Family Lore: A Tale of Generational Beliefs in Our Family (#1 of 52)
My grandmother, Hazel, holding her baby sister Beulah, who got me interested in genealogy
Do you have family lore or legends passed down through generations? My genealogical journey began with a fascinating tale: a link to Pocahontas. This story, proudly shared in newspapers for almost a century, sparked curiosity in my great aunt Beulah. Twenty-five years ago, she ignited my passion for genealogy.
A 1927 Newspaper Clipping
In 1998, Beulah introduced me to genealogy and shared her digital research files. Among these was a 1927 obituary transcript for James Madison Randolph, first cousin of Josiah Randolph Coppenbarger (1844–1934)—Beulah’s maternal grandfather and my great-great-grandfather.
Beulah told me the clipping was from her mother’s papers. Her mom had started painting while in her 70s and the local newspaper shared her story. When a reporter interviewed her, Myrtle had proudly shared she was related to Pocahontas. After they left, Myrtle showed Beulah the lengthy obituary and Beulah was fascinated. [You can read the transcript in my 2016 post, “Family Lore: Related to Pocahontas.”]
The Pocahontas Connection Published in 1927
James Madison Randolph’s 1927 obituary details his life and fascination with family history. It recounts his 1923 visit to Pocahontas’ monument at Jamestown Island, claiming her as an ancestor. The obituary also mentions connections to Thomas Jefferson, Chief Justice Marshall, and General Robert E. Lee. Beulah later proved these connections to be incorrect, but this article illustrates how our family’s stories can blend fact and cherished family lore.
I believe these famous men were all related to Randolphs in Virginia. In fact, there was a Mary Randolph of Virginia who was a descendant of Pocahonatas. And James had a great aunt named Mary Randolph who was born about the same time. However, it appears our Randolphs are not directly related to these more famous Randolphs.
The Pocahontas Connection Published in 1971
Almost fifty years later, in 1971, Beulah’s sister, Evelyn (Peters) Dudley (1906–1981), wrote an article for our local newspaper. It focuses on Josiah Randolph Coppenbarger, mentioned earlier, and his arrival in Kansas about 100 years prior. The article begins by highlighting the family’s pride in their lineage, including connections by blood and marriage to historical figures including Pocahontas.
The Missing Piece: Myrtle’s Interview
I’ve shared this supposed Pocahontas relationship before, but a piece of the story was missing. Beulah had told me that her mother, Myrtle, had proudly shared our family’s connection to Pocahontas during an interview. But the article I found was written by Beulah’s sister.
Imagine my surprise when I found another newspaper article while researching for this post! Dated 4 January 1965, it was an exciting discovery.
The “article” is more of a photo of my great-grandmother, Myrtle, with a lengthy caption. It was thrilling not only to find a photo of Myrtle but also to learn she was a genealogist! The caption explains her extensive research into our family going back 200 years. Like James Madison Randolph, Myrtle cherished her connections to historical figures, even visiting Mary Randolph’s memorial at Arlington National Cemetery with her immediate family. I have to wonder if she took her daughters Beulah and Evelyn on this trip!
Genealogists Over the Generations
While creating this post, I realized I’m the latest in a line of family historians. I knew about Great Aunt Beulah’s and Uncle Jim’s love for genealogy. But these newspaper discoveries reveal more: Grandmother Myrtle’s collection of historical documents going back 200 years, Great Aunt Evelyn’s interest as evidenced by her 1971 article, and cousin James Madison Randolph’s historical visits. These stories, passed down with pride and passion, have shaped my own genealogical journey.
Pass Down Your Stories Accurately
I recently watched Judy Russell’s 2014 RootsTech keynote where she discussed sharing family stories. She highlighted a crucial point after debunking her own family lore: “It’s not enough for family stories to be purposefully handed down. There’s that minor little issue called accurately passed down at the same time.” She stressed the importance of verifying, documenting, and passing on our family’s stories.
