in a haplogroup corresponds to a set of defining mutations in our mitochondrial DNA and our Y-chromosome. Some letter and number combinations define a mark when a population first migrated out of Africa or when another group was geographically isolated.

The maternal haplogroups (mtDNA) are determined by defining variants in your own mitochondrial DNA. Everyone inherits their mitochondria from our mothers. Our mtDNA is the only type of DNA that is found outside of the nucleus. That is why it doesn’t recombine with other types of DNA. Our mitochondria is inherited directly from our mothers and undergoes very little recombination. We share maternal hapologroup with any relative you share a direct maternal line with. So, our mothers, our brothers, our sisters, our maternal aunts, our maternal grandmother, etc. would share the same maternal haplogroup. Maternal hapologroup goes back through the generations to a single mutation at a specific place and time. Human mtDNA haplogroups are lettered: A, B, C, CZ, D, E,F, G, H, HV, I, J, pre-JT, JT, K, L0, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6,M, N, P, Q, R, R0, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z. The most up-to-date version of the mtDNA tree is maintained by Mannis van Oven on the PhyloTree website. mtDNA hapologroups in Africa include L0, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6.

The paternal haplogroup (Y-DNA) is determined by defining variants in our Y-Chromosome. The Y chromosome is the sex determining chromosome for males, which means men inherit it from our fathers. I am a man, so I inherited by my Y-chromosome from my father and I have a paternal haplogroup situation. The Y chromosome does have recombination with the X-chromosome, but it only does it at the end. About 95% of the Y chromosome remains intact relatively across generations. The Y chromosome is a reflection of our paternal ancestry. Human Y chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) haplogroups are named from A to T, and are further subdivided using numbers and lower case letters. Y chromosome haplogroup designations are established by the Y Chromosome Consortium. Haplogroup E-V38 is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. It is primarily distributed in Africa. E-V38 has two basal branches, E-M329 (formerly E1b1c or E1b1*) and E-M2 (formerly E1b1a).

 

These images show Halifax County, North Carolina (the origin of much of my paternal ancestors in America).

My Family History

My Paternal Family's Side


Centuries and thousands of years of history relate to my family history. I am an African American, so my ancestors came from Africa. DNA testing showed conclusively that many of my ancestors came from Nigeria and the Congo. My paternal haplogroup is E-CTS3764.1. Later, people from my father’s side resided heavily in Halifax, North Carolina. Halifax was created by 1757. It has a history in the Revolutionary War and it was the location of the origin of many of my paternal ancestors. Centuries ago, there was my paternal fourth great grandfather named James D. He married my fourth great-grandmother named Edney D. They had a child named Alfred D. (ca. 1828 - ?). Alfred was born in North Carolina and married a woman named Jennie Dobson (ca. 1820's-1919). Jennie’s father and mother were Brest Dobson and Susan Dobson. Jennie Dobson was my 3rd great grandmother. Jennie was born in Halifax County, North Carolina and she passed away at Guilford County, North Carolina at November 17, 1919.

Alfred and Jennie had many children. Their names are Alfred D. (1862-?), Adam D. (1862-?), James D. (1863-?), and Daniel D. (1868-?). Adam D. was my 2nd great-grandfather. He was a famous man in many family trees of African Americans in the North Carolina and Virginia area. He had many children. He had two wives. His first wife was Georganna Tillery (1868-1954). Adam and Georganna married in the year of 1886. Georganna was my 2nd great grandmother. Adam D. also looked exactly like my father as I have seen Adam D.’s picture in ancestry.com before. It’s a spinning image of my father.

Adam and Georganna had five sons by the names of Carl D. (1886-1968), Arthur Lawrence D. (1889-1944), Mancy D. (1896-1964), Ily (or Ely) D. (1903-?. Ely married Roberta Rhodes on the date of September 12, 1934 at Halifax County, North Carolina), and Oren D. (1899-?). They had 3 daughters of Ada D. (1890-1960), Leatte D. (1897-?. She married Robert Floyd Williams on December 23, 1917 at Martin County, North Carolina. Robert Floyd Williams lived from 1898 to 1976), and Penora D (1895-?).

My second great aunt Leatte D. and Robert Floyd Williams had the following children: Beatrice Latrice Williams (1918-?), Larry Williams (1920-1968), George Ann Marie Williams (1921-1923), William Floyd Williams (1925-1928), Wiley Theodore Williams (1927-?), Jasper Williams (1930-2002), Thelton Williams (1932-?), Luther Williams (1934-?), and Lethia Marie Williams (1938-?). My first cousin Beatrice Latrice Williams married Suvalu Jones (1918-1992) at the date of April 18, 1938 at Halifax, North Carolina. Suvalu was born in Scotland Neck, Halifax North Carolina and passed away at the place of Waterbury, New Haven, CT. Beatrice and Suvalu had a child named Dolores Jones (Dolores lived in Connecticut). Dolores Jones married the late Bishop Dr. Richard Gerald Gatling Sr. (1944-2014) and Bishop Dr. Richard Gerald Gatling Sr. was born in Waterbury, New Haven, Connecticut on August 29, 1944. Dolores and Dr. Gatling Sr. had the following children: Alicia Gatling-Sweat (1969-present), Pastor Dwain V. Gatling (1970-present), Evangelist Raenette Gatling, and Richard G. Gatling Jr. The Gatling family lives in Connecticut, Virginia, Georgia, and in other places of America.

