FAITH and FAMILY: The Tie That Binds

FAMILY is often a word many of use to describe a group of people we identify with on a regular basis as the backbone of our support system. FAMILY could include those related by blood lines as well as those we have established a great kinship with through friendship, loyalty, and respect. My mother taught me one simple principle throughout life and I continue to share it with my children and that is "if you don't have nothing else in this world, next to God you have FAMILY." These words have resonated with me through the years. As I approach my fourth decade of living, I too am reminded that FAITH in God and FAMILY are two great power sources of strength we just can't live without.


FAMILY: a group of people who are related to each other; a group of related people including people who lived in the past. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)


FAITH: strong belief or trust in someone or something; belief in the existence of God; strong religious feelings or beliefs. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)


After reading a soul stirring rendition of FAITH as recalled by a fellow genealogist and supporter of all things technology related with respect to genealogy and FAMILY history, I began to reach back to my childhood and remember the days of old. Thank you +Luckie Daniels for the revival and I must say again, thank you to your Uncle Jake for the sermon. Uncle Jake is of no relation to me (at the present moment but we share southern roots alike) and he was a beloved family member and great uncle of Luckie who wrote the beloved rendition 5th Edition Carnival of African American Genealogy ~ REBIRTH: Journeying By Faith post on her blog Our Georgia Roots. As I began to read and travel along Uncle Jake's journey and understood FAITH more and the connection with FAMILY, I immediately went back to my childhood memories of growing up on Cincinnati, Ohio and my beloved church family.


Going to church as a child was not a task, but it was FAMILY tradition. I remember going to church Sunday school promptly every Sunday while attending the Beulah Missionary Baptist Church. Sunday mornings consisted of eating breakfast with my great-grandparents Granny (Anna Lue Barrow-Heath) and Granddaddy (Mitchell Heath), their beautiful daughter my beloved Grandmother, Jessie Mae Heath-Eubanks, and my aunts who are like my big sisters, Darlene and Sherry. Sunday morning was about FAMILY. And after Sunday school, we held our lesson review which always included the church and family elders rendering praise to us 'young folk' for remembering our bible verse or simply being able to stand before the congregation and summarize what we learned in forty-five minutes.  Singing in the choir was not a task either, but it was so much fun because it was the one time children could stand in church and belt out melodious songs loudly without being scolded for being too loud. And we were a part of the worship experience! What's amazing to me now as I am writing this is the fact I called the church service a worship experience, because as child growing up old school - it was simply church. After church, we would travel back to Granny and Granddaddy's house to a home cooked meal like no other. Every Sunday was like Thanksgiving. And every meal was prepared with love and especially for the FAMILY.


One of my favorite songs growing up was 'God Has Smiled On Me' and then for the choir director to pass each one us in the choir the microphone to sing a lead part, well you couldn't tell me nothing then and you can't tell me nothing now!


God has smiled on me, He has set me free.
God has smiled on me, He's been good to me.
He is the source of all my joy,  He fills me with His love.
Everything that I need,  He sends it down from above.
God has smiled on me, He has set me free.
God has smiled on me, He's been good to me.
A light unto my path is He, Without Him I would fall.
I don't know what He is to you, But to me He's my all and all.
God has smiled on me, He has set me free.
God has smiled on me, He's been good to me.


A simple song but with a powerful message for the young and the old. FAITH and FAMILY for me are joined at the hip. Why one may ask? Well for me it is simple and pure in nature. Our Ancestors lived on the promises there would be better days than their eyes had seen. The Ancestors had FAITH God would bring about change if not in their time, then in the time of their children and generations of grandchildren. The Ancestors believed in the power of prayer, believed in the FAMILY network, believed in the principle their is power in numbers, and more importantly believed in a higher power guiding them through the ages. So the Ancestors had FAITH which has been instilled in all of us whether we embrace it or not. And the Ancestors and how we identify with one another today is representative of our FAMILY.


