Monday, April 19, 2010

Paul Lewis Ransom: Bearer of Family Tradition


After noticing how individuals from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements were ashamed and embarrassed of their ancestors’ enslaved heritage, Paul Lewis Ransom (1885-1980), the youngest son of enslaved parents Joseph and Betsy (McGill) Ransom, sat down and wrote the “History of the Ransom Family” in 1974. The History was based on the lives of his parents , paternal grandfather (Joseph Ransom, Sr.) and maternal grandmother (Jane King) during slavery and post-emancipation.

Uncle Paul felt that “it is very important and necessary for everyone regardless of whose family, to know something about his or her family background.” He also understood the impact of slavery on African American family history. “It is virtually impossible, especially for the Black race, in the United States to know what he should know because he was brought here as slaves, and throughout the slave period, the Blacks reproduced, and were sold to different slave owners, traded, etc., many never seen nor heard from their children, parents again after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, and they were freed.”

By taking the time to record the family history he would ensure future generations would know the history and legacy of the Ransom Family. In 1991, I received a copy of the Ransom Family, from Uncle Paul’s daughter Adelle Martin (1915-2004). At the time, she mentioned that she was working on documenting the history using census records only. In between attending college, working, and travelling through Southern Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, I worked on substantiating the family history especially identifying the last slave owner(s). In addition, I would share my findings with Cousin Adelle. I remember sending her copies of the 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules for Freestone County, Texas which listed a J. H. Moody as a slave owner. She was so excited to see this information, since her father had told her that the family was once owned by the Moody. He stated that “the slave master who owned our father was named Moody and the master who owned his father was named Ransom so naturally the family could have easily gone in the name Moody and would have done so, if father had not been introduced to his father after slavery.”

Although the slave schedule did not confirm whether or not our ancestors were owned by J. H. Moody, it was enough information for Cousin Adelle to march over to the descendants of the Moody family in Ft. Worth, Texas, who doubted that their family ever owned slaves. She later told me that she received a very cold reception from the descendants but that she was determine to prove her father was correct.

It would be another five years before I would be able to substantiate that my family were owned by the Moody Family out of Chesterfield County, Virginia. They would eventually move to Fairfield, Freestone County, Texas. My ancestors would be a part of this migration west to the Lone Star State.

I am far from done on researching my Ransom heritage, however I feel very honor and thankful to have a relative who understood the important of family and history.

9 comments:

  1. I would like to highly commend you for your endeavor in preserving the family history. Upon researching my great grandmother Mae Ola Taulton(Ransom)’s father Paul Lewis Ransom, I have by the grace of God discovered your blog and website. I find the labor that you have put into to this work of genealogy art is absolutely astonishing. The picture above of the young woman is my Great Grandmother Mae Ola Taulton(Ransom)’s sister.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Kirwyn,

    I am glad you were able to locate the family website and blog. I started researching and preserving the family history during my college years. I am currently in the process of re-writing the Ransom that Uncle Paul written. Basically, I will be including source citations to his work. By the way, your great grandfather and my great great grandmother (Louisia Ransom) were siblings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm in college now, but I've always been a fanatic over the family genealogy. As a child, I loved listening to the stories my great grandmother would tell me about her and her sisters and Papa Paul(her father) when they were growing up.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kirwyn, I would encourage you to write those stories down and we can add them to the History of the Ransom Family.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have seen genealogy trees of my mother (Ransom) and father (Driver). I think it is thrilling to understand all of your history in proper context. We can truly say "we have come a long way." I am excited when I hear of more and more of us commpleting college, involved in social services and business. Outstanding job. We should be thankful for Uncle Paul's forsight.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is incredible! I just found the J.H. Moody salve records for 2 of my ancestors on Ancestry & needed to know more! I am so happy to have found your page. It brought a tear to my eye to see the name of the person who owned my relatives but knowing that they denounced the history of ownership is even worse. If you monitor this page I would love to speak with you more. Houstonivy99 on IG. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete