Mary, found
In January of 2022, the Item featured a 10-part series that I authored with my sisters’ assistance called “Finding Mary”. This is the ongoing search for o... Read more.
Finding Mary: Turning troubling discoveries into positive paths
For 10 days I have told the story of my mother, Mary Francis Hunt Matthews, and my search for her biological parents. The new relatives I met along the way were... Read more.
Finding Mary: A winding road paved by generosity
Inspired by a 23andMe ancestry-search kit’s revelation about my family history, I embarked on a journey to learn about my mother. It took me from Californ... Read more.
Finding Mary: Faced with frustrations, I vow not to falter
My Southern journey to discover my mother’s roots was guided by new-found cousin Bobbi Jo* who navigated me through South Carolina, including a stop at th... Read more.
Finding Mary: A trip down slavery’s dark road
Genealogy resource 23andMe launched my journey into discovering my mother’s past. But the path I took on the journey wound through America’s South. ... Read more.
Finding Mary: A clash over values
Flying from Baltimore, Md. to Charleston, S.C., I wondered what awaited me. Since we first connected through the ancestry site, 23andMe, in my search for my mot... Read more.
Finding Mary: Dead ends and revelations
My search into my mother’s past included invaluable help from a guide — my “search angel” Lisa Ann Fanning, who was able to identify my moth... Read more.
Finding Mary: How Frederick Douglass inspired my family search
I wrote in part three of Finding Mary how my search for my mother’s Southern roots uncovered my family’s legacy of slave ownership that stands in st... Read more.
Find Mary: My ancestors were slave owners
In my last installment of Finding Mary, I learned from my cousin Bobbi Jo*, that her ancestors, and therefore mine, were slave owners. I must note that Bobbi ... Read more.
Finding Mary: The search for relatives
In the first installment of this series, my sisters and I were able to confirm that my mother, Mary Francis Hunt Matthews, had been adopted. Now we needed to di... Read more.