The tale of my family’s connection to Pocahontas was purposefully passed down through generations. Unfortunately, it wasn’t accurate. My goal is to tell the story with honesty, while also honoring the beliefs of previous generations. These beliefs influenced generations of family historians and fostered a sense of pride in the Randolph name, as evidenced by its frequent use as a middle name across generations.
Share Your Family Lore
Now, I’d love to hear from you. What family lore or legends have you explored? Have you uncovered truths or myths? Please share your stories in the comments below!
This post was created as part of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. This week’s theme is “Family Lore.”
Hi Dana! Thank you for sharing your story. I too, have Randolphs in my family tree, and that part of my tree extends into Virginia, but there has never been any mention specifically of Pocahontas in our family. I will say that, like most American families with early roots in the United States, the family lore of “Indians in the family” was there. I have debunked the myth on one such line, and the source of that was a maternal 2x great-grandmother, who was the product of an illicit relationship between the family cook, an African American woman, and her Irish employer. Both my 2x great grandmother and my great grandmother had long, straight black hair and a fair complexion that tanned easily in the summer, attributes which many Americans seem to associate solely with Native Americans. My maternal haplogroup proves otherwise.
I have debunked this same myth in family trees for others, including a family who insisted their 2x great grandmother was Native American because a photo they have of her shows that she had big hands (yes, I know…). I found her quite easily in a census living with her German-born parents. Years later, DNA tests for several family members also disproved the myth, much to their dismay.
Many people do not handle this type of news very well, so I respect you for researching, understanding, and wanting to tell your story with honesty.
Hi, Sasha. Thanks for sharing your stories! Yes, it’s fascinating that so many people have stories of “Indian” connections. Someone close to me also has those stories based on how people looked and where they lived.
To be honest, if my great grandmother was alive, I’m not sure if I would share this with her! (She died the year I was born.)
Of course DNA is disproving many of family stories. But the stories are fascinating to share and a part of our family history.
Thanks again,
Dana
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Hello my story is that I and many other individuals have not been able to fine the parents of my 2nd great grandparents Richard Radcliff/Ratliff born 1813/1824 depending on Census and military in South Carolina or Georgia. Elizabeth Black born 1826 in Georgia. There is information and documentation from 1845 and forward but nothing before their marriage in 1845 in Talbot, Georgia. I have several people that have done genealogy that have them connected to Native American but no documentation. They are a complete lost regarding anything about their parents.
Hi, Lorene. Thanks for sharing! My mother-in-law had two recent mysterious ancestors – a paternal grandfather and a maternal great-grandfather – who appeared out of nowhere. I was able to solve the grandfather case using DNA, and I have almost solved the great-grandfather case. (I believe I’ve found his parents, but I need additional proof.) You can see how I solved the one case at Legacy Family Tree Webinars with a membership or free trial: https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/one-man-multiple-names-a-dna-based-case-study/
Best wishes as you work to solve these mysteries!
Dana
There’s a story in my family’s paternal line that one of our promote ancestors (centuries ago) was a man who left England for Scotland when the king of England kicked out all the Jews. He and his descendants, Jews like us, lived VERY quietly in Scotland for some centuries until a Tsar of Russia sent emissaries throughout Europe to recruit skilled builders and craftsman to improve the Russian empire —. And that’s how our family got to Eastern Europe, s9,e centuries before Grandpa Jack (who passed on to us all the family story that he had from his fathe, who had it from his father before him) came to America in 1920.
Some of our family members believe this, some don’t, and I have finally had hired a professional Jean who’s trying to find out for sure. She’s working with documents, but there’s also been DNA testing with different companies: some of those tests show connections to people on the Scottish side of the Scottish/English border, and some of those connections are apparently two people surname GLADSTONE (as we are). But I’ve been told that I shouldn’t expect to know anything from the documentary side of the genealogy research (let alone how with my tie with the DNA site) until sometime around April next year at the earliest!
Kate, That’s a fascinating story! And I hope it’s true. 🙂 I”m glad you’re having a professional researcher look at it. And I’d love to know what you find out! Thanks for sharing.