My second great aunt Ada (Ettie) D. married Gus Roberson on the date of September 16, 1909 at Halifax, North Carolina.  Ada and Gus had a daughter named Mary Clara Roberson Sessoms (1910-2000). Mary Clara Roberson Sessoms married Tom Jefferson Sessoms (1907-1961) on the date of January 5, 1928. Mary and Tom had the following child: Vernon Augusta Sessoms (1938-2006). Vernon Augusta Sessoms married Reverend Mable Louise Roberson on the date of December 22, 1958 at Edgecombe, North Carolina. Vernon and Mable had a daughter named Cottie Marie Sessoms (1958-2013). Cottie Marie Sessoms (who was born at Newport News, Virginia) lived from September 16, 1959 to July 2, 2013. Cottie Marie Sessoms married Beresford Devincent Jones (1958-present) at the date of October 2, 1982. Penora D. married Gustave Whitehead at Martin, North Carolina on the date of April 23, 1913. Penora and Gustave had the following children: Arlene Whitehead (1915-1988. She lived in Brooklyn, NYC), Ernestine Whitehead (1918-?), Martha Whitehead (1925-2003), Matthew Whitehead (1925-?), and Annie V. Whitehead (1930-?).

Arthur D. (who was the son of Adam D.) was my second great uncle. He married a woman named Alvana Staton on the date of January 14, 1914 at Edgecombe, North Carolina. Arthur and Alvana had the following children: Iva Lena D. (1917-1995), Arthur D. Jr. (1919-1993), Meddrict D. (1921-1977), Fred Edward D. (1923-1947), Anne V. D. (1924-1924), Georgianna D. (1926-2018), Leland D. (1930-1978), Hubert Lawrence D. (1933-1991), and Helen Maxine D. (1936-?. She lived in Kentucky). My first cousin Iva Lena B. married James Linwood Hyman (1920-1996) on the date of April 16, 1949 at Greenville, Virginia. James Hyman passed away at Norfolk, Virginia and was buried at Calvary Cemetery at Norfolk, Virginia. My first cousin Meddrict D. married Rozella Opra Pickett on the date of December 21, 1949 at Halifax, North Carolina. They had a daughter named Janie Vanesta D. (1952-present) and two other children. Meddrict and Rozella had a divorce at Norfolk, Virginia on the date of April 3, 1964. Meddrict D. was also enlisted as a soldier at Fort Bragg, North Carolina during World War II. My first cousin Georgianna D. married John Rufus Davis (1925-2005) at September 2, 1948 at Halifax County, North Carolina. Their children are: McArthur D., Dorothy Jean Davis (1949-present), Joan Carolyn Davis (1951-present), Fraddle Yvonne Davis (1954-present), Starlette Edmonds, Valerie Chase, Pamela Scott, and Eric Davis.

Carl D. was my great-grandfather and he lived from January 5, 1886 (in North Carolina) to July 7, 1968. He passed away in Cape Charles, Northampton County, Virginia. Carl traveled into other places. By this time (during the mid to late 20th century), my paternal family traveled from Halifax County, North Carolina into Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and as far north as New Jersey. Many of my paternal relatives live in New Jersey to this very day. My second great-grandfather Adam D. also temporarily married Mary L. Hyman on the date of June 26, 1905.

Carl D. married Lizzie Trice (1885-1950) on the date of April 15, 1907 at Halifax, North Carolina. Lizzie Trice was born on May 16, 1885 at Palmyra, North Carolina and she passed away at the date of July 2, 1950 at Cape Charles, Virginia. Lizzie Trice’s parents were William Trice (1848-?) and Easter Baker (1856-?). William and Easter had the daughters of: M.A. Trice (1875-?), Lizzie Trice, and Fannie Trice (1879-1880). William and Easter’s sons were J. H. Trice (1877-?) and Bynum Trice (1882-1959). Bynum Trice lived in the Palmyra, Halifax, North Carolina area. She married Lula Shields Trice (1880-1955). Their children were James Hilliard Trice (1902-1966), William Trice (1903-?), Lula Trice (1905-1988. She married Taylor Clark on January 26, 1924 at Halifax, North Carolina. Taylor Clark lived from 1903 to 1970), Gertrude Trice (1909-?), Blanche Trice (1913-2003), and Bynum Junior Trice (1916-1966).

This is Cape Charles, Virginia.

My paternal great-grandparents of Carl and Lizzie had two daughters by the names of: Annie Mae D. (1910-1984) and Ernestine D. Lee (1911-1994). They also had seven sons by the names of Linwood D. (1908-?), William McKinley D. (1914-?), James Curtis D. (1915-1992), Esley D. (1917-2001), Thurman Lee D. (1919-1985), Ollie D. (1920-2004), Levi D. Sr. (1923-2015), and Melson D. (1925-?). My great uncle William McKinley D. married Bertha May Wiggins on the date of April 4, 1934 at Halifax, North Carolina. Bertha May Wiggins lived from 1916 to 2010 being 94 years old when she passed away. She lived at Allentown, Monmouth, New Jersey before her passing. Bertha May was born in Martin County, North Carolina and was later a great resident of Cranbury, New Jersey for decades. She had 7 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, 11 great-great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends. William McKinley and Bertha May Wiggins had the following children: Dessie Mae D. (1959-1999), William D. Jr. (1940-present), Ruth M. D., George L. D. Ruth D. married Kenneth L. Edwards and they live in New Jersey.

