🎥Ancestry’s Nicka Sewell-Smith & Lisa Elzey will be watching along live, sharing behind the scenes details and answering audience questions throughout this premiere! Show them some love in the comments.
I am not sure why I am having chills. But this is a spiritual experience. The power of blood lines, the power of family and ultimately love. My mother says, truth can never be hidden under the sun. One man’s desire to bring his family together, could not be hidden under the sun. It took generations but it was accomplished!
Thank You!! This is so spiritual....I feel the ancestors hovering... emotions overflowing; awesome delivery , Nicka Sewell-Smith, looking forward to more related content ❤🍃🌻
2😂🎉🎉🎉GOOD MORNING, all of you God's children!! PRAISE GOD for another day that He has kept us!! Psalm 5:11-12 reads:But let all those who rejoice put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor you will surround them as with a shield." Ain't that GOOD NEWS?!!!! May your day be blessed!! Much love!!♥️ 😘 🙌🏾 🙏🏿 @BlueRaven990
Young Hawkins made sure to store important names and memories as if he KNEW that one day it would bring his family together, and it did! This is a beautiful story.
This soo amazing to know that im related to Hawkins Wilson & to watch my aunt & cousin get interviewed and tell our family history is soooo amazing to me im soooo lost for words
I couldn't help thinking the same thing she was saying in the end, that the prayer he put out in the world was answered 150 years later. That little boy was spiritually led back to his family by his own children.
While watching celebrities find their roots is fascinating, stories like these really bring to life how slavery was not only horrific, but there is an entire segment of families whose stories that have disappeared.
Queen Latifah's story IS the story of my family and it is how I found out that Dana Owens is my 4th cousin. And it confirmed the stories on my father's side of my family tree, that they were free blacks in VA.
What an amazing person Hawkins Wilson was. His mind, his memory, his faith. It’s a testament to the effectiveness of his faith that this story can be told. I wish there had been a picture of him, I’d love to see this beautiful person!
I have made it my mission to search every day for a picture of him. I know it's out there. Thank you for watching and embracing those emotions with us! ❤
Very interesting 😎 😅now I wanna go work on my Ancestry acct again 😞 I've put it on the back burner so to speak... I never ever ever heard about FREEMAN Bureau. ❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤
Here on the island of Kauai in Hawaii born and raised Japanese American woman crying my eyes out. I love and admire all of Hawkins Wilson from childhood to adulthood!! His feeling and words touched not only his descendants, but a total stranger (me)! I felt the same the younger generation… I want to hear more… I want his story to be heard!!! I will be so honest the people I have always admired the most are the people who had to live through slavery and their descendants!! The most strongest human beings I have ever known! I sorry I hope I’m not overstepping the boundaries, but wanted to say my heartfelt feelings! I hope there’s a reunion because thst would definitely make Hawkins’ day!!!🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍🙏🏼
I'm bawling like a baby, so glad you have found each other and the love that Hawkins Wilson shared with us all, yes even with me a white lady in California feels his love today. Please tell more!!! I want more. My Dad had a dairy, one of his favorite milkers was Herman Taylor, a black man from Mississippi. Herman was like family, Dad took care of him, provideing a home for him to live out his days as he grew old. Blessing everyone, is what Hawkins has done today. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.
Breaks my heart and yes I'm crying. The thought that his letter is now in the hands of his family and they both are now connected. The words he wrote are so powerful. A six year old boy, and he remembered his family and kept them with him his whole life. I can't even imagine human beings so cruel, so money hungry, that they enslaved humans for their own benefit. The power of those letters will, and has moved mountains. The power of the written word. Just think about that.
I bet the sister that made the biscuits and prepared him for what was to come gave him this information so he could find her one day (as was his mission in life). I can see them now huddled together as she taught him the information over and over verbally until he could repeat it perfectly back to her and then one day in his letters.
I'm 66 years old and was born in Ohio. My maternal family traces back to the 1700's in this country, that side of the family moved away from the south to Ohio, because as Quakers they were not in agreement with slavery. My paternal side, I'm just a few generations from ancestors who came from Europe. When we were in school, through history classes, we learned the story of African American slavery in this county.... To hear Mr Wilson's words from his letter how he named his family members and shared who they "BELONGED" to, that really struck a chord in my heart. Thank you Dr Gates and your team for reuniting this family and for also bringing history to LIFE with the Finding Your Roots show. !!! 💗
Of ALL the episodes I’ve watched, this one has me in (happy) tears! Just like Kelly said, her ancestor wrote a letter about 150 years ago that was NEVER delivered until now… it makes a person think that their forefather KNEW how difficult it would be to receive this letter and how important this letter was going to be; that it would become a verbal MAP to at least direct his family to where they needed to go to find him and/or his descendants!! That letter never made it to his sister, but his descendants found it, then they went and found HER descendants. Kinda bringing everyone in a full circle… I’m sure Mr Wilson is VERY happy now that his family members are hunting and searching for each other.
When those ladies stood face-to-face, I saw in my mind Hawkins looking down and smiling, saying they finally made it. Here is my family together. At last, I truly visualized his huge smile❤
Thank you Hawkins for your powerful, heart-felt intentions to have your family reunited. This is a fantastic triumph and speaks to the power of Spirit.
