Back to Family Story outcomes, S22
by Kristian Williamson
Identity.
From a young age, my family gave me a sense of identity. From the stories we would tell, to the reunions we would attend with the descendants of my 2GGrandparents. Their experiences shaped my world view. I learned a lot about American history, especially African American history, through conversations with my mom after school. I would listen to those stories, and they would resonate with me. However, I felt like there was something inhibiting my understanding. My ancestral origins are still a mystery to me. There were some phenotypic indicators, including some of my patches of straight hair. My mother told me we originated from Sierra Leone, and I believe her, but even so, I wanted to know even more about my own family story. How did my ancestors survive the evil of slavery? What patterns of migration brought us to where we are? In pursuit of these answers, I came across a surprise that answered those questions in a way that I did not expect. My father’s line provided me with an Acadian (Canadian) connection.
My 4GGrandfather
I did not know much about my father’s line before embarking on my genealogical journey. However, I did notice that my paternal grandfather (Henry Williamson, 1935 – 2009) was exceptionally pale. Now, it is common for African Americans to have white ancestors, such is the evil nature of slavery. As I performed more genealogical research, I came across Nathaniel DeShong (1790 – 1871), my 4GGrandfather. This confirmed my hypothesis, as it provided DNA evidence that my tree was more complicated than I initially thought. Through further research, I found out that the DeShong line took me up north to Canada. Working in tandem with my professor, I was able to identify Augustine Deschamps, my 6GGrandfather. My ancestors from this line were originally from Nova Scotia, having immigrated there from France generations ago. They got expelled by the British in 1755 during the Seven Years War, and Lewis Deschamps, my 5GGrandfather and father of Nathaniel (a generation later) ended up in the Carolinas. Nathaniel was the first “Deshong” in that sense, as he was born in North Carolina after they had resettled and phoneticized their surname.
However, there is another part of this story. The DeShongs were slaveholders. Nathaniel DeShong in particular engaged in one of the greatest injustices imaginable, which led to the birth of my 3GGrandfather, George Hunt (1830 – 1908). This has been indicated via Thrulines, as I have the same DNA matches leading back to both men. This part of my research nearly broke me. I did not want to believe that anyone in my family, regardless of skin color or era, could do such a thing. But that is the power of genealogical research. We have no idea what we will find after we begin to turn stones. Even so, I now have a better understanding of who I am and where I come from.
Researching this relatively unknown part of my family helped me to improve my genealogical skills and answer questions that had been burning in my mind ever since I was young. The story of my deep ancestry provides an extra layer of complexity in my heritage, but it did not change my identity. I still identify as Black, and this process of unearthing a part of my family’s story has helped me to resolve those questions that had been burning in my mind since I was a young boy.
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