African American Grandmother

While researching information for this project, I went through struggles to learn more about my grandmother’s parents. It seems as if my grandmother’s parents died at an early age, or just were not that well know throughout their lifetimes. The only information I have been provided through interviews with relatives, is that my great-grandmother’s name is Lestha Spencer, which ultimately means that my great-grandfather’s last name is Walker. Birthdates, death dates, and places lived are all unavailable, and I have utilized “ancestry.com” for support, and yet, still no information. Although, my family is large in numbers, somehow and for some reason relatives only know meager to no information about my grandmother’s parents. In contrast, the …show more content…
Cooper Sr. He was born on August 15, 1893 and was an African-American male who lived in Weeksville, North Carolina for the majority of his life. According to my mother’s first cousin Lonnie Melton, both he and his wife, Hestor Sutton, had traces of Cherokee Indian through previous generations. In order to support his wife and seven children, Riley Cooper became a farm owner where he prospered through cotton and corn production. Although it is very uncommon for an African-American to own their own farming business throughout the early portion of the 1900s, Riley Cooper remained prominent in the farming industry and community. During his life span, he owned ten acres of land while also contributing to the establishment of the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Weeksville, North Carolina. From what I have been told from cousin Lonnie Melton, Riley Cooper built and donated to the Christian-based church. Once he died on May 30, 1968, he was buried behind the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, along with his wife Hester Sutton, with a fence separating their graves, and a tree from the rest of the church’s deceased …show more content…
Mary Francis Cooper was born on April 9, 1927 in North Carolina and was identified as a “Negro” or African-American female. When interviewing my aunt Lois Harris she told me, that “Everyone had to get along… the older ones watched after the babies… we just made it work.” Without a doubt Mary Cooper did have her hands full with the large family she gave birth to, but with support from her children she made it work. She had seven males and seven females whose names are: Lois, Willie, Ernis, William Jr., Walter, Jacqueline, Collis, Vanessa, David, Michael, Patricia, Brenda, Franklin, Kay, and Kristie. Among those fourteen children is my mother, Patricia Hill, who is one of the youngest