On November 9, 2013, I joined the FaceBook group African American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research (AAGSAR) and immediately my life changed as a result of a group of individuals dedicated to our respective families' histories and honoring the Ancestors as they guide us along our journey. The group's founder is +Luckie Daniels and subsequently the founder of the new Google+ group +AAGSAR: You Got Roots?! which is another extension of the AAGSAR FAMILY. This group of professionals, mentors, supporters, teachers, and leaders of all things technology related has pushed so many of us newbies into an online experience uniting family history and genealogy research with online exposure like no other. I can tie the two experiences of church and social media together because for me it is FAITH in knowing I can reach the masses in a new way as well as building upon FAMILY connections in a way I never imagined. In November, I never thought I would be blogging. In November, I never thought I would create a Twitter account or even  Google+ account, and fast forward to today and I am doing all three. And it is simply because of the belief Luckie and the AAGSAR Tribe FAMILY has in me to rise to the occasion. It is because of countless family members who call upon me day and night asking how the branches connect? Where did various surnames originate? When did the FAMILY migrate north, west, and east? It is an honor and I count it a privilege to have the knowledge as well as the willingness to share it. FAITH and FAMILY, The Tie That Binds!

Through the years as I have journeyed searching and searching for answers to who I am and just where did my Ancestors come from, I have learned to rely on my FAITH trusting and believing I would find them. I would find the roots of the many branches, the lines that connect us all, the tree that keeps on growing and sprouting new branches and leaves in each new season. Yes, we are in a new season but filled with the 'ole time way' and yet I still feel like the little boy singing 'God Has Smiled On Me'. I am grateful for my 40 years of living, and I know my living will not be in vain. I am grateful the Ancestors called upon me and countless others to tell their stories, fill the pages so they can be read, post online so they can be found and families reunited, and take to the airwaves so all can listen to their voices. FAMILY is everything to me and my FAITH keeps me strong.


As I continue to bridge the gaps between the past and present, songs of old like Leaning On The Everlasting Arms, Down At The Cross, Glad To Be In The Service, and It Is Well With My Soul touch my heart and fill me with great joy and pride with a sense of belonging. To Some Ancestry studies and genealogical research is a chore or even a burden. To me and many others, it is rejuvenating and rewarding as we champion on behalf of the Ancestors as well as the generations of kinfolks searching for answers in hopes they too can find a connection as well as be found. I am living each day #WalkingInPurpose while leaning, trusting, believing, and praying I will make a difference and leave the legacy for the next generation to pay it forward. My FAITH is strong and the FAMILY is keeping me motivated. Thank you to my beloved family and my precious gifts, my children for believing in me and sharing in all the excitement as you have embarked on the journey along with me over the years. To Luckie and +AAGSAR: You Got Roots?! FAMILY, many thanks for the continued support and motivation!


Ancestors, I am listening, honored, and thankful for the Ancestors Call! FAITH and FAMILY, The Tie That Binds!


Dante

Thinking of Grandma Jessie Mae Heath-Eubanks: Her Life, Her Story, Her Legacy

As time passes by, I am always pondering the memories of time spent with my Grandmother, her parents, and all my aunts and uncles. As a little boy growing up in Cincinnati, I was lucky because I spent every weekend at my Grandmother's house. And every weekend, my Grandmother made me feel extra special just by sharing any and everything with me. And to think, we did so much just on Saturday and Sunday. My Grandmother was a special lady with class and style like no other. To many, she was the neighborhood popcorn lady or simply the best chocolate cake baker, and she could even make the best potato salad in the midwest. She was awesome and even on what we thought were her bad days, my Grandmother always smiled with grace, dignity, and love! Her smile was infectious and her laughter was memorable. Her name is Jessie Mae Heath-Eubanks.

Affectionately known as Momma, Grandmomma, or Aunt Jessie Mae to family, Sister Eubanks to her church family, or simply Jessie, she was known by everyone! In 1929, the lives of Mitchell Heath and Anna Lue Barrow changed forever as their one and only child, Jessie Mae, was born. Jessie Mae Heath was born on February 19, 1929 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Grandmomma was raised and reared in the old West End section of Cincinnati along with several of her Alabama and Georgia relatives.

