Heading East & Reflecting on Why I do This

Soon, we will strike out on another adventure -- with stops to visit ancestral locations and real live relatives. :) The impetus for this trip is a family reunion of my husband's extended family in Ohio. So, I've been deeply researching family lines anywhere along the route from Colorado to Ohio. Of course, I defined that liberally, and have found reasons to also travel across Pennsylvania -- a bit of a detour on the route home!

As I am most interested in my family's stories of immigration to this continent and my family's role in slavery, I have focused my research there. This has led me down the following ancestral rabbit holes that are guiding the itinerary.

The Greers in Pennsylvania & Kentucky

The First Arriver was my 5th great-grandfather, Samuel John Greer, some time between 1757 & 1770 from Ireland. He and his sons were farmers and Enslavers in Kentucky. My great-great-grandfather, James Frances Greer II, left Kentucky and farming -- ending up an educator in Waco, Texas -- but many other Greers still live in the area of the original homestead in Nelson County.

In this section of Samuel Greer's will, he bequeaths "the following black people. Black man Peter about 50 years old, Black woman Pat about 40 years old and a Black Boy by the name of Ned about 14 years old..." He continues in the same sentence to list the cows, horses and hogs he is also giving his wife.

The Derricks in Delaware & Pennsylvania

First Arriver unknown (sometime before 1760, probably from Sweden). My 3rd great-grandfather, John Robert Derrick, was born in Philadelphia and migrated to Galveston County two years after Texas became a state. I have hit a brick wall at his parents, James George Derrick and Ann (maiden name unconfirmed), and have not been able definitively identify the parents of either. There were many Swedes who settled along the Delaware River from Philadelphia south to Delaware, which is where I will focus my visits. I have not found evidence that they were Enslavers.

John Robert Derrick, first Derrick in Texas (arrived 1838).

The Bedicheks in West Virginia

First Arriver was my 3rd great-grandfather, Frederick Augustus Bedichek (Bedzicek), born in 1809 to a Bohemian father and Swiss mother. He immigrated to the US sometime before 1837 when, according to family lore, he arrived in New York and made high-end furniture. Within a few years, he moved to present-day West Virginia (was part of Virginia at the time), married and set up shop there. His wife died and when his house was burned by arson, he and his three children moved to Missouri. There is no evidence that the Bedicheks were Enslavers, but they were solidly Southern sympathizers and Frederick's son, James Madison (my great-great-grandfather) participated in guerilla warfare with Quantrill in Kansas and then enlisted as a Confederate soldier.

"Frederick A Bedichek, a native of Switzerland, this day applied to the Court to be admitted to become a citizen of the United States..."

Last line: "And therefore, the said Frederick A Bedichek is admitted a citizen of the United States." 1852, Virginia

Reflecting on Why

Transcendent Connection

Every time I plan a trip and conduct the research, I find myself in a state of "flow" and I lose track of time as I dive into the intersection of traveling and learning about my family's connection to places -- and therefore my connection -- to people and places across the country and globe. When I physically reach a location where my ancestors once stood, I feel a sort of transcendence and one-ness that is hard to explain. Even if the "built environment" of the location has completely changed, some things remain the same -- a hill, a body of water, perhaps some of the larger trees, the orientation to the stars -- there is something magical about knowing that the only thing separating me from my ancestor at that moment is time.

Emphasizing our Connected & Collective Human Story

At the risk of repeating myself...learning my ancestors' stories helps me understand my family's place in history, which grounds me and my story in the story of our country and the world. Layers and layers of stories!

But why take the time to share these stories with others besides my family? And why focus on the First Arrivers and Enslavers? I hope by acknowledging my family's past and owning ALL the truths -- the honorable and the shameful, the joyful and traumatic -- others will be inspired to do the same. The journey leads me to a more complete understanding of our collective human story and, in turn, opens the door for repair and communal healing. I am inspired to do my small part to try to repair and heal the wounds of the past and I hope others will, as well.

Dispelling the Bootstrap Mythology

Another reason I tell these stories is I am tired of the over-emphasis in our society on celebrating people who "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." Most of these "He came here with $5 in his pocket..." stories do not acknowledging the context that allowed and supported the pulling up of the bootstraps to happen at all. The stories are incomplete. For example, I have numerous stories in my family of land grants and enslaving others. Without the gift of free (or extremely cheap) land and/or the systems of chattel slavery, they would have had a much harder time prospering. By acknowledging this fact, I do not diminish the blood, sweat and tears of my ancestors, but rather unveil the context that allowed them to flourish. I also acknowledge the advantages they had over others and -- and in some cases -- the backs of others they stood on, while gripping those bootstraps.

The Countdown

On this trip, I hope to visit ancestral locations, meet some new cousins, and fill in some missing information. I'm learning from my past mistakes that the more research and detailed documentation I can complete ahead of time, the much better use I can make of my limited time at these ancestral locations!

Only two more weeks to finish my research and arrive at the destinations as prepared as possible!