My great uncle Levi D. Sr. lived a long life. He not only lived for over 90 years on this Earth. He was a very spiritual man who was very much a part of his community and he loved his family. He married Elizabeth Virginia Wynn (1923-1980) at the date of July 24, 1946 at Northampton County, Virginia. Elizabeth's parents were Franklin Alexander Wynn (1898-1981) and Hattie Spady (1896-1929). Levi D. Sr. and Elizabeth Wynn had the following children: Charles Elmore D. (1946-2010), Levi D. Jr. (1948-), Laverne Olivia D. (1948-), Juanita Mae D. (1958-), Annie Joyner D., Mary Ann D., and Elizabeth Jenifer D.

My great uncle Linwood D. (from North Carolina) or the son of Carl D. married Bashie Ann Whitmore (1907-1963) on the date of April 5, 1929 at Halifax County, North Carolina. Linwood and Bashie Ann had a divorce on the date of November 29, 1946 at Northampton County, Virginia. They had the three daughters of Viola D. (1940-), Alberta D. Flowers (1932-2000. She lived in the Bronx, NYC), and Clarise D. (1934-2002). Clarise D. lived in Florida for years. Clarise D. Strawter or the daughter of Linwood D. worked as volunteer in the Marin County School District in Florida and she worked in Club Exclesa.

Thurman Lee D. was my paternal grandfather. He traveled and worked in Baltimore. My father has a lot of memories about him. He lived form February 20, 1919 to August of 1985. My family came into the funeral. I was just 2 ½ years old when I came to Thurman Lee D.’s funeral at Baltimore. Thurman Lee married Effie Sarah Bryant on April 10, 1944 at Northampton, County, Virginia. Effie Sarah Bryant lived from 1920-2017 and she was my paternal grandmother. I visited her in Baltimore in the year of 2016. Effie Sarah Bryant had two husbands. Effie’s first husband was a man named Jacob Collins. She married him when she was 19 at the date of July 4, 1909 at Northampton County, Virginia. They had a child named Wilbert Collins (1909-1990). Wilbert Collins married Lillian Mapp Collins and had two sons named Ralph Collins (1928-) and Richard Collins (1935-), and including the daughter Mallie G. Collins (1930-). Jacob Collins’ father was Caleb Collins (1834-1920) and his mother was Adah Collins (1838-1896). Caleb Collins’ parents are his father Major Collins (1816-1877) and his mother Lakey Collins (1810-?).

Adah Collins married Caleb Collins on the date of June 20, 1871 at Northampton County, Virginia. Adah Collins’ parents were James Savage (1805-1883) and Tamer Lecato-Church (1816-?). The mother of Tamer Lecato-Church was Adah Lecato (1785-?). Adah Lecato was born in Northampton County, Virginia.

Jacob Collins’ first wife was Sarah Felton who he married on the date of December 6, 1888 at Northampton, County, Virginia. They had one son named Levin Collins (1896-1953).

Effie Sarah Bailey Bryant’s second husband was William Henry Bryant (1892-1962). They had daughters of the names of Maria Bryant (1914-?), Mittie Bryant (1914-1993), Ruth Ellen Bryant (1916-?), Effie Sarah Bryant, and Ida Ann Bryant Pratt (1923-2018). Ida Ann Bryant Pratt passed away in Philadelphia as many of my paternal relatives do live in Philadelphia too. Her funeral was in Norfolk, Virginia at the Metropolitan Funeral Home at Granby Street. Ida Ann Bryant Pratt was buried at Cape Charles, Virginia. Effie Sarah Bailey Bryant’s parents were Harry Bailey and Esther Brickhouse Bailey (1862-1955). Esther Brickhouse Bailey was born as slave according to my father and she was my 2nd great-grandmother. Her parents were Julia Perkins (1835-?) and Johnson Brickhouse (1826-?). Johnson Brickhouse was my 3rd great-grandfather and an African American Union Civil War veteran. His parents were Benjamin Brickhouse II (1791-1878) and Eliza Collins (1805-?). Johnson Brickhouse and Benjamin Brickhouse II lived in Northampton County, Virginia. Benjamin Brickhouse II’s parents were Benjamin Brickhouse I (1750-?) and Polly Brickhouse (1760-?). Johnson Brickhouse married Julia Perkins (1835-?). Julia Perkins’ parents were George Perkins I (1815-?) and Esther Perkins (1816-?). George Perkins I was my 4th great grandfather.

His son was George Perkins II (1847-1932) or my 4th great uncle. George Perkins II married Fannie Lou Blackstock (1848-1949). One of their daughters was a woman named Sophronia Perkins (1870-1926). Mittie Bryant was my great aunt and she married a man named Cecil Spencer Lofland (1913-1973) on the date of July 1, 1940. Cecil and Mittie had many children by the names of Elizabeth Lottie Lofland (1943-1989), Ida Ann Lofland (1945-2013. I saw my cousin Ida Ann Lofland just before she passed away in Cape Charles, Virginia. I came to her funeral too), and Cecil Spencer Lofland Jr. (1947-2013). Ida Ann Lofland married a man who was born in Haiti named Maurice Pacius (1953-). They had many children too by the names of Maurice and Anorle. My cousin Elizabeth Lottie Lofland (1943-1989) married John Robert Pegram Jr. on the date of January 4, 1967 at Chesapeake, Virginia. They had the children of Sophia, Alethea, and Keisha.

Many of my paternal relatives do live in the state of New Jersey too. 

