back to Family Stories, Fall 2021

by Aleisha Hopkins

Hopkins- Curry Family Story Blog Post

In Genealogy this semester I’ve been able to trace my lineage back as far as my fourth great grandparents, Stephen and Morgan Curry, through my maternal great grandfather’s, Alva Ezekiel Sr., line. I got back to my third great grandmother, Mary Davis, through my maternal great grandmother’s, Jewell Tillman, line. And, with my paternal lines, I was able to get back to my great grandparents, Antley and Nora Hopkins. Throughout my research I discovered some interesting facts about my ancestors. 

Both groups of my ancestors all stayed generally in the same areas where the line originates. My father’s line is from Camden, South Carolina. Both of my great grandparents were born there and they stayed to raise their children in the same area. My grandmother, although she did meet my grandfather in South Carolina, moved my family to the DC Metropolitan area and my aunts, uncles, and the rest of my paternal family have decided to stay. 

My maternal ancestors are from Waco, McClennan, Texas and its surrounding areas. Going all the way back to my fourth great grandfather, the Curry’s, after moving from Alabama/Missouri where they were most likely enslaved, settled in the city of Waco and have been there ever since. Other than my Great Grandfather, Alva Ezekiel Sr. who moved to California after marrying his second wife, my grandmother Evelyn Curry is the only child to move out of Texas. She moved to Washington, DC when she was only 17 years old and has been there ever since. 

Genetically the most “pure” Native American in my family, that I know of right now, is my maternal third great grandmother, Mary Davis. My maternal lineage is descended from the Sioux tribe. However, the customs and traditions of the tribes were never passed down through the generations. During the 1800s in Waco, Texas the Native American tribes were fighting against conquest and invasion by European settlers. Based on this knowledge I can conclude that it is likely that my ancestors never retained the customs and traditions of their tribe simply due to forced assimilation and erasure by European settlers. The same thing likely happened in my paternal lineage through slavery.

Throughout this process I was able to find a variety of documents and records that helped me establish and confirm my relationships. I found a lot of draft cards, my great-uncle Homer Tillman Jr. actually served in World War II. I found a lot of census records that had old terminology for race and even had questions about a person’s ability to read and write. I also found birth and death certificates, as well as marriage licenses. 

Overall this was a fascinating experience. I learned a lot about my family that I didn’t know before and got to expand on my prior knowledge. Examining these documents helped me answer some of the questions that either myself or my relatives had at the beginning of this project, such as the cause of death for my paternal grandfather, Sylviao Hopkins. Moving forward, I might explore my lineage further. I actually had a DNA match reach out to me after I submitted my report. This person has a lot of people in their tree so I am excited to see what comes of it.