More Information about Family History.

This is certainly a time of revelation. For years, much of my ancestors remained a mystery to me. I knew by inspiration of God that I would find much more information in the future than during the past. So, I waited and did my research. Today, in 2019, I found even more facts about my ancestry than I have envisioned before. My 3rd great grandmother was Susanna Field- Hurst-Turner Claud. She lived from March 1862 (at Jerusalem, Southampton County, Virginia) to January 1949 at Courtland, Virginia. Her story was a long one of sacrifice, courage, and family. She was born during the end of the American Civil War. Susanna was the descendant of the Iroquoian Nottoway Native Americans. When I traveled into the area of the Nottoway next to my maternal relatives’ home, my uncle told me in casual conversation that I was kin to the Nottoway people. My mother said so and my maternal grandfather said so. Now, there is more evidence of this. Susanna’s parents were Morefield Hurst (1827-1918) and Milly Bozeman (1830-1910). Morefield Hurst was a man who was a descendant of the African American freeman named Solomon Hurst (1780-1877). Milly Woodson-Bozeman was a descendant of the Nottoway people. Milly and Morefield had a great, loving marriage. They lived on Nottoway allotments where they raised crops and had a family. Morefield Hurst’s family was farm laborers. Before the Civil War ended, Milly Woodson Turner had the following children: Sarah Woodson (1850-?), Virginia Swcety Hurst-Turner (1852-?), Joshua Turner (1857-?), and Cordelia Turner (1860-1934. She was also known as Ophelia, Candy, and Pus).  Morefield and Milly together (after the U.S. Civil War) had the following children: Susanna Field Hurst-Turner Claud (1862-1949), James Turner (1868-?), Josephine T. Hurst (1868-1929), Thomas Hurst (1868-1892), George Hurst (1871-1887), Benjamin Hurst (1874-?), and William P. Turner (1872-?). This family lived in the rural community. They grew food and traded in goods and services. During Reconstruction, Klan terrorists harmed many black freed people in Southampton County. In the area, the Turner Hill School was taught by the black woman named Harriet A. Gregory, who was a daughter of a preacher. Milly Turner and Morefield Hurst sent their children to the Turner Hill School.  They family owned a farm and lived near Indian Town Road. In that area, there were other families like Artis, Barrett, Britt, Claud, Crocker, Lewis, Stewart, Turner, Wiggins, and Williams.

When Susanna Field Hurst-Turner Claud was 21 years old, she married James Thompson Claud (whose mother was Sarah Claud. His biological father was E.C. Barrett. He was raised by Tom Hill, who was an African American man) on the date of August 18, 1880 at 7 pm. James and Susanna’s first child was Nannie Claud (1880-1947). Susanna Field Hurst-Turner and Rev. James Thompson Claud’s other children were: Mattie Claud (1882-?), Sarah Claud (1885-1961), Addie Claud (1891-1928), Arthur Boss Claude (1891-1974), Lila (Tigue) Claud (1892-1980), Virgie Mae Claud Hardy (1895-1968), Lilly Claud (1897-?), Alice Rosetta Claud (1902-1987. Her name was Ett), and Joshua Claud (1908-1980). The Claud family worked in feeding hogs, working on gathering chickens, gathering crops, and doing other farm work. They came in the Nottoway River to fish.  Susanna was a friend to his sister in law Romine Turner (she was the wife of Susanna’s brother named William P. Turner). My third great-grandfather Rev. James Thompson Claud preached at the Shiloh Baptist Church at Boykins, Southampton County, Virginia. Susanna’s great grandson was Alfred O. Whittaker. By the early 20th century, the children of Rev. James Claud and Susanna Claud migrated into urban communities like in Portsmouth, Philadelphia, and beyond. Sarah Claud or the daughter of Susanna Claud came into Portsmouth and married William Moses Wright Sr. (1880-1937). Sarah and William had the following children: John Wright (1905-1975), Mary Louise Wright (1909-1964), William Moses Wright Jr. (1910-1981. He was my first cousin, and he was a veteran of the U.S. Army during World War II), and James Wright (1913-1978). John Wright married a woman named Priscilla Wright. William Moses Wright Jr. married Lola Belle Young at the date of May 11, 1937 at Emporia, Virginia. They had a daughter named Brenda Joyce Wright (she was born on 1959). Brenda Joyce Wright married Carl Davis Wilkins on November 26, 1977 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Brenda Joyce Wright is my 2nd cousin. Many of Susanna’s children lived in Portsmouth and worked in that community for years. Susanna Turner Claud lived on in Virginia until her passing in 1949. Susanna's funeral was found in Southampton County, Virginia. People who came to the funeral were her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and other community leaders. They came from Portsmouth, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Archaeological research and a study from Virginia scholars found artifacts of the home of Susanna. In the final analysis, I am America literally. I am part of Africa too. My ancestors came from Africa directly, and I have total right to live in America too.