Also, my 2nd great grandfather Adam D. married a woman named Nancy Reynolds (1888-1982). My father saw her before too. Adam and Nancy had many children and many of their descendants are people that I have never heard of before in my life until this time. Adam and Nancy had the daughters of: Sarah D. Lee (1917-2013), Roberta D. (1925-1926), Geneva D. (1927-?), Emma D. (1929-?), Eunice D. (1929-?), and Carrie Bell D. (1931-1979). Adam and Nancy’s sons are Alphonso D. (1911-1977. He married Sarah Smith on September 29, 1932 at Greensville, Virginia), Elvin D. (1914-2002), James D. (1919-2003), Cleveland D. (1921-1921), and Joseph D. (1922-2001). One of the most beloved children of Adam D. and Nancy Reynolds was Sarah D. Lee. Sarah was born on May 19, 1917 at North Carolina. Many of my relatives on my father's side lived in Martin County, North Carolina and Scotland Neck, North Carolina. Sarah passed away at October 18, 2013 at Norfolk, Virginia. Sarah D. Lee married James Wendell Lee (1920-1955) on the date of July 18, 1946 at Norfolk, Virginia. Sarah and James had the daughters of Corine D. (1939-2007), Mary Helen D. (1937-present. She married James Patrick Spellman at Norfolk, Virginia on the date of June 15, 1962), and Cora Alberta Lee (1941-present. Cora married Howard Paulette Warren at the date of July 22, 1967 at Norfolk, Virginia).

Many of the descendants of Adam D. and Nancy Reynolds live in Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, and across America. Nancy Reynolds was born in Halifax, North Carolina and passed away on the date of September 7, 1982 at Norfolk, Virginia. Thurman Lee D. and Effie Sarah Bryant had four children. Their names are Minnie Lee D. Turner (1944-), Harry Junior D. (1946), Thomas James D. (1947-), and Effie Sarah Jones (1951-2017). Harry is the name of my father and I was born in 1983. This is the long history of my paternal family tree.

Southampton County, Virginia was founded in 1749. 

My Maternal Family

My maternal family tree always existed from Southampton County, Virginia. Virginia is one of the oldest locations in America where African slaves came into America. My maternal haplogroup is called L3e1e. Slaves came into Virginia during the early 1600’s. By the early 1800’s, there was my maternal fifth great-grandmother named Zilphy Claud. Her parents was my 6th great grand-father named F. Blunt and my 6th great grandmother named A. Blunt. Zilphy Claud was a slave to the Claud plantation. The European Claude people were descendants of the Huguenots from France who came into Southampton County by the early 1700’s. Philip J. Claud was the slave owner of Zilphy Claud. Zilphy Claud had many children and these children are my direct ancestors. For his act of promoting slavery and rape, Philip J. Claud (1806-1856) is an enemy of mine and an enemy of God.

Philip J. Claud’s father (or the European-American) was John Claud (1774-1830. He married Polly Claud). Philip J. Claud’s other brothers were William Claud (1789-? His wife was Mary Jones Phipps. She was born in ca. 1793. They married on the date of December 20, 1815. William Claud disgracefully owned slaves by the names of Toust, Dinah , Fanny, Isham, Mary, and Bett), John T. Claud (1811-1855), James W. Claud and Jesse J. Claud. Philip J. Claud’s sisters were named Charlotte Claud, Milbry Claud, Rebecca Claud, and Nancy A. Claud. John Claud (1774-1830)’s father was William Claud (1734-1811) and he married Charlotte Francis Turner (1753-1809). William Claud’s father was Joshua Claud (1709-1775) and his wife was Hannah Blake (1711-1773). Joshua Claud had many children like John Claud, William Claud (1734-1811), Joshua Claud (1730-1776), Phoebe Lundy (1730-?. She married Byrd Lundy and later married Henry Morris after Byrd died in 1777. Phoebe married Henry Morris at Southampton County, Virginia at the date of December 12, 1782), Elizabeth Mundy (1734-?), Mary Williamson, and Lydia Clifton (1760-?).

Joshua’s father was Phillippe Masoier Grande Claude (1652-1720) and his wife was Hannah or Anna. Phillippe Claude was born in France and he was a Huguenot. A Huguenot is a French Protestant religious human being. Phillippe was born in Ratenelle, Saone-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. Philippe’s parents were Jehan Masoier Grand Claude (1620-1670) and his mother was Claudine Vilant (1630-1690). Jehan was born at Ratenelle, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France and he passed away at Montpont, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. Jehan married Claudine Vilant at the date of 23 Novembre 1648. Jehan’s father was a man named Jean Masoier Grand Claude (1595-1650). Philippe came into Jamestown Virginia at ca. September 1700 as a refugee from religious persecution in Europe. He was part of 170 refugees on the Peter and the Anthony. They traveled from London to James River. I visited Jamestown too at 2017, which was 410 years to the year after 1607.

 

Therefore, the courageous black woman Zilphy Claud was my 5th great grandmother. Zilphy Claud lived from 1820 to August 1893. We know the history of slavery and she was victimized. She had many sons and daughters. Her three sons were Mason Claud (1840-1877), Carter Claud (1853-?), and George Washington Claud (1854-1923). Zilphy had four daughters. Their names were Sarah Claud (1842-1892), Bettie Claud (1848-?), Rosa Claud, and Lydia Claud.

Bettie Claud or Elizabeth Claud (the daughter of Zilphy Claud) was born in slavery and she was my fifth great aunt. Elizabeth Claud married Charles Rogers and had two daughters of the names of: Maggie Rogers (1870-1913. She passed away on April 20, 1913 in Portsmouth, Virginia) and Zilphia Ann Rogers (1871-1925). Maggie Rogers married William Harris (1869-1939) at 1893. Maggie and William had the following children: Hattie C. Harris (1884-?), Leonard W. Harris (1894-1969), Bessie Harris (1896-?), Charles Herman Harris (1898-1973), and Ethel J. Harris (1901-?). Zilphia Ann Rogers married first Robert Crocker in Southampton County, Virginia in December 12, 1888. They had a divorce and Zilphia Ann Rogers married James Henry Brodnax on September 9, 1895. Zilpha Ann Rogers and James Henry Broadnax had two children by the names of: Sallie Broadnax (1896-1927) and Percy Lewis Broadnax (1897-1957). Sallie Broadnax married Charles H. Morgan on the date of March 28, 1919 at Portsmouth, Virginia. After Sallie passed away in 1927, Charles married Roberta Deans on the date of June 20, 1928 at Portsmouth, Virginia.

