What inspires you to keep digging?? We all get frustrated and push the research to the side, but what brings you back. For me, it’s those unanswered questions. For so many years, everyone has been my cousin. I was never one to have ‘play’ cousins. I always liked to know how people are family. That inspired me to start looking. The sheer aggrevation of people saying “They’re your cousin, I don’t know how”.
The problem here is, when my Grandma Bessie was talking not many of her children were listening. She told stories of her people and how such-n-such were related. Only a few of her children can actually spread the tree out further. But, not many can help the tree go higher.
The city that my family ‘originated’ from (i use that term loosely because I don’t know where origination is, but we’ve been there since 1866…so that’s the best I have) is Elizabeth City, NC. Everyone knows everyone. So, if you talk to enough people, you’ll find out that they know someone that married someone that is my cousin. While visiting the cemetery that my grand uncle is buried a couple of weeks ago, an older lady approached me. She was there with her family cleaning off the graves of their loved ones. Here I was, a woman wondering around a cemetery alone…with a camera. I guess I looked lost or suspicious. She asked me “Who are you looking for” and I told her I was looking for my great grandfather, Aaron Spence. She asked me who I was. I told her and her response was “Oh, you one of those Spence’s”. WTH??? Then she asked me again who I was looking for. Upon telling her….again. She said “Ed Spence? OOO I know Ed. O.k. nice to meet you”. LOL. Thanks for the help!! Anywho..I was rambling..
I said all that to come back to, it’s hard to feel grounded when you don’t know where your roots lie. So what inspires you?
