Finding Mary

The Item today begins publishing a 10-part series by St. Mary's High School Class of 1972 member Steve … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: The hunt begins

In the first installment of this series, my sisters and I were able to confirm that my mother, Mary Francis … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: The search for relatives

I wrote in part three of Finding Mary how my search for my mother's Southern roots uncovered my family's … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: How Frederick Douglass inspired my family search

Flying from Baltimore, Md. to Charleston, S.C., I wondered what awaited me. Since we first connected through … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: A clash over values

Genealogy resource 23andMe launched my journey into discovering my mother's past. But the path I took on the … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: A trip down slavery’s dark road

My Southern journey to discover my mother's roots was guided by new-found cousin Bobbi Jo* who navigated me … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: Faced with frustrations, I vow not to falter

Inspired by a 23andMe ancestry-search kit's revelation about my family history, I embarked on a journey to … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: A winding road paved by generosity

For 10 days I have told the story of my mother, Mary Francis Hunt Matthews, and my search for her biological … [Read more...] about Finding Mary: Turning troubling discoveries into positive paths