There is Something About Edgefield

by Author Natonne Elaine Kemp

  • Publisher Rocky Pond Press
  • Year published 2017
  • ISBN: ISBN 978-0999240601
  • Number of pages 332 pages
  • WorldCat

There is Something About Edgefield book cover
About the Book
Book description

Through the stories of their ancestors, Bush and Kemp take us on a compelling journey through African American history into the hearts of individual lives. In tracing their ancestral roots, these family historians discover their connections to some of the South's most powerful men, both famous and forgotten. The community at the heart of this historical study is Edgefield, South Carolina, yet the stories in this book form a microcosm of events experienced by black communities throughout the South. An enslaved maternal line is traced to 1799; hopes are raised, then dashed, when a family of freedmen acquires land after the Civil War, only to later lose it; the "Dark Corner" of Edgefield is exposed. Shining a bright, sometimes uncomfortable light, deep truths are unearthed through DNA results and a new family is found. Follow the authors through years of meticulous genealogical research, historical settings, and DNA testing as they reclaim their family stories and inspire others to embark on their own journey of discovery.

Award Finalist, 2018 Best Book Award, History: United States | Co-Winner of SCAAHC's 2017 Project Award

Review

Reading vector imageJust Finished Reading - There Is Something About Edgefield. Random Thoughts on History by Tim Talbott. December 19, 2017

Natonne Elaine Kemp photo
About the Author
Author description

Natonne Elaine Kemp is a family historian. Both of her paternal grandparents were born in Edgefield County, South Carolina. She previously served as the editor of Homeplace, the official newsletter of the Old Edgefield District African American Genealogical Society (OEDAAGS), and appeared as co-host of BlogTalkRadio show, Bernice Alexander Bennett’s Research at the National Archives and Beyond. As a 2010 graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Records (NIGR), now known as the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), she currently is a member of the Louisa County Historical Society and the Virginia Genealogical Society and serves on the Journal Editorial Board of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. She is a well-known presenter at numerous local and national genealogical conferences.

Headshot photo of Edna Gail Bush

Edna Gail Bush passed away on January 18, 2018. She co-authored There Is Something About Edgefield, Shining a Light on the Black Community through History, Genealogy, and Genetic DNA in honor and loving memory of her parents, grandparents, and most of her great grandparents who were born in Edgefield County, South Carolina. She was a member of the Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society (OEDGS), the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), and the National Genealogical Society (NGS). She also was retired from the New York State government’s former Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Official Website of Co-Authors

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