Thank you for the "One Lovely Blog Award"....It's all about Collaboration, Communication, & Support!

On September 28, 2014, I received a very nice surprise and one I never expected being new to the blogging community.  I was nominated for the "One Lovely Blog Award" by my new found DNA Cousin, Bernita Allen author of "Voices Inside my Head".  http://alhupartu.blogspot.com/  In addition to Cousin Bernita's nomination, I was also nominated by Tracey Hughes, author of "Tracey's Tree". http://traceystree.blogspot.com/

I never created a post for the "One Lovely Blog Award" in 2014 but today I thought to myself, there's no better time than the present to jump start another round of recognizing many who are pioneers in their own right in the genealogy community.  I want to give a special Thank you to both  Cousin Bernita and Tracey as I am just as honored today as I was in 2014 and humbled to be nominated by you both.  Anyone reading Cousin Bernita and Tracey's blogs will find them both amazing, interesting and very informative as well as give you a sense of pride and love for the Ancestors.



Here are the rules for this award:
   1.  Thank the person who nominated you and link to that blog.
   2.  Share seven things about yourself.
   3.  Nominate 15 bloggers you admire (or as many as you can think of!)
   4.  Contact your bloggers, let them know that you've tagged them for the One Lovely Blog Award.

Seven Things About Me:
   1.  I have been in Ministry since February 1995 and Pastoring since December 2014.
   2.  I am considered the walking family tree.
   3.  I love reading history.
   4.  My son Isaiah is named for my favorite book in the Bible.
   5.  I love walking through cemeteries (for me, it's connecting with the Ancestors).
   6.  I love movies and have a huge movie collection.
   7.  I am the father of 9 children.

15 Bloggers I Admire:
There are so many awesome genealogy blogs that it was really hard to narrow down to 15.
Here is my list (in no particular order):


   1. Finding Eliza by Kristin Cleage     
   2. Genealogy Circle by Cindy Freed
   3. Our Alabama Roots by Luckie Daniels
   4. Claiming Kin by Marlive Taylor-Harris
   5. My True Roots by True A. Lewis
   6. Tracey's Tree by Tracey Hughes
   7. Roots Revealed by Melvin Collier
   8. Ancient Echos from the past by Xzanthia  Zuber
   9. Saving Stories by Robin Foster
 10. The Legal Genealogist by Judy Russell
 11. Pieces of Me by Stephani Miller
 12. Geneabloggers by Thomas MacEntee
 13. Repurposed Genealogy by Jennifer Campbell
 14. Carolina Girl Genealogy by  Cheri Hudson Passey
 15. Tracing Amy by Amy Cole


As I continue to explore my own Ancestry and conduct genealogy research, I am reminded I am here to honor the Ancestors. This experience is rewarding but there is no greater reward than to honor and cherish the legacy of those who have gone before us. This blog is a sincere tribute to my Ancestors, and I am truly appreciative of the those above for sharing the knowledge of their Ancestors as well as contributing to helping others in the genealogy community. It's all about Collaboration, Communication, and Support!


Humbly Submitted,


Dante' Eubanks

Mitchell Heath: The Greatest Man on Earth in my Lifetime

Greetings family, friends, fellow genealogists and a special hello to the Ancestors! It has been several months since my last post in March, and yet there is so much to share and sometimes it seems like so little time. The Ancestors have been hard at work and the pathways have been ever so clear with so much more unfolding day by day. I have been truly blessed through an outpouring of new and exciting information regarding my Georgia lineage through my maternal Great-Grandfather with whom my maternal Georgia lineage begins through the Heath and Frazier families.


In the beginning of discovering what blogging was about, I created this blog as a means of sharing the rich legacy of my Ancestors. I first began with one of the biggest discoveries and special woman in our family, my 2x Great Grandmother Annie Elizabeth Nelloms-Barrow. She is my maternal Great-Grandmother, Anna Lue Barrow-Heath's mother. Annie was affectionately called Grand Annie by her family and Anna Lue to me was always Granny. I share this story again as this has a special connection with my Great-Grandfather, Mitchell Heath (Granddaddy) who was married to the love of his life none other than Granny. Granny shared so many memories with us about her Alabama and Georgia family, and it is from Granny I found my niche and my calling to bridge the gaps between the past and the present. Granddaddy too left me with a rich legacy to share, uncover, and to honor. I thought I knew a lot, but my journey from March 2014 till now has proven I have only just begun. With the Ancestors guiding me along the way, I sincerely pray I am honoring them as I share their story.