Zilphia Ann Rogers later married Joseph Daniel Askew (1872-1959) too. Zilphia Ann Rogers' children were Lillie Crocker, Joseph W. Askew (1899-1988), Margaret Askew (1913-1958. Margaret Askew married Louis Berry Hayes at Detroit, Michigan at the date of September 10, 1948. Margaret previously married Melton Harmon Gallop at November 6, 1933. Margaret Askew passed away at the date of July 24, 1958 at Dinwiddie, Virginia), and Jane Askew (1904-1925). After Zilphia passed away in 1925, Joseph Daniel Askew married Gracie Riddick Closson (1885-1959. Gracie was born in Norfolk, Virginia and her parents are Edmond plus Nancy Riddick) on 1925. Gracie previously married Henry H. Closson  with a daughter named Catherine Closson.



One very important descendant of Zilphy Claud was Frank Thomas Claud (1861-1948). Frank Thomas Claud married Elizabeth Whitehead in the year of 1887 at Southampton County, Virginia. Frank Claud and Elizabeth Whitehead (1868-?) had the daughters of Mason Claud (1890-?), Martha J. Claud (1891-?), Jane Claud (1893-?), Daisy Claud Pebbles (1899-1927), and Adelaide Claud (1904-1968). Adelaide Claud married at first Weldon Whitaker (1893-1955) on January 9, 1937 and later married Reverend George Coach (1897-1965) on April 13, 1958. The sons of Frank and Elizabeth were Hilliard Thomas Claud (1884-?), Peter Claud (1891-1969), Joseph Claud (1894-1988), Guy Franklin Claud Sr. (1896-1966), Richard Washington Claud (1898-1990), Persie Booker T. Washington Claud (1900-?), Colie Claud (1906-?), and Willie Claud (1907-1974).

Hilliard Thomas Claud married Lugussie Hill and had the following children: Effie Lillie Claud (1914-?), Hattie Claud (1917-1997), Edward Thomas Claud (1917-1979), Mary Odist Claud (1918-?), Queen Esther Claud (1922-?), Betty S. Claud (1924-?), Richard M. Claud (1926-?), and Lawrence R. Shaheed (1929-2018. His former name was Lawrence Randolph Claud. He changed his name and became a member of the Nation of Islam since 1970 until he followed the leadership of Iman W. Deen Muhammad). Hattie Claud married Rev. Hayden Anne Bryd (he lived from February 16, 1912 at Elberon, Surry Virginia to November 16, 1991 at Hampton, Virginia) on the date of July 25, 1938 at Suffolk, Virginia. They had many children: Barbara Linda Byrd, Gloria Byrd-Johnson, and Hayden A. Byrd.

Willie Claud married Ruth Jenkins (1908-2006) and had the children of Albert Washington Claud (1933-2015), and James McKinley Claud (1936-1986). Frank T. Claud’s son Peter Claud married Nettie Rogers (1894-1924). Peter (or my second cousin) and Nettie had four daughters by the names of Mary Claud (1918-2006), Sadie Claud (1919-2007), Katie Claud (1920-?), and Laura Elizabeth Claud (1924-?). Peter and Nettie had the two sons of Ernest Lee Claud (1915-1990) and Norfleet Claud (1920-2004). Peter Claud also married Joeanna Claud (on the date of February 6, 1927 at Northampton, North Carolina. Joeanna was born in ca. 1897) and Janie Jackson (on the date of December 31, 1938 at Emporia, Virginia. Janie Jackson was born in ca. 1901).

Joe Frank Claud (1930-2018) recently passed away in December of 2018. Joe Frank Claud’s mother was Joeanna Claud (1891-?). Joe Frank Claud at first married Ruth Elizabeth Pugh on December 30, 1950 at Emporia, Virginia. He later married Margaret Lee Speller on June 14, 2003 at Norfolk, Virginia.

Ernest Lee Claud married Allie B. Goodwyn (1915-2014) at the date of October 21, 1937 at Emporia, Virginia. Ernest and Allie had three daughters by the names of Nettie Claude (1938-?), Dorothy Claud (1940-?), and Mildred Claud. Ernest and Allies’ sons are Ernest Claud Jr. (1941-), Ernest Claud Jr. (1941-), and Kenneth Claud. Frank T. Claud’s son Hilliard Claud married Lugussie Branch (1890-?) and they had the children of Effie L. Claud (1914-?), Hattie Claud (1917-1997. Hattie Claud married Hayden Anne Byrd. Hayden lived from 1913-1991), Edward Thomas Claud (1917-1979. Edward Claud married Sarah Annie Tiller at May 24, 1943 at Newport News, Virginia), and Mary O. Claud (1919-?).

 

Sarah Claud was my fourth great-grandmother. Sarah Claud married Tom Hill and had one son and three daughters. The four daughters were Adeline Hill (1862-1930), Scap Hill (1868-?), Susanna Hill (1868-?), and Roberta Hill (1873-?).