I really enjoyed reading about Hawkins Wilson and his effort to locate his family. The fact that he knew to go to the Freedmans Bureau was brilliant. I am so happy that his efforts paid off, introducing family members they didn't know they had. I'm close to 80 years old, and have been labeled our family historian. I started digging into our history 47 years ago and have connected family members who were adopted, to their biological families. I haven't been able to find one 3 times great grandfather, but I won't give up. Thank you Dr. Gates for the Finding Your Roots program, it's so encouraging, and I watch it all the time. Melrose Cross.
Hawkins Wilson’s letters are so beautifully written and full of life. Hawkins Wilson is in heaven with his family, reuniting their descendants. Bless their souls ❤🙏🏾
This story moved me so much! I was floored by how much the cousins looked alike! I’m an artist so I am drawn to faces and features. My ancestors are Cherokee. And even tho they tell us we’re not We are Cherokee! My Great Grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. My Grandmother told us we were, and spoke to me in Cherokee when she lived . My Father and uncles and cousins told me stories. With The Trail of Tears the government tried to wipe us off the face of the earth. The stories were passed down. We will not forget!🥰
Beautiful story of agency and resilience and the power of oral history! The letters he left were a roadmap for his descendants who were in spiritual contact with him. I Would love to be able to get as far as his descendants got to get full circle! I am from the Dutch Caribbean, and the Dutch archives have very little records from the perspective of the enslaved people. But I do not give up, I will keep on searching.❤ Thank you for this wonderful documentary👌🏿🇨🇼🌺
Are you from the Dutch Islands or from Suriname? My family is from Guyana (formerly British Guiana) and we have Dutch in our heritage. Documenting the enslaved is tricky but you may be able to trace back right to when your family was freed. One thing you could check is ships logs as your family may have travelled from island to island. Good luck in your search.
@@KristineMaitland Both😊 I was born in Aruba 🇦🇼 out of Surinamese parents. Both have passed now🕯️. But when I was seven years old my parents divorced and my Mom left for Curaçao 🇨🇼 were I finished school and went to the Netherlands 🇳🇱 for further study 📚. So I speak Papiamentu, Sranang Tongo and Dutch, next to English and Spanish.
@@KristineMaitland you are right, I found my ancestors in the slave registers, registered as plantation workers on the sugar plantations. Some moved with the slave owners from Curaçao to Surinam. In the ship manifests the slave owners and their family were mentioned by name, but the enslaved of African descent were referred to as ‘equipage’ or as servants, and were not mentioned by name. They were baptized by Moravian missionaries ) German from Herrnhut Germany 🇩🇪)who did stimulate the children to learn how to read and write, so I hope to find something written in the Moravian archive.
I can’t stop crying because my heart breaks with so much pain and yet I rejoice because they found each other. I’ve found close family cousins and we didn’t know each other existed because of a sir name change after the civil war.
Oh how many times I dried my face. What eloquent letters he wrote and you really got a sense of his personality and character. He is someone I could sit and listen to him all day. Congratulations on finding such an amazing man in your family. P S I’d love to hear more about his journey.
Wow! Through cries, I rejoice in this family's reunion. May you showcase more stories. Our ancestors deserve to be remembered, their lives celebrated, their names spoken and the American history revealed. Thank you for an excellent presentation.
This brought me to tears because for 4 years now I've been trying to know all of my family's history from the Askins to the Dumas family 😢 what a beautiful story. Amen 🙏🏿
Beautiful story, well-told. I was in tears too. I found a closely related cousin on Ancestry and visited him in Dallas. It was unbelievable and the connected love was instant. We are family! His story is more complicated but we are determined to find out how we are first cousins. Our DNA match is higher than cousins that I've known all of their lives. It is difficult to express how it feels to someone who has not found someone that looks and acts like them because of DNA in this world. I certainly get that Mr. Wilson needed to search for the missing pieces of his life. It is crucial to understanding who we are. His memory of the "biscuits" his sister made for him was loaded with love. It broke my heart hearing his words of gratitude. Thank you Dr. Gates and Ms. Harper.
Listen I have cried some tears today! All of them filled with a different emotion from sadness, anger, rage, and finally joy! So glad this family was able to put the family back together. ❤️
Slavery disgusts me and how it tore families apart leaves a mark forever. My heart breaks for Hawkins and his family and how slavery kept them apart. However, It never stole his spirit which was lovely to know. These letters had such care and love wrapped in them and they were so reaching. His dream of contact with his family lives with these wonderful women. How very lucky they are to have such an intelligent and caring man as Hawkins Wilson as family.
I am 78 years old and I want to pass down to my great granddaughter her legacy, not hide it or not talk about it . I want them to live in our lives with joy and self worth of their legacy.
I am not crying .........this documentary is the epitome of what it means to be human and that every single one of us , it doesn't matter what colour we are, belong to the same human race.. There should be a a Hawkins Wilson Day .
When God keeps you, you cannot be broken. Thanks for the effort that Dr. Gates and the team put forward in reuniting this family. I am proud of Mr. Hawkins Wilson for the faith and hope he held on to.
i remember once i was watching antiques road show and a lady brought a huge book filled with the names of slaves and their “owners” names. The appraiser said it had no value. Maybe y’all can look for it? It has so much value to all of the related and to society as a whole.
