My Enslaved Past
In honor of Black History Month I wanted to post a little note that I left on the Roberson Family guestbook. The Roberson family owned my ancestors who were slaves on the Cross Roads Plantation in Martin County, North Carolina. This fact is known because my family never left that region after slavery and still reside there today. As a matter of fact, my grandmother was raised on the same plantation her grandfather worked as a slave. Her great uncle is the late Rev., William Drew Robeson, who is the father of actor, activist, and singer, the late Paul Robeson. This is a part of my history that I continue to study and I am finding out more and more as time goes on. I hope that you will find this as interesting as I did. I wasn't angry at them for their part in history. I just wanted them to know the names of those people who were affected/infected by their part in history.The note:Stephen Bess
Tuesday, 12/23/03, 8:07 AM
Happy holidays!! I am a descendant of Ezekiel Roberson who was a slave on the Cross Roads plantation. I feel that your website is really important because it gives me a sense of connection to my ancestors in Martin County, NC. I am fortunate because there are many African Americans in this country who have no idea what land their ancestors worked and tilled. My grandmother, Eunice Roberson Best grew up in Robersonville and she taught me all that I know about that area and our family. She joined our ancestors in April of 1999. Her memory will live on forever along with the memory of those who preceded her.
From:
Washington, D.C.
P.S. By the way, a member of the Roberson family did contact me and thanked me for leaving that note. He is a business man in the Raleigh Durham area. He also encouraged me to continue my research. I thanked him.
click the post title for a link to the Roberson Family website
Tuesday, 12/23/03, 8:07 AM
Happy holidays!! I am a descendant of Ezekiel Roberson who was a slave on the Cross Roads plantation. I feel that your website is really important because it gives me a sense of connection to my ancestors in Martin County, NC. I am fortunate because there are many African Americans in this country who have no idea what land their ancestors worked and tilled. My grandmother, Eunice Roberson Best grew up in Robersonville and she taught me all that I know about that area and our family. She joined our ancestors in April of 1999. Her memory will live on forever along with the memory of those who preceded her.
From:
Washington, D.C.
P.S. By the way, a member of the Roberson family did contact me and thanked me for leaving that note. He is a business man in the Raleigh Durham area. He also encouraged me to continue my research. I thanked him.
click the post title for a link to the Roberson Family website
Comments
Have a great weekend
I am very drawn to immagrants now and I reach out to them in honor of my ancestors ...... prejudice has many forms. Your letter was a very good idea ..... You are a voice for the past present and future.
It absolutely breaks my heart in a million pieces to think of how the black peoples used to be treated in slavery! How uncaring the whites used to be of all races that were not white. The Native Americans, the Blacks, etc. it is just really sad.
I am thankful it is SO much better today, but sadly far from non-exsistant. The racisim and not treating everyone as an equal that is. Black, white, young, old, fat, thin, rich, poor, etc, it does not matter. We are all people and deep down we are all the same! I just wish everyone could feel that way.
Ok, sorry I will get off my soap box now. Even though I am white, the whole slavery thing really breaks my heart and makes me feel sick to my stomach.
I would like to know more about my mother's side. I know less about them.
tu s.tin-
It's difficult for me to deal with suffering of any kind by any human. Thanks for your very heart felt comment and what you said is very relevant to what I said in my post. My only plea to America is to acknowledge that something wrong was done to a people. I don't care for Reparations or any other kind of monetary compensation. I just want them to acknowledge that it took place and that it separated more love than we could ever imagine. Thanks.
stacy-deanne-
Yes, it's so important to know who you are. I applaud you trying to research the Native Indian side. I know that must be difficult because much of their history has been erased. I learned from grandmother a very interesting story about the Native American side. Thanks!
nml-
Thank for that wonderful compliment! I feel completely blessed that I am in touch with that side of my history.
SEJ-
Thanks! Yes, I know snippets of
your history and it sounds very interesting.
Faith-
Yeah, I think that racism, sexism, ageism, and other negative 'isms' will be around for as long as there is a planet Earth. We just have to do all that we can to change attitudes so that the very future generations will become more and more aware. Thank you so much for your comment.
Brea-
I'm not sure if you are a praying woman, but I pray when things become overwhelming. As long as you have faith it will never let you down.
Thank you all for your comments. They were very thought provoking and touching. Enjoy your day!
You have moved from recrimination to authenticity.
This is a post that should be memorialized.
Congratulations on this personal victory over the past.
Cheers,
Geoffrey
Thank you so much. I feel fortunate to know as much as I do about that past. I give thanks to Lord and my grandmother who taught me so much about who I am. Peace~
....just me...daez
I was truly elated to read that you are a descendant of the Martin County Robersons. My Mom told me, many years ago, that we were related to Paul Robeson and that his father dropped the ‘r’ to become Robeson rather than have his children carry the slave-owners’ name. My family is from Parmele and Robersonville, NC. My grandfather was Samuel Roberson who married Maggie Highsmith. I currently reside in Orange County, California.
Yes! our family is from Parmele and Robersonville as well. Yes, we are definitely cousins. It would take my grandmothers sister, Josephine Roberson to figure it all out, but yes. We are also related to some Highsmith through marriage. My uncle's name was Carl Highsmith of Williamston. He just died last year. You should email me so we can discuss this some more.
stephen.bess@gmail.com