My fourth great aunt Adeline Hill married John Henry Williams (on the date of May 17, 1877 at Southampton County, Virginia. They had the following children: James E. Williams (1879-1950), Peter Percy Williams (1880-1949), Annie B. Williams (1885-?), Pattie F. Williams (1886-?), Mary Lee Williams (1890-1938), Addie Williams (1892-?), Bessie Williams (1894-?), Joseph Williams (1898-?), and Norman Starr Williams (1899-?).

My fourth great aunt Roberta Hill (1875-1935) or the daughter of Sarah Claud was born in September 2, 1875 in Virginia and she passed away at the date of October 24, 1935 at Southampton County, Virginia. She or Roberta Hill married William Theo Scott at date of November 27, 1889 at Southampton County, Virginia. Roberta Hill and William Theo Scott (1865-1935) had many children by the names of Elijah Perry Hill, Lena Mae Scott (1893-1962), Millard Filmore Scott (1892-1959. His wife was Sarah Scott. He lived form September 27, 1892 to February 24, 1959 at the Richmond area Millard Filmore Scott was 66 years old), Sarah Francis Scott (1894-?), Nettie Virginia Scott (1897-?), John Quincy Adams Scott (1898-?), William Scott Jr. (1903-?), Alberta Scott (1899-1994), Inez Scott (1901-?), Guy Claudius Scott (1905-1965), Ezra Scott (1910-?), and Woodrow Wilson Scott (1910-1969). My first cousin Alberta Scott (1899-1994) married Joseph Roberts (1897-1976) and Alberta was born in Courtland, Virginia. She passed away at Edenton, North Carolina at Chowan County.  Alberta and Joseph had a daughter named Laura Roberts. Joseph Roberts' parents were William J. Roberts and Emma Roberts. Joseph Roberts was also a World War One veteran of the U.S. Army.

My first cousin Lisa Mae Scott married Henry Flythe on the date of February 28, 1909 at Norfolk, Virginia. Lisa Mae Scott and Henry Flythe had the children of Willie Flythe (1909-?), Henry Flythe (1913-?), Neva Flythe (1915-?), Eunice Flythe (1917-?_), Pretlow Flythe (1918-?), Lena Scott Flythe (1928-1994), and Virginia Flythe (1920-?). Lena Scott Flythe married Norfleet Howard Porter (1926-1975) at the date of January 28, 1956 at Courtland, Virginia. After Norfleet passed away at February 8, 1975 at Richmond, Virginia, Lena Scott Flythe married Lemeuel Bryant Majette at the year of 1975 at Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Lena Scott Flythe passed away at March 5, 1994 at Franklin, Virginia.

Sarah Claud and E.C. Barrett's son was James Thompson Claud (1857-1926). James Thompson Claud was my 3rd great grandfather. He lived from January 1857 at Courtland, Southampton, County Virginia to October 9, 1926 at Capron, Virginia. James Thompson Claud married Susanna Turner at the date of August 19, 1880. Susanna lived from 1862 to 1949 and her history was long and extensive. James Thompson Claud was Zilphy Claude’s grandson. Susanna Turner was the daughter of a woman named Milly Bozeman (aka Turner). Susanna Turner’s father was Morefield Hurst-Turner (ca. 1832-1918). Morefield’s father was Moore Hurst (ca. 1804-1870) from Southampton County, Virginia.  His father was my 6th great-grandfather named Solomon Hurst (ca. 1780-1877). Susanna Turner (who was not born a slave) was the direct descendant of the Nottoway Native American tribe of Southampton, County, Virginia. Many relatives said that Susanna had long, straight black hair hanging down to her waist. Susanna was also known to have worn Native American clothing regularly. My 23 and me DNA test found me to have 0.4% Native American heritage.

James Thompson Claud was born a slave. James Thompson purchased 194 acres of land in Southampton County for $400 on the date of March 14, 1903. This land was joined by the lands of Susanna’s mother named Milly Turner (who was believed to be a Nottoway Native American). Susanna’s brothers were James Turner (1868-?), Thomas Hurst (1868-1892), William P. Turner (1872-?), George P. Hurst-Turner (1871-1887), and Benjamin Hurst-Turner (1874-?). Susanna’s sisters were Virginia Swcety Hurst-Turner (1852-?), Cordelia (aka Candy) Turner (1860-1934), and Josephine T. Hurst-Turner (1868-1929).

William P. Turner married Romine Spurlock (1877-1972) at the year of 1897. They had numerous children.

My fourth great aunt Josephine T. Hurst-Turner was born in Virginia and passed away at July 20, 1929 at Tyrrell, North Carolina. Josephine T. Hurst married Kenneth Sykes (1865-?) at Southampton County, VA on the date of December 5, 1888. Josephine and Kenneth’s daughters were Lelia Sykes (1892-?), Annie Sykes (1894-1987), Rebecca Sykes (1898-?), Estell Sykes (1901-?), and Minnie Eva Sykes (1906-1980). Josephine and Kenneth’s sons were Harvey L. Sykes (1894-1952), No Name Sykes (1898-?), Shug C. Sykes (1899-1983), and Kenneth Sykes Jr. (1902-?).

Also, James Thompson made his will just six months before he passed away. He wanted all of his land to be sold and one-third to of the money sold to go to his wife Susanna while the rest to be divided among his children. James Thompson Claud owned a lot of land in his lifetime.

