Divine Intervention and Context. One Has Nothing to Do With the Other
Forgive me in advance. I find myself writing about subjects that seem to have nothing to do with one another - divine intervention and context, much like when a researcher follows the next “shiny object.”
What drives us as genealogists? What is behind our need to conduct painstaking research? Don’t get me wrong, the research aspect of genealogy is my favorite part. But the process itself can get pretty intense. In the beginning, genealogy was a way to ground myself. Up to the beginning of the pandemic, I was a Fashion Photographer. As many people imagine, the business can be brutal and it’s easy to feel disconnected. I constantly focused on what was next and lost focus on why I was doing it.
Genealogy gave me a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself and my career.
Behind my desk sits a strand of my grandmother’s fake pearls that she wore every Sunday to church. She was the wife of of a Southern Baptist minister, my grandfather. The pearls likely from a five and dime. After my grandmother died, I found the strand in the “trash” pile and immediately swiped them. My grandparents never had much money to speak of, but they definitely had other types of riches. As a child, I used to fall asleep in my grandmother’s lap during service, twisting the strand of fake pearls as I fell asleep, listening to my grandfather’s sermon.
For the past couple of years with my grandmother’s pearls on a shelf behind my desk, I have felt compelled to research her side of the family. Our family always knew that my grandmother was somehow related to the Hatfields of Hatfield and McCoy fame, but didn't know exactly how. With research, I discovered that she descends from a cousin of the infamous Devil Anse. Since Cory and I moved to Virginia, I have documented four American Revolution ancestors from this region, each from my grandmother’s side of the family. It’s as if some divine force has been behind my research. Literally.
My second topic is CONTEXT and its importance for genealogical research. My grandmother and her ancestors were from Appalachia in Southwest Virginia, what is now West Virginia. Two of the American Revolution ancestors on my grandmother’s side, my 7th great grandfathers, are Joseph Hatfield and Richard Bailey. Joseph Hatfield is known as one of the best Indian spies in the region. Richard Bailey was responsible for building and maintaining Davidson/Bailey fort.
Someone recently asked me how it felt to discover that I had multiple ancestors who were part of the American Revolution. I responded that part of me is proud, but the other part of me, not so much. In hindsight, I should have elaborated more on the subject. Of course, I love this country and have always been proud to be a citizen. But an Indian Spy in Southwest Virginia during the Revolution is quite different than an Indian Spy in the Northeast. Indian Spies in this region, Southwest Virginia, were responsible for thwarting Indian attacks. Richard Bailey and John Davidson built their fort to be a lookout for Indian approach. With that being said, I have mixed feelings about my ancestors and their role in the Revolution.
As genealogists, it’s important to remember why we do what we do. Genealogy is essential to us as individuals, to our families, and to our society as a whole. As we research, knowledge regarding context is important – historical context, legal context, and social context. Context matters.