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Oct 31, 2024

Finding Untold Stories In Your Family’s History: The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe

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There is profound power in understanding where you come from – power in uncovering the ancestral beginnings that shaped, molded, and paved the way for your very existence. Developing a deeper sense of self by acknowledging these influences can help shape your present world and reinforce your identity. Often, family researchers gain a clearer insight into these roots by learning about the histories of those who directly or indirectly contributed to our lives – whether through physical presence or spiritual legacy. This could be our parents, grandparents, a favorite aunt who baked the best muffins, or an uncle who was a jack of all trades. Their experiences and the circumstances they faced are there for us to learn from, to understand, to reflect on, and to grow from.

Curiosity, Oral History & Family History Discoveries

Amazed excited african-american man surprised by unexpected good news online
Image courtesy of FreePik.com

The curiosity to learn about one’s ancestors often arises in one or more family members. These family members feel a deep-rooted calling to uncover the past and share their discoveries with others. These individuals are quite passionate about their ancestry because it gives them a better sense of self and identity. Additionally, studies have shown that 18– to 20-year-olds with the healthiest identity development, with a sense of connectedness to family and adherence to their own beliefs, also had high levels of family history knowledge. How the stories were received also matters. Some of the best ways to encourage curiosity in other family members included telling stories around the dinner table and family history ceremonies. [1]

Oral history is a powerful tool for families to pass down these stories, especially African American family stories involving enslaved ancestors. Living under the conditions of chattel slavery meant that a person was reduced to the status of property, like a chair, a plow, a table, or a horse. Teaching enslaved people to read and write was illegal in the slaveholding colonies and states. For many enslaved African Americans, reading and writing were not mediums to preserve an enslaved family’s history. Furthermore, being descendants of enslaved peoples with roots in West and Central African nations meant that we more than often descend from cultures who passed on history through songs and stories. [2]

William James Edwards Answered the Call

William James Edwards, a 4th generation descendant of Mike and Phoebe, answered the call to research his family’s genealogy. He was entrusted with a wealth of oral history from his grandfather, James, who was the fourth child of Mike and Phoebe. This familial legacy fueled his ambition after receiving an education at Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. With a mission to empower his community, Edwards returned to Snow Hill, Wilcox County, Alabama, and founded the Snow Hill Normal and Industrial Institute(SHNII), a school that would grow to rival Tuskegee Institute in reputation and impact. Dedicated to preserving and uniting his family’s heritage, Edwards also encouraged relatives to join SHNII, fostering a network of connection and pride that stretched beyond his immediate family. [3]

Research Challenges

However, some research challenges were faced with Snow Hill Normal and Industrial Institute being closed due to integration in the 70’s. Additionally, post-slavery, and in some instances before slavery ended, many members of this family went north. Some went by way of the underground railroad. Later, others left in search of jobs in newly formed industries. With family members going on to start their own lives, there was very little effort put in place to identify them and/or to trace their ultimate destinations. [4]

Losing track of family members is reminiscing of chattel slavery.  A brutal institution, extracting labor and resources from millions of enslaved African Americans throughout the fabric of this country’s existence, but also stripped many families of their histories due to separations of families.

To help bridge gaps in their family history, the grandchildren of William James Edwards took an early lead in furthering the research about their family’s roots. The Family Reunion for the Descendants of Mike and Phoebe (DOMAPs) began in the early 1990s, gradually uncovering more family connections and stories. This journey of discovery was further supported by Donald Stone, another grandchild of William James Edwards, whose book, Fallen Prince: William James Edwards, Black education, and the quest for Afro-American nationality, retold Edwards’s story, included research on the possible origins of Mike and Phoebe’s parents, and preserved Edwards’s original appendix from Twenty-Five Years in the Black Belt (digital version online, available to download).

Significant family accomplishments followed among Mike and Phoebe’s descendants. These successes included forming a musical group by their grandchildren called ‘Descendants of Mike and Phoebe.’ The group toured across the United States, performing at many historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

They attracted more family members to reunions through their performances. The music group ultimately elevated the family’s recognition within the community, adding motivation to continue researching and honoring their shared heritage.

Where will your genealogy research journey take you?

[1] Allen, C. (2023, February 23). Family history knowledge helps American adolescents develop healthy sense of identity. News. https://news.byu.edu/intellect/family-history-knowledge-helps-american-adolescents-develop-healthy-sense-of-identity 

[2] Abdul-Fattah, H. (2020, April 20). How griots tell legendary epics through stories and songs in West Africa. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/sahel-sunjata-stories-songs  

[3] History from Descendants of Mike and Phoebe

[4] Ibid.