The soul ties that bring us together is so profound!! He was a child of the Most High God and that gave him determination every step of the way! This was so heartfelt for me. I found members of my Mother’s family in 2019! They said “we were the missing branch of the tree”! ❤
This is so beautiful. So incredibly moving. It's a time period full of people - real people - and yet we have such a hard time talking about it because of the horrid ways those people were treated. Thank you for creating such a wonderful program and giving voice to such a wonderous story.
What an amazing story. Hawkins Wilson was a strong young man who never forgot his family. One of the greatest stories I have heard touched my heart. I have done genealogy for 35 years and this was a great find. A story that needs to be told.
This is so beautiful and incredibly sad. So many children of that time were separated from their families never to cross paths again--this family was able to come together 😢❤
This has me in tears. I don't know why the descendants of slaves aren't constantly enraged by what their ancestors endured. Maybe if you felt the full horror of it, it would cripple you.
We are. And we are told to get over it. We're told it didn't happen to us, as if we are not entitled to anger over what was done to our families. We still suffer today left and right with the impact of the dehumanization of black people all those years ago. Even today, black Americans in America have to deal with medical professionals assuming that we feel less pain than other races. Think of the implications of that. And that stems from being looked at as chattel, as property, as things and not people. And as much as we want that to just go away, it doesn't.
How dare you assume we are not enraged! Everyday we often wonder what country our ancestors came from before being enslaved. We heard stories from adults talking what so many endured before us. My aunt is 94 she wants to know what happened to her grandfather, my great grandfather. We have learned to hide the pain and move forward. As a black woman I constantly fight the stereotype of the “angry black woman” I’m like any other person I have moments of joy. No one can live everyday in anger. It’s not healthy and it doesn’t help anyone. Our ancestors wanted so much for their descendants to prosper. I honor their sacrifice by being the best I can be.
It is a real awakening knowing your ancestors were listed with the horses and buggies as a belonging! Anger doesn’t help! Making sure it never happens again. I’m mixed blood and it still makes me sad! I love how the lady gave Hawkins credit of them standing on his shoulders. I know he would be happy!
Incredible for a young man to remember, to create a family record at a time when others couldn't, blows my mind. God bless Hawkins Wilson's descendants forever!
This is amazing and encouraging as I am on my journey. Listening to his letter gives me hope to carry on. May their family history information continue to be discovered by them.
Mr Wilson's letter to his sister was so very beautiful! Much love to all his family, living and deceased. Thank you to Proffeser Gates for bringing this story to life!!
This is beautiful. I hope you can connect more of this family. It's so sad that the letter got misdirected, but amazing that the connections were made by a 6-year-old who was sent so far away.
Wow. This is Powerful. Thank you for sharing this history so that Hawkins Wilson can be seen and heard with compassion and humanity. Tears of joy, heartache, hope and heartbreak flowed throughout watching this. The mention of Hawkin's sister making biscuits was especially felt personally as my grandmother would get up early every sunday morning to make pans of homemade biscuits for family to have before and after church. I'm glad Hawkins letter finally reached his family and served its purpose.
Love Henry Louis Gates he puts together so interesting shows (the ones I’ve seen anyway).. I’m the genealogist in my family. I’m the eldest of 3 siblings and I guess after I go, I assume nothing is going to matter as I never married never had children and my sister and her husband don’t have kids and well it’s just my brother and he as a daughter so maybe. All of my elders are gone now except for one auntie nearing 90 and she lives in the United States. We’re Canadian so we don’t see each other. Last I saw her was maybe 10 years ago. I made a special trip down to Houston Tx. So they don’t live anywhere near the Canadian border. Love to see her again but she is up in years and I’m full of arthritis and waiting on joints. I grabbed the box of tissues as this started as l’m just too sentimental, even if it isn’t my family or my story or my pictures it can bring a tear.
I just can’t imagine going through what the 7 year old Hawkins experienced. 💔 The fact that he remembered all those details is amazing itself. I got chills throughout this video. Super special, thanks! ✌️❤️
And not only did he make it possible to connect his direct line relatives but soooo many more folks who may only have a first name and now it is possible through dna to start putting all of those families back together. Amazing!! I always tell my 5 adult children, one person CAN and often does, make a real difference in this world!
