Henry II of Brabant

On this day, 1 February 1248, Henry II of Brabant passed away. He was my 24th and my 25th great-grandfather.

Born in 1207, in Leuven, Belgium, Henry II of Brabant was the son of Henry I of Brabant and Matilda of Boulogne.

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Sum Total of Our Ancestors

“[You] are the sum total of [your] ancestors. You are not limited by their limitations, but you have the potential of their accumulated sense of possibilities. And, you are a product of their stories even though you don’t know it.” ~Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Like every family everywhere, our combined families (mine, my spouse’s, our stepfamilies’, and extended) are a blend of ups and downs, highs and lows.

Throughout the branches of our family trees, I have discovered abolitionists alongside slaveholders and freemen next to slaves. I hope that by telling each and every tale, no matter how distasteful, that I might help shine a light on one of the darkest times in American history.

It is because of our families’ connections to the many sides of slavery that I found Ancestry.com’s Railroad Ties both poignant and hopeful. I hope you find this short film as moving as I have.

Marie of Brabant

On this day, 12 January 1322, Marie of Brabant (my 23rd great-grandmother) passed away.

Born on 13 May 1254, in Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium, Marie was the youngest child and only daughter of Henry III, Duke of Brabant, and Adelaide of Burgundy. She joined brothers Henry (born circa 1251), John (born 1253), and Godfrey (birthdate unknown).

Edmund de Mortimer

On this day, 27 December 1381, Edmund de Mortimer passed away. He was my 20th great-grandfather.

Born on 1 February 1352, Edmund was the son of Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, and Philippa, daughter of William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and Catherine Grandison.

When Edmund was only an infant, his father died. At that time, Edmund became a ward of the crown, which indicated that his mother had already died (possibly in childbirth or soon thereafter). Edward III (my 21st great-grandfather through his son Thomas of Woodstock, my 22nd great-grandfather through his son Lionel of Antwerp of Clarence, my three-times 19th and three-times 20th great-grandfather through his son John of Gaunt, and my 20th great-grandfather through his son Edmund of Langley) placed baby Edmund in the care of William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England, and Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel (my 21st great-grandfather through his granddaughter Alianore Holland and my 20th great-grandfather through his granddaughter Margaret Holland).

Rumsey Shuler Watts

On this day, 22 November 1896, Rumsey Shuler Watts died. He was my 4th great-grandfather.

Rumsey Shuler Watts was born on 15 December 1810, in Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky to parents Charles Watts and Rebecca Boone. He joined older brothers Jesse Boggess Watts, born 6 February 1807, and John Boone Watts, born 15 November 1808. Brother Vincent Watts was born and died four years prior in 1806.