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LaVell Williams Professor Lynn Raymond English 1103 18 July 2013 Family Tree Written Component Roots of A Legacy
Prior to the Civil War, the majority of African Americans were enslaved. Since slaves

were considered the property of the master they had no legal rights and were not even allowed to marry (Burroughs). As the exact area of origin has been lost over time, many African American roots can be traced to West Africa in countries such as Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal and Cote I'voire. Traders often referred to this part of Africa as "Slave Coast" (West Africaunder Construction). The reason for my ancestors leaving was apparently involuntary. According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, between 1525 and 1866 about 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. Around 10.7 million slaves survived the voyage through the Middle Passage which disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America.Surprisingly, nearly 388,000 slaves were shipped directly into North America (Gates). Once in the Americas, slaves were sold, by auction, to the person that bid the most money for them. It was here that family members became split up, as a bidder may not want to buy the whole family, only the strongest and healthiest member. These split families have made it difcult for my ancestry to remain intact and have an accurate portrayal of my family tree. Although some records developed for slaves after emancipation can be found, the majority of them were necessary for slave documentation and reside with the owners. The surnames of

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slaves could also differentiate due to whether the master would change their names or not (Burroughs).
The earliest accounted members of my family were my great-great grandparents

Josephine Massey and Will Tilgham. They are the grandparents of my grandmother on my fathers side of the family. Will Tilgham was murdered in cold blood by Klu Klux Klan members leaving Cleophus to be born with his mothers last name. Josephines exact birthdate or year are unknown, however, it is likely around 1890. Seeing as slavery ended in 1865 it is likely that Josephine worked as a house servant or sharecropper and her mother may have been born out of slavery.

(Here is a picture of Josephine and Cleophus Massey)

Cleophus Massey was born September 28, 1911 and later

married to Buelah Cogdell Massey on October 20, 1929. Together they had four children: Lois Howell, Leon Massey, Lila Williams, and Alton Massey. My grandmother Lila Williams who was born on October 2, 1935 married to Leroy Williams on November 24, 1951. Together they also had four children: Brenda Williams, Garry Williams, Larry Williams, and Felicia Miller. My Father, Larry Williams was born on April 10, 1957 and married to Gretchen Bryant Williams on April 27, 1984. Together they had two children: my older sister LaGreta Williams and I, LaVell Williams were born. My family consists of many predominant military roles, however, my great uncle Leon Massey has had the most important. According to my grandmother, Leon was an exceptional baseball player and had been invited to try out for a professional team in Florida. However, one

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day he received a telegram and was drafted into the United States Marine Corps in 1951 at the age of nineteen. As a member of the marine corps he served thirteen months in the Korean War and was wounded twice within the same year. During this time he was awarded two Purple Hearts with two Gold Stars. He was decorated with a Bronze Star, Combat Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and United Nations Service Ribbons for bravery seeing as he captured three Chinese communist prisoners. While in Korea, he served as a Fire Team Leader with Fox Company 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. My family also has a history of music and singing. My father and grandfather established a gospel quartet called the Golden Keys. They toured multiple states and released three albums. My father wrote many of their songs and my grandfather operated as the group lead singer. I have grown an interest in music from my family members and have learned to play the violin, saxophone, and piano. I have also learned the arts of audio engineering and songwriting. The history of my family is very extensive and their isnt much documentation of early generations. I have learned a lot of information from my grandmother, aunt, relatives obituaries, and family photos about my ancestry. I will continue the search as I have been sparked with the interest to find the origins of my family.

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Works Cited

Burroughs, Tony. "Researching Slavery." Ancestry.com/wiki. Ancestry, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 July 2013. Gates, Henry L., Jr. "How Many Slaves Landed in the US?" TheRoot.com. The Root, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 July 2013. "West Africa - Under Construction." West Africa - UNESCO ASPnet Projects. UNESCO, n.d. Web. 18 July 2013.