Grandmomma, like her mother Anna, often spoke of her family members especially her maternal grandmother, Annie Elizabeth Hunter Nelloms-Barrow, she affectionately called Grand Annie. Grandmomma spent her younger years under the wings of her maternal grandparents and many of her extended family members. Her extended family included the Barrow, Hunter, Nelloms, Heath, Carter, Stonestreet, Griffin, and Montgomery families to name a few. Yes, between Grandmomma's parents, she was from a big family and she knew them all.

As a young girl, Grandmomma attendend Cincinnati Public Schools and graduated from the old Woodward High School which was located in downtown Cincinnati at that time. She had also attended church with her family and became a member of the Beulah Missionary Baptist Church at the age of 14. During her younger years, Grandmomma worshiped under the leadership of Rev. Johnson, Rev. David S. Glenn, Rev. James E. Martin, and Rev. Dr. John B. Ivey. She loved her Pastors and faithfully served God until her health began to fail. Grandmomma had held many positions in the church, but one close to her heart was serving through song as a choir member. Grandmomma was actually one of the original Junior Choir members when she joined as a teenager. She remained with the same choir through the years as the choir changed names and evolved as well bringing many new members and families to the church. Church was everything to Grandmomma, and there wasn't any doubt where you could find her on Sunday mornings.


Grandmomma would talk for days about family, and for that I am grateful! On one of  my many days of interviews and discussions about our family history, Grandmomma shared with me about her trips down south with her aunt on her father's side, Aunt Ornnie Smith-Heath. Her trips south were one of many fond memories of family, but it truly is a fond memory of mine recalling how Grandmomma would tell the story. She enjoyed going down to Georgia visiting relatives and spending quality time with them, and this is what I believe began her knowledge of our family history. She talked about going to see her Nelloms family and a few Barrow cousins too, but her favorite part of the trips south were visiting with Uncle Clem, Uncle Tom, and Cousins Effie and Tess, the Atlanta Nelloms family members. The trips were something she looked forward to every summer as little girl, and she could recall names just as quick as you asked her who someone was or how they were related. On one particular trip down south, while going out on the town visiting and shopping, Aunt Ornnie and Grandmomma got on the bus. Aunt Ornnie paid for the both of them, and Grandmomma sat down in a seat in the front!! During the 1930s, this was not the thing to do for blacks, but my Grandmother did not know as she was born up north. The bus driver talked very sternly to Aunt Ornnie and told her to get "that gal" to the back or there would be trouble. Grandmomma said she moved quickly while Aunt Ornnie talked softly letting her know what she had done wrong. It was this trip that changed my Grandmother's view of the south, and according to her it was her last trip down south to visit family.


Another fond memory I recall was hearing my Grandmother talk of her aunt on her mother's side, Aunt Jennie (Granny's oldest sister). Aunt Jennie was the oldest daughter of Papa Ervin and Grand Annie, and she was beautiful! Grandmomma always said Aunt Jennie was her favorite aunt and just watching my Grandmother talk of her was a joy in itself because you felt the love Aunt Jennie had for Grandmomma and the love Grandmomma had for Aunt Jennie. Now Aunt Jennie passed away before my mother was born which was in the early 1950s. Aunt Jennie was married to Uncle John Henry Harper, and they had two daughters, Janice & JoAnn (affectionately known as Peaches and Puddin respectively). Stay tuned for a post on Aunt Jennie and Uncle John Henry. Grandmomma always said Aunt Jennie was sweet as sugar with a heart pure as gold. As I am typing, I am tearing up as I am reminded of my Grandmother's love and all the memories are racing through my mind.


Now, I could go on and on about Grandma Jessie Mae but I must save some information for more posts. As a family, we honored her on her 85th birthday by remembering her love of family, church family, and community. She indeed was a classy woman with style, grace, and poise. Thank you Grandmomma for loving life to the fullest and for sharing a rich heritage with us all.