My Genealogy Journey

Thank you for visiting my blog! 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 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 and so I began the task of asking questions. My dedication to my ancestry research truly began in 1989 after the passing of my great-grandmother, Anna Lue Barrow-Heath, and I have not regretted one moment of this incredible journey.


I knew the assignment would be easy as I spent every summer and weekends at my great-grandparents house, so I knew the family history or at least I thought I did. My grandmother's parents were Mitchell Heath and Anna Lue Barrow, and their story is told within my posts. Genealogy to me is more than just 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!


Through my 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 Yazoo County and Madison County, Mississippi; Maryland, Kentucky, and South Carolina connections. His paternal lineage is my Attala County, Mississippi, Putnam County, Georgia; Charles County, Maryland, Eastern Shore Maryland, and Virginia family connections. These Ancestors will be honored in this blog as well. 

I have learned through years of researching and now coupled with numerous DNA matches, that all sides of my family crosses state and county lines as well as weave in and out of the family lines through relationships over several generations. It is because of the deep Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia roots that I realized I could not tell one story without the other thereby connecting the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky and other migratory states such as Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Ironically, there are so many connections in the deep south families but all roads lead back to the the Maryland and Virginia in more ways than one. Interestingly and as a result of DNA testing, I am also proud of my Caribbean roots and cousins abroad in Africa, the islands Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, St. Martin, and Haiti to name a few. I'm blessed to be a descendant of generations of rich culture and those who survived the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slaved trade and chattel slavery. I am also a descendant of enslaving Europeans who hail from places like England, Ireland, Scotland, and France. It is a fact I cannot ignore and DNA does not lie! I wrestled with whether or not that portion of my ancestry is worthy of sharing, but I realized that all of my story is important and there isn't anything I can do to change the past. I will not just focus on one story or one side of my family, but I will focus on TRUTH and honoring the Ancestors who came before me. 


To my Granny, who first shared her Alabama and Georgia history with me I will always be grateful for the gift you bestowed upon me through storytelling. I continue to walk in your footsteps in knowing you are with me always. 

This blog and all the information contained herein is for the Ancestors!


Dante