So, James Thompson Claud and Susanna Field Hurst-Turner had eight daughters by the names of Nannie Claud (1880-1947), Mattie Claud (1882-?), Sarah Brown (1884-1920), Lila Claude (1886-?), Addie Claud (1891-?), Virgie Mae Claud Hardy (1900-1968), Lillie Claud (1892-?), and Eddie Claud (1903-?). Virgie Mae Claud Hardy was my third great aunt. She lived from April 12, 1900 to September 23, 1968 according to Virginia state records. Her father was James Thompson Claud and her mother was of course Susanna Turner. Virgie Mae Claud Hardy’s first husband was a man named John Walter Hardy (1890-1939). John Walter Hardy was a great man and worked hard in his life. Together, John Walter Hardy and Virgie Mae Claud Hardy had many children: Gertrude Hardy (1915-?), John Melton Hardy Sr. (1919-1995), Verlee Hardy (1920-1995), Leroy Hardy (1921-1996), Elizabeth Hardy (1923-1991), and Joseph Hardy (1923-2011). John Walter Hardy passed away at 1939 and Virgie Made Claud Hardy married Willie Savila Blackwell (1895-?) in the year of 1950. Willie’s father was Thomas Blackwell and his mother was named Matilda Dickens. Verlee Hardy married Elisha Enoch Baker (1910-1999) at Norfolk, Virginia on November 25, 1948. Verlee Hardy's mother Virgie Mae Claud Hardy passed away on September 23, 1968 at Franklin, Virginia at the age of 72.


Now, James Thompson Claud and Susanna Turner’s two sons were Arthur Boss Claude (1891-1974) and Joshua Claud (1908-1980). Arthur Boss Claude was my 2nd great grandfather. He lived from December 12, 1891 to May 28, 1974 (when he passed away at Franklin, Virginia).  Arthur Boss Claude married Martha Jane Claude (1880-1949). Arthur and Jane had many children. Their sons were Edgerton Claude (1916-1962) and Loyd A. Claud (1920-1923). Their daughters were Ella Claude Bynum-Turner (1913-1991), Susie Claude (1915-1999), Jossy Claud (1918-?), Elizabeth Claude Smith (1919-2004) or “Topsy Claude”, Lona Lee Claud (1922-2005), and Cora Bell Claud (1929-1964). Lona Lee Claud was my second great aunt and she married Willie Roscoe Joyner Sr. (1922-2018) at the date of February 24, 1942 at Emporia, Virginia. They had the sons of: Willie Roscoe Joyner Jr. (1948-2011), Kimbel Joyner (1956-present), Roy Joyner, Elton Enoise Joyner Sr., (1950-present), and Alpha Lee Joyner (1951-present). Willie Roscoe Joyner Sr.'s parents were Joe Herbert Joyner (1903-1984) and Bettie Florence Boone (1903-1978). Willie Roscoe Joyner Sr. lived to be 96 years old. My second great aunt Elizabeth Claude Smith married Matthew Smith Junior (1911-1987) and both had a son named Hosea Lee Smith (1938-present).

 

Shiloh Baptist Church in Boykins, Virginia is a historic church found in Southampton County, Virginia. Many of my maternal relatives visited the church before. I have visited the church before too. 

Ella Claude Bynum Turner was my great-grandmother. I heard many stories from my mother about her too. She first married Fenton Bynum Jr. at the date of April 5, 1931. They had 2 sons whose names are Frank Bynum (1931-1932) and Robert Lee Bynum. Robert Lee Bynum is my grandfather. He was born in 1932 and he still lives in Southampton County, Virginia. Ella and Fenton Bynum Jr. had a divorce on the year of 1948. So, Ella Claude Bynum-Turner married Theodore Roosevelt Turner on the date of April 24, 1948 at Courtland, Virginia. Ella and Theodore had a son named Lawrence Turner (1941-). My grandfather is Robert Lee Bynum. He married Fannie Louise Peeples on October 27, 1951 at Courtland, Virginia. Fannie Louise Peeples was my grandmother and she lived from May 8, 1932 to 2007. I visited her just before he passed away at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Fannie Louise Bynum’s parents were Joseph Henry Peeples (1898-1972) and Hollie Ethel Seaborn (1908-1996). I have seen my maternal great-grandmother Hollie before when I was a child. Joseph’s father was Charles Peeples (1855-1922) and Fannie Fronianna Susanna Virginia Brown (1857-1946).

Charles Peeples’ mother was Annie Peeples. My 2nd great grandfather Charles Peeples and Fannie Brown married at the date of June 29, 1877 at Southampton County, Virginia. Fannie Peeples lived from 1857 to February 18, 1946 at the age of 90 years old. Charles Peeples and Fannie Brown had many children by the names of Annie L. Peeples (1878-?), Ray Peeples (1879-1929), Ramer Peeples (1880-?), Mack Franklin Peeples (ca. 1892-1939. He married a woman named Josephine and was 47 when he passed away), Ida Peeples (1881-1930), Peebles Peebles (1883-?), Ralph Charles William Peeples (1884-1967), Lizzie Peebles (1886-1889), Ellen Peeples Williams (1880-1940), Ealey H. Peeples (1891-?), Mack F. Peeples (1892-1939), Peebles Peebles (1893-?), Ransa W. Peeples, William Rouser Peeples Sr. (1898-1952), Joseph Henry Peeples (1898-1972), and Glaster W. Peeples (1904-1956).

Attucks Square on Church Street at Norfolk, Virginia was a place I saw all of the time during my childhood. By the time of the 21st century, it has been renovated and hosts music from numerous artists from a myriad of genres today in early 2019. 

