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What Is Genealogy?

Genealogy is the study of your unique family history. It is a personal record of your ancestors – when they were born and where they lived, who their children were and who they married, and where you belong in your extended family tree.[i]

This definition just scratches the surface of what genealogy really is. It isn’t a career choice where children say to their parents, “When I grow up I want to be a genealogist.” Genealogy chooses you and once you have accepted being chosen it takes you to the root of who you are, to wanting to know and recognize the similarities in your family, from hair color to eye color or identifying where the little indent above your upper lip right under your nose came from. However, genealogy is something much more than its standard definition. There are always those who are interested in where they came from or how they got their last name. It helps you to learn why you do the things you do. Some genealogist may agree with me when I say it gives you a feeling of guidance or direction from your ancestors while you’re researching them, as if they are telling you which way to search for them or how to find them. To research your ancestors, you start to research history. Genealogy gives you the opportunity to learn the true history of the United States through the struggles and triumphs of those we haven’t read about in or during history class.

“Comes to the Light: Learning about the Entangled Families of Edgefield, South Carolina” began as a one-chapter addition to a book collaboration that was based on a series of stories about the families of Edgefield, South Carolina. Basically, it was a background of my immediate family’s history that I had never known. The more I learned, the more I realized that the story and the history that I portrayed in that chapter was not just about my ancestors. It became a story about most African American ancestors and the struggles they faced and endured to enable their descendants to become the people they are today. It became a beginner’s version of how to find my family and graduated to a history lesson that was never taught in school. I was learning fascinating information about different families in Edgefield who were all connected to me. I graduated to DNA where I pulled in families that I never knew as well as learned about where I came from geographically. From learning about family members whose freedom was sacrificed to the centuries-old American chattel slavery system, to discovering my diverse connections to American history; one chapter in a collaboratively written book was not enough to convey and share the depths of my personal journey, and family history research and discoveries.

I was asked to write in a book group early-on, which ended my blog postings. The book group, which contained eight different authors, didn’t materialize for a few reasons. Needless to say, the experience taught me what to look for when I did decide to publish in book format. It wasn’t until about a year ago when I was on the phone with my cousin Sheila, who I found through DNA sharing a story with her about my mother. She said, “Donya, the family needs to know this.” At that moment, I thought to myself that she was right and almost simultaneously with my thought she said “Donya you need to write this book on your own”, and I agreed. So here we are, here I am sharing my stories and a lot of new ones, in this book Comes to the Light: Learning About the Entangled Families of Edgefield, South Carolina.

[i]Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation “What is Genealogy?” http://www.smgf.org/pages/genealogy.jspx accessed 7 December 2013

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