Thank you! This brought me to tears. I can so relate. I am so into learning my family. With all my research, as I learn another level, I feel more complete. I wish I had asked more questions growing up; I was just enjoying myself being around my extended family. I did not have grandmothers in my life, but paternal great aunts served well instead. I know little of my mom's family, from GA and more about my dad's family from NC. I had a great head start, but some of my family members are "elusive" at best. I spoke with a cousin and learned his wife had transitioned during the pandemic. I was sharing info with him about the family when I told him our great grandmother's last name was "Deans." He repeated her name and stated, "My wife's name was Deans." To which I responded, "Hmm! You were probably married to your cousin all those years." I encourage all folks to do their best in starting a family tree even if it is just for the younger set. I have a grandniece who is very interested in family, and she just turned 7 this year!! I wish I had the resources to trace all these folks I've met. I've found five great grandmothers!! I am so thrilled but it takes a lot of work. Thank God for Ancestry! I was working on my tree way before I joined Ancestry as I've always been interested in family. At 78, I need to get someone else interested so they can at least help and have knowledge. Both parents migrated from NC to DC in the 1930s as youth. My dad's maternal family started a family reunion in NC in 1957 (I was right there in the midst of it) to honor the 10 surviving children of their eldest sister (my grandmother). We attended, making the trek from DC to NC every year; however, after my parents' transitions in 1986 and 2008, and my myriad health issues, I have not attended in years. It is my hope to create each of my parents' stories, with family members attached and present them to my current family here in DC, and encourage them to have a family reunion of some sort. It doesn't have to be fancy nor expensive, but just do it. I've met several "new" relatives since I had my Ancestry DNA done. I was happy I had some knowledge of family as two of them were great granddaughters of two of my mother's maternal aunts. One guy was the great grandson of my paternal great grandfather and his second wife. That second wife, on my Ancestry family tree has caused a problem as he had two wives and two sets of children, and somehow they have become "blurred" while working on my tree... I know the difference. Thanks for reading if you've read this far. I've been online doing something since 1996 when I bought my first computer. Today, it is renewable energy, genealogy and crowdfunding. There's so much more I could have covered here about the pain of slavery, and being a part of a marginalized group but I'll save that for my book. Keep smiling!! Did I say I love Henry Louis Gates, and what he does!? Thank God for him and his work!! Fascinating and meaningful!! Best TV program ever!!
One of the most beautiful stories I havevever heard. So sad the letter never reached the correct place. They are truley fortunite to get it at this time.
When I did my Ancestry DNA i was shocked 3 types on indigenous native. Our journeys take us in many directions. It is like opening a history book and seeing it slowly print itself. I am Scandinavian from both Mother and Father. Norway & Sweden. Since doing this I have found relatives previously unknown. Spoke to a cousin in the Philippine's he looks just like my older brother. it is a joy to open the doors of dna unknown to generations. I know my Mothers people were scattered from Alabama & Georgia & Tennessee. My Older Children have a line which extends all the way to New Zealand. Hawkins letter brought tears at the sincerity and love. btw love the show. Please whom ever was responsible for the show please start it up again. BTW my Grandmother was a survivor of the 1906 fire and Earthquake. in San Francisco California. I can not grasp how one person is considered as property . The anger and sadness of a tragedy which have never existed. Yet Native Indigenous persons were lesser in value and traded sold and more. Bless their souls
Biscuit crumbs totally feel your heart. I have a biscuit crumb too through Ancestry I found Michal my 11th great-grandmother she was African and lived Parish St Sulpice, Faubourg, Paris, France married to Rollain Barbery or Barbary. The way I found out was their daughter Francoise had a marriage contract annulled with Etienne Pasquier. Ever since I found Michal I wonder about her life. Was she happy, where did she come from, was she a slave? So many unanswered questions. Michal Mingray would have been born about 1630. At the time of Francoise marriage shows both of her parents are still alive.
🎥Ancestry’s Nicka Sewell-Smith & Lisa Elzey will be watching along live, sharing behind the scenes details and answering audience questions throughout this premiere! Show them some love in the comments.
❤Thank you. ❤
I love Nicka Smiths content she is very informative. She knows research in the south well 👏🏽❤️‼️
I am not sure why I am having chills. But this is a spiritual experience. The power of blood lines, the power of family and ultimately love.
My mother says, truth can never be hidden under the sun. One man’s desire to bring his family together, could not be hidden under the sun. It took generations but it was accomplished!
Thank You!! This is so spiritual....I feel the ancestors hovering... emotions overflowing; awesome delivery , Nicka Sewell-Smith, looking forward to more related content ❤🍃🌻
2😂🎉🎉🎉GOOD MORNING, all of you God's children!! PRAISE GOD for another day that He has kept us!! Psalm 5:11-12 reads:But let all those who rejoice put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor you will surround them as with a shield." Ain't that GOOD NEWS?!!!! May your day be blessed!! Much love!!♥️ 😘 🙌🏾 🙏🏿 @BlueRaven990
Young Hawkins made sure to store important names and memories as if he KNEW that one day it would bring his family together, and it did! This is a beautiful story.
Maybe the LORD told Hawkins that his family would be reunited…
Hawkins Wilson's letter reached forward through time and did what he was unable to do in his lifetime; bring his family together. Beautiful.
This soo amazing to know that im related to Hawkins Wilson & to watch my aunt & cousin get interviewed and tell our family history is soooo amazing to me im soooo lost for words
Tears are falling. The letter is finally delivered and family gather together due to the biscuit crumbs left along the way.
I couldn't help thinking the same thing she was saying in the end, that the prayer he put out in the world was answered 150 years later. That little boy was spiritually led back to his family by his own children.
All because of a child's memory. Unreal. Hawkins Wilson, you were a strong man. I want to know more about Hawkins.
While watching celebrities find their roots is fascinating, stories like these really bring to life how slavery was not only horrific, but there is an entire segment of families whose stories that have disappeared.
Thank goodness for technology which reunites families. Just imagine how this tech could be used another 100 years from now!
@@NnekaLocs, only for good, I hope, like this story.
Queen Latifah's story IS the story of my family and it is how I found out that Dana Owens is my 4th cousin. And it confirmed the stories on my father's side of my family tree, that they were free blacks in VA.
