A Family Tells their Story of Challenge and Resilience from Slavery to the Present. "...and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves." (Genesis 28:14)My ancestors, born into slavery, suffered one of the most horrific cruelties against humanity ever recorded. Their determination to survive and to succeed, despite the atrocities inflicted against them, has deeply inspired my life's journey. To cope with their suffering, they sustained a deep and abiding faith in a God who could deliver them in this world and prepare them for the next. They endured their plight but never gave up the struggle or the hope for liberation and freedom.Throughout my life, I have been deeply committed to the search for our family's history, identity, and legacy. This commitment has grown out of the tremendous respect and love for my ancestors who gave so much to the fabric of their New World. Once freed, they became outstanding citizens and gave extraordinary service in many areas of American life.Today, their stories of enslavement are no longer untold struggles of a determined people. Their stories have evolved to include the successes and accomplishments of generations of outstanding descendants in a land that once enslaved them. It is with pride that I offer this book to tell their stories and to offer our gratitude because it is upon their shoulders that we now stand.