Mitchell Heath
cir. 1959 Beulah Baptist Church
Usher Board Anniversary

Mitchell Heath, Granddaddy as he was affectionately called was born January 19, 1910 in Crawfordville, Taliaferro County, Georgia to the union of Phelps Heath III and Eunice Frazier-Heath. Granddaddy was truly a man after God's own heart and taught his family that faith in God and good works was key to making it to Heaven. Granddaddy did not talk much about his family, but what he did share was key to finding amazing discoveries about the Heath family. Granddaddy had many brothers and sisters and always said by the time he was born, some of his siblings were already grown and married themselves. His oldest sibling was his sister, Lena who was born in 1890 and his youngest sibling was his sister, Mattie Jane who was born in 1916. That is a huge span of years for siblings, but Phelps III and Eunie had several children. Granddaddy said that his mother had about 20 children, but he did not know all of them. There were several children he said had died before he was born. This is not hard to believe but yet it is difficult to find records for the deceased children as Georgia was not the best at good record keeping. My quest continues to identify Granddaddy's siblings who died young. Granddaddy's known siblings were Lena (previously mentioned as the oldest born in 1890), Nina born in 1893, Allen born in 1898, Essie born in 1900, Percy born in 1902, Martha born in 1903, Nancy born in 1905, Earnest born in 1906, Luna born in 1908, Earl born in 1913, and Mattie (previously mentioned as the youngest born in 1916). It is an amazing discovery of my southern roots to find that many of my Ancestors produced large families. Another amazing discovery has been the various family lines Granddaddy descends from and all connecting to Taliaferro, Hancock, and Warren Counties in Georgia through his parents, Phelps III and Eunie.


When it comes to relationships, Granddaddy was very fond of his sister, Essie Mae (nee Heath) Patterson-Tillman. I do not remember much except the family preparing for her homegoing services in 1981 and Granddaddy speaking of his fond memories of his older sister. He was also very close with his brother, Earnest Heath, and his baby sister, Mattie Jane (nee Heath) Montgomery. Out of all the family members on my Heath side, these were the names I heard the most. As I grew older, I began to hear more about Uncle Allen Heath, Aunt Nancy (nee Heath) Carter, and cousins Anna Bea and Casper (Uncle Allen's children). Granddaddy was man of few words when it came to his family, but he truly embraced his family with love and instilled in his daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to love and cherish family.


As a young boy, Granddaddy and his family had relocated to Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. By 1924, Granddaddy's parents were documented as Cincinnati residents living at 544 George Street which was then in the old historic West End community near downtown Cincinnati. There were many black families living in the West End who had migrated north from the south. Granddaddy would have been 14 years old in 1924 and own his way to becoming a man and establishing his place in Cincinnati. On September 16, 1928 Granddaddy married the love his life, my Granny and his precious Anna Lue Barrow. Together, their love story is amazing. Mitchell and Anna only had one child, their one and only Jessie Mae and my beloved Grandmother. Granddaddy worked hard to provide for his family as well as establish a strong sense of giving back to his community. By the mid to late 1960s, Mitchell and Anna had purchased their home located at 218 Donahue Street in the Corryville community of Cincinnati. This home was a part of the family through fives generations, and their are so many precious memories of family gatherings in which Mitchell and Anna ensured all the family enjoyed through their labor of love.


Granddaddy was a faithful member of the Beulah Missionary Baptist Church also located in the old West End area of downtown Cincinnati. Granddaddy was instrumental in many church ministries to include the Male Chorus and the Usher Board. As a senior member of the Male Chorus, Granddaddy was a lead vocalist who certainly stirred up the church with his melodious rendition of "Have I Given Anything Today" and oh the memories that are flooding my mind and soul right now. Just as much as he loved singing, he was a faithful and dedicated usher for many years and instrumental in Beulah establishing a Senior and Junior Usher Board. Many church members as well as community members looked up to Granddaddy and he was an inspiration to all he came in contact with. Granddaddy was a true man of God, a man of distinction, a man of honor and integrity, and a legend in his own right. He is the greatest man on earth in my lifetime as he taught me to be a follower and believer in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you Granddaddy for the message of faith!


Today, I am singing "Have I Given Anything Today?"
Have I given anything today?
Have I helped some needed soul on the way?
From the dawn till setting sun, have I wounded anyone?
Shall I weep for what I've done today?


Oh today, oh the day, oh the day
Have I failed some greater flame on the way
Just to know I've done my best as I go to take my rest
Let my name be blessed today.


Have I made some person glad today?
Did I help someone who had a mortal day?
Did I cancel with the sad try to make some poor heart glad.
Answer wisdom what I had today.


Oh today, oh the day, oh the day
Have I failed some greater flame on the way
Just to know I've done my best as I go to take my rest
Let my name be blessed today.


Thank you Thomas A. Dorsey for these words of a powerful testimony and thank you Granddaddy for singing from the heart! As I continue to my ancestry journey in discovering more of my Heath family, I continue to reflect upon Granddaddy's lifelong lesson of FAITH and FAMILY, the tie that binds! Granddaddy, thank you for asking "Have I given Anything Today!"

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.