The letters STILL got delivered!!! This was powerful reminder that the spirit will never stop until it is fulfilled!!! Simply amazing!
What an amazing person Hawkins Wilson was. His mind, his memory, his faith. It’s a testament to the effectiveness of his faith that this story can be told. I wish there had been a picture of him, I’d love to see this beautiful person!
I have made it my mission to search every day for a picture of him. I know it's out there. Thank you for watching and embracing those emotions with us! ❤
He had hope. Endless hope.
Very interesting 😎
😅now I wanna go work on my Ancestry acct again 😞 I've put it on the back burner so to speak... I never ever ever heard about FREEMAN Bureau.
❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤
@br.claudelane
Maybe his picture is of these ladies…. His seems to be the picture of an intelligent loving and articulate human being.
This story is one of millions. Thank you for sharing because it is the story of many.
💯💯💯
Here on the island of Kauai in Hawaii born and raised Japanese American woman crying my eyes out. I love and admire all of Hawkins Wilson from childhood to adulthood!! His feeling and words touched not only his descendants, but a total stranger (me)! I felt the same the younger generation… I want to hear more… I want his story to be heard!!! I will be so honest the people I have always admired the most are the people who had to live through slavery and their descendants!! The most strongest human beings I have ever known! I sorry I hope I’m not overstepping the boundaries, but wanted to say my heartfelt feelings! I hope there’s a reunion because thst would definitely make Hawkins’ day!!!🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍🙏🏼
Your Story Is Our STORY !
Hawkins Wilson is Home and ALIVE... Eternally !
I can't stop crying....such a moving tribute to Hawkins Wilson.
What a touching story. My heart aches for that little boy.
I'm bawling like a baby, so glad you have found each other and the love that Hawkins Wilson shared with us all, yes even with me a white lady in California feels his love today. Please tell more!!! I want more. My Dad had a dairy, one of his favorite milkers was Herman Taylor, a black man from Mississippi. Herman was like family, Dad took care of him, provideing a home for him to live out his days as he grew old. Blessing everyone, is what Hawkins has done today. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.
And he remembered so many names and with such accuracy at 6 yrs. old!
Breaks my heart and yes I'm crying. The thought that his letter is now in the hands of his family and they both are now connected. The words he wrote are so powerful. A six year old boy, and he remembered his family and kept them with him his whole life. I can't even imagine human beings so cruel, so money hungry, that they enslaved humans for their own benefit. The power of those letters will, and has moved mountains. The power of the written word. Just think about that.
I bet the sister that made the biscuits and prepared him for what was to come gave him this information so he could find her one day (as was his mission in life). I can see them now huddled together as she taught him the information over and over verbally until he could repeat it perfectly back to her and then one day in his letters.
I'm 66 years old and was born in Ohio. My maternal family traces back to the 1700's in this country, that side of the family moved away from the south to Ohio, because as Quakers they were not in agreement with slavery. My paternal side, I'm just a few generations from ancestors who came from Europe. When we were in school, through history classes, we learned the story of African American slavery in this county....
To hear Mr Wilson's words from his letter how he named his family members and shared who they "BELONGED" to, that really struck
a chord in my heart. Thank you Dr Gates and your team for reuniting this family and for also bringing history to LIFE with the
Finding Your Roots show. !!! 💗
Of ALL the episodes I’ve watched, this one has me in (happy) tears! Just like Kelly said, her ancestor wrote a letter about 150 years ago that was NEVER delivered until now… it makes a person think that their forefather KNEW how difficult it would be to receive this letter and how important this letter was going to be; that it would become a verbal MAP to at least direct his family to where they needed to go to find him and/or his descendants!! That letter never made it to his sister, but his descendants found it, then they went and found HER descendants. Kinda bringing everyone in a full circle… I’m sure Mr Wilson is VERY happy now that his family members are hunting and searching for each other.
When those ladies stood face-to-face, I saw in my mind Hawkins looking down and smiling, saying they finally made it. Here is my family together. At last, I truly visualized his huge smile❤
What a beautiful story. I’m so glad you shared this with us.
Thank you Hawkins for your powerful, heart-felt intentions to have your family reunited. This is a fantastic triumph and speaks to the power of Spirit.
This made me cry.
Me too 😢
So did I. What a beautiful story about family.
Wish I hadn't decided to watch this at work. Bawling. This is so beautiful!
That hug ment so much❤
Crying through the whole show. I am over whelmed at the strength and courage shown in this show and all families of slaves' .God bless them all!
I really enjoyed reading about Hawkins Wilson and his effort to locate his family. The fact that he knew to go to the Freedmans Bureau was brilliant. I am so happy that his efforts paid off, introducing family members they didn't know they had. I'm close to 80 years old, and have been labeled our family historian. I started digging into our history 47 years ago and have connected family members who were adopted, to their biological families. I haven't been able to find one 3 times great grandfather, but I won't give up. Thank you Dr. Gates for the Finding Your Roots program, it's so encouraging, and I watch it all the time. Melrose Cross.
