Family Tree USA – September 2019

56 FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019

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1. Confi rm your discovery. Do careful research to verify what you’ve learned.


2. Understand the context. Study the circumstances or historical context sur-
   rounding the event or situation.


3. Learn what happened next. See how your ancestors, their loved ones and
   communities responded. Did anyone provide support or assistance? What did
   those involved do?


4. Express your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend. Write in a journal or on a
   blog. If appropriate, join a group like Facebook’s DNA Surprises Support Group
   or DNA NPE Friends, or seek professional counseling. Find additional resources
   at <www.watersheddna.com/resources>.


5. Give credit where it’s due. Identify positive character traits or actions
   shown by your ancestors, their children or other aff ected loved ones. Cel-
   ebrate their determination, courage, resilience or even their will to survive.


6. Take positive action. Find ways to help prevent possible recurrence of
   similar trauma today or to help others better understand the full history of
   those aff ected.

D

eborah Abbott, who has a doctorate

in counseling and human develop-

ment, is a nationally known genealogy

educator who has African American

roots. Her family came from the South, but her

relatives didn’t talk about their hardships there

once they moved north. “When I was growing

up, I didn’t think slavery had any relevance to

my life,” she said.

But that changed in the 1970s, when Abbott

was a young adult. While watching “Roots” with

her grandmother, Abbott heard her saying to the

screen, “They never would’ve done that during

slavery.” When asked further, Abbott’s grand-

mother told her that her grandmother (Abbott’s

great-great-grandmother) was a slave. Abbott

later learned that Caroline, her grandmother’s

mother (Abbott’s great-grandmother), was also

born into slavery. Slavery wasn’t so far from

Abbott’s time, after all.

“I can’t point to a single moment of grief or

anger about what slavery meant for me,” Abbott

said. “Knowing my ancestors were enslaved is

something I just grew up [with]. It can make

some people distrust or hate white people now,

even though people today aren’t responsible for

what was done back then.”

Abbott’s ancestors were considered some-

one’s property. Just a few generations ago, they

couldn’t read or write or move around at will.

However, Abbott has earned a doctorate and

traveled the world. “The reason I have what I

have today is because of those who sacrifi ced so

I could go to school and vote,” she said. “I benefi t

from their actions.”

Now, Abbott’s lifework includes teaching

others about slavery and how to trace enslaved

ancestors. She uses her own family’s stories

woven through her lessons. For example, one

lecture includes an Underground Railroad re-

enactment that uses names from Abbott’s fam-

ily. One enslaved woman holds a baby named

Caroline, and the characters have the same

names as her ancestors’ slaveholders in real life.

Remembering the Enslaved

How to Handle Family History Surprises