Bill West wrote a very poignant post today. Very reflective of time and place, like what we are going through today in some ways.
Bill, I also had a professor ask about living in world peace and could it happen. My answer was only by the Grace of God. He was not happy with me either.
Having Multi ethnicities involved in our tree, I am sure we got along with more than what some would think.
I am going to tell a story that Mom and My Uncle and Grandfather shared with me at times over the years. Mom refused to believe it was kin, Granddad and Uncle both felt there had to be personal connection. My Grandmother could not seem to tolerate even mention an Indian. My Uncle on Dad's side told us an awesome story about her I will share some time. But her tolerance for someone other than her line of people was a bit tough.
Someone in the family (at least that makes the most sense) had to be involved with this incident.
I truly want to track it down more, Time, I so need the Time.
Right after the Railroad made a Treaty with the Indians for the train to pass through their land, someone in the family witnessed this incident. The Treaty was, no shooting or harming the Indians as they went through on the train, if anyone harassed or shot an Indian the Train Conductor was to give that person to the Indians for resolving the issue.
Well a person thought that it was a joke, Everyone told him to put his gun away and not destroy the Treaty. He did not, he not only shot but he killed an Indian on a pony riding along side the train looking at the people on the inside. The train stopped and the powers that be came through the train and took the man by the arms and to the end of the train and handed him to the Indians to never be seen again. The Indians were only watching the train and looking at the people riding on the inside.
The people on the train were very afraid they would come to serious trouble, but the Indian in charge told the Conductor, Thank You and rode away leaving the rest on train alone.
This had to make the newspaper and because Gmom hated them, sad to say I suspect that person must have been some one she knew, those thoughts were shared by Uncle and Grandad.
You did not mention Indians around Gmom, even if she was married to a white man that had Indian blood within his veins. She did not allow the picture book in the house because the Indian lady's picture was in the book.
As DNA is more in depth, as time goes on, we are all going to learn we are all mixed races. What was tolerated in one area was not always tolerated in another. Gee, that is why they left Mass and went to Rhode Island in the northern region.
Gee, Bill West we were in college at the same time at times. Yes we are definitely "Only Human".
West in New England
I think of my Uncle at Pearl Harbor in a dingy rowing to shore when the Japanese came in shooting,
Yet, he lost many on that day. He always tried to keep an even keel.
He used to visit the Tribe often and had developed a lot of strong Belief's or feelings on how as humans we should act and treat people.
The Indian's had so much to teach us if we would have just listened. Fortunately some of us did but more did not.
My hang up is the Puritan's treated their own people worse than they were treated in Europe and they were for lack of better term all white???? Color has no bearing on it.
It is learning and accepting and growing and sharing as we go. May we get there some day.
When my Great Uncle on Dad's side burned our family history book because it showed his Grandmother was Indian, I cried when Dad told me.
I had been struggling for years to gather that information he had it, hated it and burnt it. So my last trip to visit him, I asked him why? It did not take away the Indian blood in his veins, he said he was always told they were bad people but he never knew any personally. I told him I was proud of what little Indian I knew I had. He was floored and then we sat and talked about his family and he wished he had not done it. He paid a great deal for the researcher to do our Foulk/Follk tree. Great Aunt said he read that and tore the pages out and got so mad he tore out all the pages and burnt it in the fireplace.
So yes we are Only Human.
Thanks Cousin Bill West.
It is time for more acceptance and tolerance in many ways.
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