Thanks for letting us be with you and starting your voyage
Hawkins Wilson’s letters are so beautifully written and full of life. Hawkins Wilson is in heaven with his family, reuniting their descendants. Bless their souls ❤🙏🏾
This story moved me so much! I was floored by how much the cousins looked alike! I’m an artist so I am drawn to faces and features. My ancestors are Cherokee. And even tho they tell us we’re not We are Cherokee! My Great Grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. My Grandmother told us we were, and spoke to me in Cherokee when she lived . My Father and uncles and cousins told me stories. With The Trail of Tears the government tried to wipe us off the face of the earth. The stories were passed down. We will not forget!🥰
I am in tears! How eloquent was Hawkins! What a miracle that the letters were preserved, and they finally reached family! What a moving story. ❤
So sad, haunting, beautiful, hopeful What a fine man he was
Beautiful story of agency and resilience and the power of oral history! The letters he left were a roadmap for his descendants who were in spiritual contact with him. I Would love to be able to get as far as his descendants got to get full circle! I am from the Dutch Caribbean, and the Dutch archives have very little records from the perspective of the enslaved people. But I do not give up, I will keep on searching.❤ Thank you for this wonderful documentary👌🏿🇨🇼🌺
Are you from the Dutch Islands or from Suriname? My family is from Guyana (formerly British Guiana) and we have Dutch in our heritage. Documenting the enslaved is tricky but you may be able to trace back right to when your family was freed.
One thing you could check is ships logs as your family may have travelled from island to island. Good luck in your search.
@@KristineMaitland Both😊 I was born in Aruba 🇦🇼 out of Surinamese parents. Both have passed now🕯️. But when I was seven years old my parents divorced and my Mom left for Curaçao 🇨🇼 were I finished school and went to the Netherlands 🇳🇱 for further study 📚. So I speak Papiamentu, Sranang Tongo and Dutch, next to English and Spanish.
@@KristineMaitland you are right, I found my ancestors in the slave registers, registered as plantation workers on the sugar plantations. Some moved with the slave owners from Curaçao to Surinam. In the ship manifests the slave owners and their family were mentioned by name, but the enslaved of African descent were referred to as ‘equipage’ or as servants, and were not mentioned by name. They were baptized by Moravian missionaries ) German from Herrnhut Germany 🇩🇪)who did stimulate the children to learn how to read and write, so I hope to find something written in the Moravian archive.
Beautiful. His purpose was to bring his family together, and he succeeded. Gives me hope.
This is so powerful. Thank you!
He knew they'd meet in Heaven if they didn't meet again on Earth. Simply beautiful!
my goodness.. the hug made the tears flow... what a beautiful story
I can't quit crying. God blessed you all for 150 years and beyond.❤😂
I can’t stop crying because my heart breaks with so much pain and yet I rejoice because they found each other. I’ve found close family cousins and we didn’t know each other existed because of a sir name change after the civil war.
Oh how many times I dried my face. What eloquent letters he wrote and you really got a sense of his personality and character. He is someone I could sit and listen to him all day. Congratulations on finding such an amazing man in your family. P S I’d love to hear more about his journey.
Wow! Through cries, I rejoice in this family's reunion. May you showcase more stories. Our ancestors deserve to be remembered, their lives celebrated, their names spoken and the American history revealed. Thank you for an excellent presentation.
This brought me to tears because for 4 years now I've been trying to know all of my family's history from the Askins to the Dumas family 😢 what a beautiful story. Amen 🙏🏿
My family also came from Virginia and Georgia. This story is our story. Beautiful family reunion!
Beautiful story, well-told. I was in tears too. I found a closely related cousin on Ancestry and visited him in Dallas. It was unbelievable and the connected love was instant. We are family! His story is more complicated but we are determined to find out how we are first cousins. Our DNA match is higher than cousins that I've known all of their lives. It is difficult to express how it feels to someone who has not found someone that looks and acts like them because of DNA in this world. I certainly get that Mr. Wilson needed to search for the missing pieces of his life. It is crucial to understanding who we are. His memory of the "biscuits" his sister made for him was loaded with love. It broke my heart hearing his words of gratitude. Thank you Dr. Gates and Ms. Harper.
How many centimorgans of DNA do you share with this new cousin?
I live in Warren County NC..this is soooo heartfelt 2 my HEART
Listen I have cried some tears today! All of them filled with a different emotion from sadness, anger, rage, and finally joy! So glad this family was able to put the family back together. ❤️
Slavery disgusts me and how it tore families apart leaves a mark forever. My heart breaks for Hawkins and his family and how slavery kept them apart. However, It never stole his spirit which was lovely to know. These letters had such care and love wrapped in them and they were so reaching. His dream of contact with his family lives with these wonderful women. How very lucky they are to have such an intelligent and caring man as Hawkins Wilson as family.
I'm crying tears of joy for their ancestors 😭 ❤
Hawkins hopes came true, generations later❣️
Beautiful
I am 78 years old and I want to pass down to my great granddaughter her legacy, not hide it or not talk about it . I want them to live in our lives with joy and self worth of their legacy.
I held on until that hug between the cousins. This is incredible.
I am not crying .........this documentary is the epitome of what it means to be human and that every single one of us , it doesn't matter what colour we are, belong to the same human race.. There should be a a Hawkins Wilson Day .
