Inaugural Post

Today is my great grandfather's 97th birthday. He died almost 20 years ago and since then I've learned a lot about my lineage, more than I ever would've expected and more than he possibly knew himself. 

My journey into genealogy has been, officially, only three years long. That's at least when I began engaging in formal research. But my interest in my family history, Black history, preservation, research and collecting has been lifelong. My roots sprawl across the Tidewater region, the DMV, Lowcountry and Upcountry South Carolina, Southern Georgia, Florida and the islands of Cape Verde. I hope to be able to use this platform to document that process and all of the stories and research I've been able to compile.  

This first post will be brief but before I end it, something serendipitous happened today. As mentioned before, today is my great grandfather's birthday. He was born in the small town of Hertford, North Carolina and spent most of his life living in Virginia Beach. As I headed out of my apartment to go about my day, I encountered two cardinals, a male and female, flying around me in front of a church around the corner. In my family, cardinals are associated with my great grandparents because of their status as the state bird of Virginia. I don't usually see cardinals where I live, so I take it as my great grandparents watching over me on a special day. 

Polaroid of my great grandfather, Thomas Louis Rouse (1928-2005), ca. 1980s

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