Frank T. Claud (1861-1948) was a famous Claud family member. He at first married Josephine Worrell (1864-1884). She passed away at an early age, and Frank T. Claud later married Elizabeth Whitehead (1868-?). Frank T. Claud was the descendant of Zilphy Claud or my 5th great grandmother.  Frank T. Claud’s great granddaughter is Velvet Yvonia Claud. She was born in 1960 and her parents are Obadiah Claud (1931-2014) and Mertle Inez Wright (1934-present). Velvet Claud’s siblings are: Colia Inez Claud (1956-present), Cornelia Ginger Claud (1958-present), Abby Claud (1964-present), Abigale Claud (1964-1964), and Robin Olympia Claud. Velvet Claud married Gary Jerome Chambers (1954-2010), and she studied at James Madison University and at the University of New Haven. She went to Southampton High School.  Velvet Claud her sisters are active in fitness today.

When learning about life, you will see many surprises. I was certainly surprised at me know a lot of my family history. From understanding more about my paternal and maternal sides of my family, I gained a lot of insights about my inner existence. My ancestors came from Africa from mostly Bantu peoples of Nigeria and the Congo. They were kidnapped by European imperialists and were oppressed via the Maafa plus slavery in America. They lived in both Virginia and North Carolina originally. As time went onward, their descendants became teachers, farmers, and other contributors to society. The Great Migrations caused my people to travel from Virginia and North Carolina to Maryland, Philadelphia, New York state, Florida, Connecticut, Georgia, and as far as California. Esther Brickhouse Bailey and Zilphy Claud are some of my heroic ancestors who made great contributions in history. Also, it is important to note that the younger generation of my relatives is still going strong. As we approach 2020, we will continue to believe in freedom, justice, and equality. Also, we believe in the goal of black liberation too. Regardless if we live in America, Africa, or the Caribbean, we are still black people. 

To know about the events of Ferguson after five years, you have to understand its history. Ferguson is at Missouri, and Missouri has a long history of being involved in slavery, Western expansion, and other issues. Ferguson was founded in 1855 by William B. Ferguson. He deeded 10 acres of land to the Wabash Railroad in exchange for a new depot and naming rights. Ferguson is a suburb of St. Louis. Later, Ferguson developed into a city by 1894. Until the 1960’s, Ferguson was a sundown town where African Americans weren’t allowed to remain after nightfall. It had Jim Crow segregation as Missouri was filled with it back then. Redlining was common place including police brutality long before 2014. Today, the city of Ferguson is majority African American. African Americans experienced disproportionate traffic stops, police harassment, and other problems. Back in the day, many black Southerners fled to places like St. Louis and Ferguson to escape Klan terror, but the Klan was in Missouri too. In the West Coast and the Midwest, there were racist housing covenants that prevented black residents from owning homes. Unequal pay, discrimination, and other evils existed. The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelley v. Kraemer, which declared that state enforcement of racially restrictive housing covenants was unconstitutional, revolved around a St. Louis case. By the 1970’s, more black Americans left St. Louis and came into Ferguson because of the housing covenants being banned. The population of Ferguson reversed from being majority white in 1980 to majority African American today. Ferguson still experiences income inequality, poverty, and other issues. The crisis of poverty, racism, and class oppression in general relate to the subsequent story of Michael Brown (and the events that came after his killing).

By Timothy