52 Ancestors Week 1: My Genealogy Journey and My Inspiration

Thank you for visiting my blog! The year is now 2018 and Faith, Family, and Ministry remain my life's passion! Who am I and just what is this all about. Well for 2018, I have decided to join the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks blog challenge, and yes I'm already behind. 
 

Photo Credit: Amy Johnson Crow

I am Dante Eubanks, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. My interest in family history and wanting to know more about my roots began in the spring of 1987 when my 7th grade English teacher tasked our class with our research project which was to develop a family tree. At the time I knew my maternal great-grandparents on my grandmother, Jessie Mae Heath-Eubanks' side of the family and so I began the task of asking questions. Because I saw my Grandmother and Great-Grandparents every weekend, developing a family tree was going to be easy for me and the excitement was interesting for me at the tender age of 13 years old. What questions was I going to ask? What was my Grandmother, her mother, and father going to tell me in regards to their family? And where did they migrate from and when? So many questions and so many details to discover and I was excited. 

I knew the assignment would be easy as I spent every weekend and every summer at my great-grandparents house. So I knew the family history or at least I thought I did, and learning more was something exciting and what I had looked forward to when my journey began in 1987. My grandmother's parents were Mitchell Heath and Anna Lue Barrow, and there story is told thru this blog. My true inspiration and zest for learning more and more really was gifted to me by my Great-Grandmother, Anna Lue. She was a jewel and the matriarch of my family as I knew it. And to this day, Granny, as I affectionately called her, still inspires me to do more and to share the Ancestors' journey as well as their legacy. To learn more about Granny, our Anna Lue Barrow-Heath, read  Honoring My Cincinnati Matriarch: Getting to Know Granny, My Great-Grandmother Anna Lue Barrow-Heath Part I and Honoring My Cincinnati Matriarch: Getting to Know Granny, My Great-Grandmother Anna Lue Barrow-Heath Part II.

In the beginning of my journey, knowing the names on the family tree was important, but now it's knowing the Ancestors' legacy and sharing them among the living generations today. Genealogy to me is more than just family research, but it is discovering the journey of my Ancestors, their life's story, and what they want to be shared with the generations of today. I have always felt this was my calling, and I am honored to have answered the Ancestors' call! My journey began with a then simple assignment in 1987, but my dedication to my ancestry research truly began in 1989, and I have not regretted one moment of getting to know more about my family.

On this genealogy journey, I also discovered my maternal grandfather, William Eubanks' lineage through his parents with emphasis on his mother, Henrietta Jones-Eubanks' family which is my Mississippi, Maryland, Kentucky, and South Carolina connection many times over. This journey also introduced me to more in-depth knowledge of my paternal Butler family and allied families of southern Maryland with incredible history and ties to our nations overall history. From 1987 to now, I have learned so much on all sides of my family, traced back to the mid 1600s on some lines, and have connected with cousins from all over. And because of the ever changing migration patterns, I have also learned that all sides of my family have crossed one another in more ways than one. What can I say, it's an amazing journey and I am ever more excited to learn more!!!

Thank you for sharing in my genealogy journey and for better understanding my inspiration. This is just the beginning and I'm excited to continue my journey!

Granny, thank you for inspiring me and for allowing me to listen!


Dante