Louisiana Lineage Legacies Foreword

Welcome to Louisiana Lineage Legacies! A wise man once said, "You will never know where you are going until you know where you came from." With that in mind, I set out on a mission 15 years ago to trace my ancestral history. My desire to do so was primarily prompted by the sudden and frequent passing of loved ones that I held precious and dear. Aside from the initial onset of grief, something else weighed heavily on my mind. Would my children and grandchildren after me know the legacy and the contributions that these now deceased loved ones made to this family? Deep in my mind, I knew the answer was, no. After all, besides my maternal line, I did not really know all my own ancestors beyond my great-grandparents. The realization set in that in most cases, we die and are buried and 100 years later even your own descendants never even know we existed. That was very troubling to me.

Since that time, I have traced my ancestors on both my maternal and paternal sides back to slavery and filled in many of the gaps that previously existed. In the process, I have learned that I, like many of you, descended from a long line of great men and women who contributed much to their families, communities and countries despite the social circumstances that might have existed when they walked the earth.

Though my search is ongoing, I feel blessed and fulfilled in having "reunited" with many of my ancestors from the past.

It is my current desire to share my 15 year genealogical journey with others and to exchange information to hopefully aid and enable others to connect with their long-lost ancestors as well.

And so our collaborative genealogical journey begins!