Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Who Do You Think You Are? - Lionel Richie

Okay, maybe I am a sucker for the "stories" but I do enjoy WDYTYA? immensely. Even this episode with Lionel Ritchie was not so bad, and portrayed a young man who grew up sheltered by his family against the realities of life in the south.

When it was revealed that his great grandparents were divorced, I thought it was going to be the usual story of abandonment for another woman, or drink or drugs. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to hear that Mr. Richie's great grandfather was early on involved in the fight for civil rights. The other woman, it appears, was a cause.

The sad part is that his great-grandfather was buried in a pauper's grave. I was appalled at the condition of the cemetery in Chattanooga. I think it was we all fear, that an ancestor's final resting place disappears into obscurity.

Copyright 2011, ACK for Gene Notes

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