When God keeps you, you cannot be broken. Thanks for the effort that Dr. Gates and the team put forward in reuniting this family. I am proud of Mr. Hawkins Wilson for the faith and hope he held on to.
This was so overwhelming. He knew who everyone belong to.
i remember once i was watching antiques road show and a lady brought a huge book filled with the names of slaves and their “owners” names. The appraiser said it had no value. Maybe y’all can look for it? It has so much value to all of the related and to society as a whole.
The soul ties that bring us together is so profound!! He was a child of the Most High God and that gave him determination every step of the way! This was so heartfelt for me. I found members of my Mother’s family in 2019! They said “we were the missing branch of the tree”! ❤
Look at this miracle! Beautiful 🥲 Crying tears of joy for your family!
Thank God for ancestory history speaking about the Black experience.
This is so beautiful. So incredibly moving. It's a time period full of people - real people - and yet we have such a hard time talking about it because of the horrid ways those people were treated. Thank you for creating such a wonderful program and giving voice to such a wonderous story.
What an amazing story. Hawkins Wilson was a strong young man who never forgot his family. One of the greatest stories I have heard touched my heart. I have done genealogy for 35 years and this was a great find. A story that needs to be told.
This is so beautiful and incredibly sad. So many children of that time were separated from their families never to cross paths again--this family was able to come together 😢❤
This has me in tears. I don't know why the descendants of slaves aren't constantly enraged by what their ancestors endured. Maybe if you felt the full horror of it, it would cripple you.
It's not easy.... We've learned to suppress and manage our anger and frustrations, as expected by EVERYONE except US... THE DESCENDANTS!
We are. And we are told to get over it. We're told it didn't happen to us, as if we are not entitled to anger over what was done to our families. We still suffer today left and right with the impact of the dehumanization of black people all those years ago. Even today, black Americans in America have to deal with medical professionals assuming that we feel less pain than other races. Think of the implications of that. And that stems from being looked at as chattel, as property, as things and not people. And as much as we want that to just go away, it doesn't.
It's why we're seeking our deserved reparations.
How dare you assume we are not enraged! Everyday we often wonder what country our ancestors came from before being enslaved. We heard stories from adults talking what so many endured before us. My aunt is 94 she wants to know what happened to her grandfather, my great grandfather. We have learned to hide the pain and move forward. As a black woman I constantly fight the stereotype of the “angry black woman” I’m like any other person I have moments of joy. No one can live everyday in anger. It’s not healthy and it doesn’t help anyone. Our ancestors wanted so much for their descendants to prosper. I honor their sacrifice by being the best I can be.
What beautiful letters written by Hawkins. So, so touching and eloquent.
It is a real awakening knowing your ancestors were listed with the horses and buggies as a belonging! Anger doesn’t help! Making sure it never happens again. I’m mixed blood and it still makes me sad! I love how the lady gave Hawkins credit of them standing on his shoulders. I know he would be happy!
Incredible for a young man to remember, to create a family record at a time when others couldn't, blows my mind. God bless Hawkins Wilson's descendants forever!
This is amazing and encouraging as I am on my journey. Listening to his letter gives me hope to carry on. May their family history information continue to be discovered by them.
Mr Wilson's letter to his sister was so very beautiful! Much love to all his family, living and deceased. Thank you to Proffeser Gates for bringing this story to life!!
this was so beautiful and amazing. i'm so moved by this. i hope the family keeps this going in his honor.
A 6 year old boy's dream, Manifested.
This is beautiful. I hope you can connect more of this family. It's so sad that the letter got misdirected, but amazing that the connections were made by a 6-year-old who was sent so far away.
Wow. This is Powerful. Thank you for sharing this history so that Hawkins Wilson can be seen and heard with compassion and humanity. Tears of joy, heartache, hope and heartbreak flowed throughout watching this. The mention of Hawkin's sister making biscuits was especially felt personally as my grandmother would get up early every sunday morning to make pans of homemade biscuits for family to have before and after church. I'm glad Hawkins letter finally reached his family and served its purpose.
Love Henry Louis Gates he puts together so interesting shows (the ones I’ve seen anyway).. I’m the genealogist in my family. I’m the eldest of 3 siblings and I guess after I go, I assume nothing is going to matter as I never married never had children and my sister and her husband don’t have kids and well it’s just my brother and he as a daughter so maybe. All of my elders are gone now except for one auntie nearing 90 and she lives in the United States. We’re Canadian so we don’t see each other. Last I saw her was maybe 10 years ago. I made a special trip down to Houston Tx. So they don’t live anywhere near the Canadian border. Love to see her again but she is up in years and I’m full of arthritis and waiting on joints. I grabbed the box of tissues as this started as l’m just too sentimental, even if it isn’t my family or my story or my pictures it can bring a tear.
Im ĺiterally bawling my eyes out. This is a painful and yet very beautiful story ❤😭
Hawkins Wilson was a true time traveler! Heartwarming story!
I just can’t imagine going through what the 7 year old Hawkins experienced. 💔 The fact that he remembered all those details is amazing itself. I got chills throughout this video. Super special, thanks! ✌️❤️
Whew! Got my crying tears of happiness for this family. God is so good.
Excellent account of this history. Happy for the gift this family received.
