October 2022 Newsletter
Thank you for subscribing to our monthly newsletter! We hope that you enjoy this month’s information. If you want us to address a specific topic, send us a message at tanya@familymattersgenealogy.com and we will discuss it in the November 2022 newsletter.
Researching the 1890 Census
As you know from previous newsletters, the census records contains different information every time. The huge gap between 1880 and 1900 censuses frustrates genealogists and family historians because a lof of information cannot be determined, specifically the migration patterns of family members. However, the new categories on this census gave us more socioeconomic information for each family.
The 1900 census included the birth month and year of each member in the household. Additionally, it recorded the number of years a couple had been married (doing the math you could calculate the year of marriage) and the number of children born and the number of children still living for adult women in the household. This census incorporated the economic status of the family – whether the head of household owned or rented their home, whether the home was a house or farm and if it was mortgaged or owned free and clear. An enumerator noted farms and included a farm schedule. Farm schedules were important because they included the value of the property, number of acres, types of crops grown, number of livestock and the name of the owner if the farm was rented.
The month of October has a lot going on – Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month and National Family History Month! In 2001, Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican Senator for Utah, introduced a bill designating October as Family History Month to encourage people to research their ancestry. “By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family.” Try to dedicate some time during this month to do some kind of genealogical research on your family and immortalize it for future generations – in an album, a book or on a family tree site. During October, Family Matters Genealogy, LLC will offer a 10 % discount for Kati and Kubwa services plus a free gift. You must book and pay the 50% deposit before 11:59pm on 10/31/22 in order to receive the discounted services.
The Woman King is True History
I went to see The Women King, starring Viola Davis. It was an excellent movie about women’s empowerment, strength and independence. I knew that Dahomey was a real place because of a book written by Zora Neale Hurston. Situated in Western African in present day Benin (renamed in 1975), it is true that Dahomey was an essential factor in the Atlantic Slave trade with the British until 1852. Dahomey went to war with France in 1892 and in 1894, France defeated them. Afterwards, Dahomey became a colony of France but France did allow the royal families and its administrators to continue to rule the people. We will analyze what are true historical facts from the movie. For those that did not see it…SPOILER ALERT!
- The Kingdom of Oyo existed and fought against the Kingdom of Dahomey over the slave trade. Both kingdoms sold captured enemies from neighboring tribes to the British and Portuguese to support their empires.
- The King of Dahomey increased their palm oil trade as an economic alternative to the slave trade BUT only after the British prepared to discontinue the practice in its colonies in 1833. The movie reversed this fact.
- Nanisca, played by Viola Davis, was a real Agojie but on a smaller, lesser known scale than in the movie.
- King Ghezo, same as in the movie, reigned Dahomey from 1818-1858.
- Dahomey had a real all-female army called the Agojie warriors. Originally organized as elephant hunters, they progressed to be the king’s guards. The population of men had significantly dropped because Dahomey was at war with other tribes in order to maintain their power in the region. Women had no choice but to fight to protect the kingdom from neighboring villages and tribes.
- In the movie, the Agojie took an oath to remain single and childless to be a part of the army. However, the king considered the all the Agojie as his wives and did not allow them to date or marry anyone else. They lived in the palace with the king like in the movie.
- Read Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston. Cudjo Lewis,a former slave, described his capture by the Agojie of Dahomey from his West African village in 1860. Imprisoned at a slave port in Ouidah (later named The Gate of No Return), he was sold to Americans by King Glele (son of Ghezo) and was illegally smuggled into Alabama on the last American slave ship Clotilda.
Of course, the movie has created controversy because of its “historical inaccuracies;” however, it is a depiction of true historical events with fictional characters. The Woman King is a great story with some historical facts sprinkled in.
CLIENT CORNER – SYLVIE MARRESE
I was gifted an Ancestry DNA test and received the results a few weeks later. I had no experience in organizing a genealogical search, as it seems quite overwhelming. She helped me organize every match, and together, we identified each and every branch possibility on the tree. My challenge was the many similar last names. in my DNA matches, that were not of the same family branch. Tanya guided the search by suggesting and using Ancestry’s website, uploading my DNA to GedMatch, My Heritage, 23 and ME, and to take an additional mtDNA test to align the results with my possible birth mom. She used DNA Painter to explain the centiMorgan complexities and to further map out relatives.
Aside from Tanya’s vast knowledge, it was her determination to move ahead past any obstacles. She was very supportive when emotions got the best of me. We found my Bio parents, within 4 months- a full sister, and half siblings and close relatives. I never in my life would imagine attempting a search without Tanya. Her guidance and knowledge of genealogy and the steps to build a family tree, were the keys to our success. I highly recommend Tanya for any of your genealogical needs. Her professionalism, determination, and perseverance are the key to anyone’s Ancestry search.
LOOKING FOR LONG LOST ANCESTORS?
If you are interested in researching your family history (and I strongly encourage everyone to do so), let me know and I can assist you. I offer several affordable packages depending on your research needs. If you are an amateur genealogist/family historian, I can create a research plan to guide you in the right direction. I am always willing to help.
DID YOU KNOW? Mermaids Come in All Colors
There has been an uproar when Disney announced that they were casting Halle Bailey as Ariel in their live-action revival of the Little Mermaid. The controversy stems from many believing that Ariel should remain white because mermaids are white. But…is that really true? Mermaids are mythical creatures, so how does anyone know they are strictly white? Did you know that mermaid stories were more well known in African countries than European countries? Let’s examine the history.
Myth of the Mermaid
Different cultures have depicted mermaids in their folklores and fables. So, who was the first to tell the mermaid story? The legend of Mama Wati dates back six centuries. Mama Wati was a West African mermaid or a water spirit who had long flowing hair and snakes as necklaces. She was notorious for sinking ships, promising fertility and prosperity to anyone who worshiped her and taking a human form with legs and appear in the least likely places.
Other countries had stories about mermaids – the ningyo, Matsya and duyung of Asia, Mama D’Leau of Caribbean stories, and the nommos of the Dogon people from Mali. There have been shrines of mermaids and other ocean deities that lined the west African coastlines from Senegal to Angola, the same coastline where slave ships kidnapped Africans to take to the Caribbean Islands and the Americas.
So why do mermaids have to be white? NO! Does everyone believe Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen created them for his book written in 1837? YES! Could Caucasian writers adapt these stories to make for interesting reading for their audiences? YES! Cultural appropriation happens all the time, especially from elements of African and African American culture.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Thank you for reading my newsletter. I love October for many reasons. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as a breast cancer survivor, this is the time of year that I raise money for the American Cancer Society. The other reason is because it’s FAMILY HISTORY MONTH!!! This is the time of year that I focus on my own family’s research, either by going through my family trees to update some records or look for more records as they become available on various genealogical sites. I take detailed notes for the book that I will write someday. For my family, I am currently researching my Davis, Teat and Fernandes lines.
Next month, we will celebrate Native American Heritage Month and Veteran’s Day by reviewing military records and Indian census records. If you have any genealogical questions, feel free to comment and I will feature your question in the next issue. Michael Crichton said, “If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.”
Know and love your family history. Peace, Love and Genealogy.