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by Natonne Elaine Kemp (Author), Sameera V. Thurmond (Foreword by), Alane Roundtree (Introduction by)
Through the stories of their ancestors Bush and Kemp take us on a compelling journey through African American history into the hearts of individual lives. In tracing their ancestral roots, these family historians discover their connections to some of the South's most powerful men, both famous and forgotten. The community at the heart of this historical study is Edgefield, South Carolina, yet the stories in this book form a microcosm of events experienced by black communities throughout the South. An enslaved maternal line is traced to 1799; hopes are raised, then dashed, when a family of freedmen acquire land after the Civil War, only to later lose it; the "Dark Corner" of Edgefield is exposed. Shining a bright, sometimes uncomfortable light, deep truths are unearthed through DNA results and new family is found. Follow the authors through years of meticulous genealogical research, historical settings, and DNA testing as they reclaim their family stories and inspire others to embark on their own journeys of discovery. By leaving no stone unturned, these family historians show how they overcame the brick walls of slavery.
Author Biography
Edna Gail Bush is a native New Yorker and retired NYS administrator. A prolific writer of short family histories, her work has appeared in the Quill, Homeplace, and the Carolina Herald, the county and state genealogical newsletters throughout South Carolina. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), the Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society (OEDGS) and the South Carolina Genealogical Society. Natonne Elaine Kemp is a family historian, writer and presenter. A native of Washington, D.C., she is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) now known as the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen Fed). She was editor of Homeplace, the official newsletter of the Old Edgefield District African American Genealogical Society, and serves on the Journal Editorial Board for the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS).