And not only did he make it possible to connect his direct line relatives but soooo many more folks who may only have a first name and now it is possible through dna to start putting all of those families back together. Amazing!! I always tell my 5 adult children, one person CAN and often does, make a real difference in this world!
What a beautiful story ! One I will never forget ! Thank you
Incredibly amazing and beautiful at the same time. The amount of strength and hope is immeasurable.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m over here crying now. I’m so happy that you were able to connect the dots and meet some of your family. 💜
Wow, that was touching, family means a lot to me so this just made me tear-up😢
Wow. Bless him. I’m glad to know his story. ❤
Thank you! This brought me to tears. I can so relate. I am so into learning my family. With all my research, as I learn another level, I feel more complete. I wish I had asked more questions growing up; I was just enjoying myself being around my extended family. I did not have grandmothers in my life, but paternal great aunts served well instead. I know little of my mom's family, from GA and more about my dad's family from NC. I had a great head start, but some of my family members are "elusive" at best. I spoke with a cousin and learned his wife had transitioned during the pandemic. I was sharing info with him about the family when I told him our great grandmother's last name was "Deans." He repeated her name and stated, "My wife's name was Deans." To which I responded, "Hmm! You were probably married to your cousin all those years." I encourage all folks to do their best in starting a family tree even if it is just for the younger set. I have a grandniece who is very interested in family, and she just turned 7 this year!! I wish I had the resources to trace all these folks I've met. I've found five great grandmothers!! I am so thrilled but it takes a lot of work. Thank God for Ancestry! I was working on my tree way before I joined Ancestry as I've always been interested in family. At 78, I need to get someone else interested so they can at least help and have knowledge.
Both parents migrated from NC to DC in the 1930s as youth. My dad's maternal family started a family reunion in NC in 1957 (I was right there in the midst of it) to honor the 10 surviving children of their eldest sister (my grandmother). We attended, making the trek from DC to NC every year; however, after my parents' transitions in 1986 and 2008, and my myriad health issues, I have not attended in years. It is my hope to create each of my parents' stories, with family members attached and present them to my current family here in DC, and encourage them to have a family reunion of some sort. It doesn't have to be fancy nor expensive, but just do it.
I've met several "new" relatives since I had my Ancestry DNA done. I was happy I had some knowledge of family as two of them were great granddaughters of two of my mother's maternal aunts. One guy was the great grandson of my paternal great grandfather and his second wife. That second wife, on my Ancestry family tree has caused a problem as he had two wives and two sets of children, and somehow they have become "blurred" while working on my tree... I know the difference.
Thanks for reading if you've read this far. I've been online doing something since 1996 when I bought my first computer. Today, it is renewable energy, genealogy and crowdfunding. There's so much more I could have covered here about the pain of slavery, and being a part of a marginalized group but I'll save that for my book. Keep smiling!! Did I say I love Henry Louis Gates, and what he does!? Thank God for him and his work!! Fascinating and meaningful!! Best TV program ever!!
We need more shows like this! What an amazing story. I was in tears. Thank you for sharing!
It is American history! Love these stories!
Best thing I’ve seen on YT in a very long time. Thanks Dr. Skip. Remember our old friend Paul Southerly.
What an amazing story of hope and faith. Thank you . Hawkins Wilson was a man who never gave up.❤
Nothing happens by chance. The letter brought healing and a reunion to a family line of people who were once strangers but are now family. 🥰😇😇🥰
One of the most beautiful stories I havevever heard. So sad the letter never reached the correct place. They are truley fortunite to get it at this time.
"Biscuit Crumbs" would be a good title for the family tree book.
Love this I want to watch more stories like this
When they finally met their long lost family, I teared up. That was powerful. Thank you for this❣️🙏🏽
When I did my Ancestry DNA i was shocked 3 types on indigenous native. Our journeys take us in many directions. It is like opening a history book and seeing it slowly print itself. I am Scandinavian from both Mother and Father. Norway & Sweden. Since doing this I have found relatives previously unknown. Spoke to a cousin in the Philippine's he looks just like my older brother. it is a joy to open the doors
of dna unknown to generations. I know my Mothers people were scattered from Alabama & Georgia & Tennessee. My Older Children have a line which extends all the way to New Zealand. Hawkins letter brought tears at the sincerity and love. btw love the show. Please whom ever was responsible for the show please start it up again. BTW my Grandmother was a survivor of the 1906 fire and Earthquake. in San Francisco California. I can not grasp how one person is considered as property . The anger and sadness of a tragedy which have never existed. Yet Native Indigenous persons were lesser in value and traded sold and more. Bless their souls
😭🎉💐thank you for sharing your life story with us. Give me hope also to follow my ancestors story!
I love what this show is doing for America
Biscuit crumbs totally feel your heart. I have a biscuit crumb too through Ancestry I found Michal my 11th great-grandmother she was African and lived Parish St Sulpice, Faubourg, Paris, France married to Rollain Barbery or Barbary. The way I found out was their daughter Francoise had a marriage contract annulled with Etienne Pasquier. Ever since I found Michal I wonder about her life. Was she happy, where did she come from, was she a slave? So many unanswered questions. Michal Mingray would have been born about 1630. At the time of Francoise marriage shows both of her parents are still alive.
Beautiful Family Story
Very poignant. One cannot help cry for Hawkins. Bless him.