Charles's son Ralph Charles William Peeples lived from March 31, 1884 to May 10, 1967. Ralph passed away at Norfolk, Virginia. Ralph Charles Williams Peeples married Mattie Annie Barrett (1892-?). Ralph and Mattie's children were Vernell Franklin Peeples (1913-1987), Otis Louise Peebles (1917-2002), Maryland Peebles (1919- 1990), Joseph Linwood Peebles (1927-1979), May Peebles (1930-?), and James Russell Peeples (1922-?). Vernell Franklin Peeples married Bettie Wilkerson (1918-2003) on the date of February 20, 1937 at Courtland, Virginia. Vernell and Bettie had the following children: Dollie Mae Peeples (1938-present), Lloyd Henry Peeples (1944-1947), and Carolyn Annette Peeples (1951-present). Dollie Mae Peeples is my second cousin. Dollie Mae Peeples married Ronald Dean Kuykendall on the date of June 15, 1958 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Dollie and Ronald had the following children: Kim Denise Kuykendall (1958-present) and Sheri Lynn Kuykendall (1962-present). Dollie and Ronald had a divorce on November 3, 1982 at Virginia. Dollie Mae Peeples remarried James Frederick Wells (1929-present) on the date of April 23, 1984 at Norfolk, Virginia. Sheri Lynn Kuykendall was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on the date of August 8, 1962. She married Frank Pulliam III (1958-present) at Portsmouth, Virginia on the date of May 19, 1984. They have a daughter named Kourtney Pulliam (who is my third cousin).

My second great uncle Glaster W. Peeples lived from February 14, 1904 to February 9, 1956 at Drewyville, Virginia. Glaster was the son of Charles Peeples. Glaster W. Peeples married Irene Lashey (1906-?) and had the following children: James Wilson Peeples Sr. (1924-1979), Annie Lee Pittman (1925-1992), Carrie B. Peeples (1930-?), Rudolph Peeples (1930-1981), and Dorthenia Peeples (1933-?). Joseph Wilson Peeples Sr. married Mary Hannah Lampley (1925-2001) at the date of April 25, 1947 at Norfolk, Virginia. They had the following children: Jaami A. Bilal (formerly Joseph Eugene Peeples Jr. He lived from 1952-2008), Khayriyyah Tauheedah Peoples Mahdi (formerly Janette Peoples. She was born on May 4, 1953 at Norfolk, Virginia. She once married Abbas Fatih Mahdi  or formerly David King Bullock. Khayriyyah and Abbas' daughter is Fareedah Moore or my third cousin. She was born on July 6, 1978), Shukriyyah Ali, and Wilbur Peeples.


My great grandfather Joseph Henry Peeples married Hollie Ethel Seaborn. Their following children are: Harold Lucius Peeples (1929-1997), Fannie Louise Bynum (1932-2007), George Edward Peeples (1934-?), Henry Peeples (1937-?), Lear Anne Peeples (1939-present), Euince Mae Peeples (1944-present), Lawrence James Peeples (1947-2010), and Lois Peeples Cousins. My great uncle Harold Lucius Peeples was also a Korean War veteran as a PFC of the United States Army. Harold Lucius Peeples married Flordy Mae Rooks (1937-present) at the date of September 2, 1950. Harold and Flordy had the child of Harold Michael Peeples (1957-1986). Flordy Mae Rooks's parents are Aaron Elijah Rooks (1905-1984) and Ida Mae Broadnax (1908-2003).

Hollie Ethel Seaborn or my maternal great-grandmother’s parents were Indiana Reese (1871-1946) and George Seaborn (1862-?). George Seaborn was born a slave. George and Indiana’s children were Willie Seaborn (1886-?), baby Seaborn (1887-1887), Richard Seaborn (1888-?), George H. Seaborn (1889-1959), John Seaborn (1892-?), Paul Seaborn (1894-1973. He was a World War One military veteran), Elsie Seaborn (1896-1915), Annie Seaborn (1896-?), Bennie Mason Seaborn (1897-1923), Mark Earnest Seaborn (1904-1973), Lola Seaborn (1906-?), and Hollie Ethel Seaborn (1908-1996).

My maternal grandfather Robert Lee Bynum and my maternal grandmother Fannie Bynum had many children by the names of Mary, William (by uncle William was raised at Shiloh Baptist Church, he was a veteran of the U.S. Army, and he graduated in 1973 from Southampton County High School), Deborah, Reginald, Melloney, and Ryan. Mary is my mother. So, this is part of my maternal ancestry.

Reflections

One of the greatest reflections during this year of 2019 is the appreciation I have for knowing more about my family tree than any other time in my life. Not to mention I did numerous DNA tests to know about my heritage being mostly from the Congo and from Nigeria. Many of my relatives told me stories about these men and women too. My mother recalled about seeing Arthur Boss Claude (1891-1974) or my second great-grandfather being a short man. She also said that he was very prominent in her life. One of the biggest discoveries about me was how much I was related to the Claude family in Southampton County, Virginia. If you are a black American from Southampton County, Virginia, then I could be related to you easily. I recognize the courage of my fifth great grandmother Zilphy Claud (1920-1893) who had children and fought for justice in her life as well. Zilphy was a slave and lived to see the end of it after the Civil War. Also, I know about my paternal grandfather Thurman Lee (1919-1985) from my father too. Thurman Lee worked hard throughout his life and his ancestors came from Halifax, North Carolina. Thurman Lee passed away in Baltimore when I was almost 3 years old. Many of my paternal relatives live in Delaware, Cape Charles (in Virginia), Philadelphia, New Jersey, and beyond. I have learned so much from ancestry.com and from 23 and me. I even know more information about my distant cousins too. It has been a long journey and I feel like the puzzles are coming together during this time. Learning is a lifelong process and I will continue to live life.

By Timothy