Kings River Blues

What a productive weekend I had !! Acutally the last 5 days ! I spent 5 hours last Thursday morning and afternoon in the Hanford Library browsing through yellowing and crumbling newspapers, booklets, hand written letters searching for clues. The library staff calls me "the Long Beach lady". I discovered some environmental news regarding Kings River. Back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, Kings River used to cause devastating floods and was responsible for outbreaks of malaria amongs Kingsburg residents and I assume neighboring towns as well. According to this pamphlet by James L. Brown, entitled "The Story Of Kings County" a Spanish explorer named Captain Moraga discovered and named Kings River. They called it Rio de los Santos Reyes( River of The Holy Kings) in honor of the Magi.

The Yokut Indans were already present before the Spaniards arrived. So most likely they already had a name for the river. I'd like to know what that name was.Anyway, after meticulously thumbing through so many documents I had to stop. I was exhausted and decided to call it a day.

From the laborious hot summers of one room houses and wooden floor boards in Tenaha,Texas to the city presently known as the raisin capitol, Selma,CA; he's finally relaxing. His face displayed lines of hard work and wisdom as he sat in his black tattered recliner. He and the recliner are surrounded by hundreds of picture frames, antique boxes, knick knacks,and stacks of photo albums. Sunlight struggled to break through the thick curtains and sliding glass door that shielded his dank living room. He stands 6ft tall, the frame of his body, slightly angled from aging yet he still drives and is active. He's competent and witty as ever. He told me about a female mule named Della and made a clicking sound with his mouth like a South African warrior, demonstrating the command sound for Della. He built a wooden house in California's first black settlement called Allensworth and was covered in one of Fresno's local papers called the Daily Collegian. He explained how he threatened a white man with an axe and a gun when this white man attempted to take away his hard earned clothes stamps when he lived in Tenaha, Texas. My grandfather share's other fascinating stories as I sit propped in front of him with a voice recorder.
Who is this man that I write of ? He is my last living grandparent. This is the first time in my life that I spent quality time or even visited my grandfather. Friday, I spent the whole day with my paternal grandfather, H. Joice who was born Feb 12, 1920. What a rewarding day. I'm lucky to have a grandparent still with me. However, I don't know him. I know of him, but I don't know my grandfather. Not spending time with him in my early stages of life extend beyond circumstances that I controlled. Now, I'm trying to play catch up and it's rewarding yet melancholic. I'm not sure if anything can replace those lost years because I still feel disconnected, worlds apart. I feel like I have the "Kings River Blues."
I have fond memories of my mother's father, Cornelius Frazier, and I could say that I got to know him a bit more because of my mother. I remember my grandfather's(my mother's father)tone of voice, his speech patterns, his smile and laugh, the way he tilted his head when I rode in the car with him. I have memories of him wearing a white "wife beater" as he fed hogs. I have no recollection of my mother's grandfather or my mother's mother, Queen Mary Frazier. Only memories that her children, my aunts and uncles share with me. I plan to visit my grandfather again next month. I wished I lived closer, I'd go see him everyday. But I'm thankful that he's still around. Every minute I'm around my grandfather I'm mentally recording his behavior. I pay attention to the programs he watches on television, the jokes he makes, his diet, everything. He catches me staring at him in awe sometimes. How people can be involved in elder abuse or take advantage of the elderly is beyond me, people who commit such horrible acts should be burned at the stake!
My husband and I spent half a day with my grandfather(Bumble Bee)
and his wife Barbara, nicked named Honey Bee( okay, for the record they gave each other these names)


Barbara offered to fry us some fish and chips. As we walked to the car, Barbara shouted out the door, " Bumble Bee show'em the new buildings downtown!" So we drove through downtown Fresno before we headed to the local fish market to buy the catfish nuggets, white bread, and a bag of potatoes.

A fish aquarium is nestled in the corner of my grandpa's kitchen. These fish belong to Barbara. Various bottles of medication lay adjacent to this aquarium. In my grandfather's bedroom, there's another aquarium, THESE fish belong to my grandpa. In the kitchen, the cooking oil crackled and popped like liquid fireworks as the catfish fried.The aromatic portions of catfish breaded in corn meal permeated the entire house. When Barbara was finished with the frying,
we ate at the kitchen table and drank ice cold red fruit punch soda. I gave my grandfather a birthday card for his birthday. My husband recorded some blues music on a cassette for my grandfather too. Interestingly enough, as I mentioned earlier that I share my maternal great grandfather's birthday(Feb 9th) and this grandfather's birthday is just three days after mine(Feb 12th). After lunch, I inspected my grandfather's patio. There were crushed aluminum cans, fishing rods ( he's an avid fisherman)a rusty bird cage and gardening supplies (rake,shovel)recycling bins among some of the items occupying its own space. But I noticed something tacked on wooden walls that encased the patio area. What did I notice ? Two fading vintage wash boards.

I'll be heading to the library again next week. I will spend some extensive time there too. I'm looking forward to the research !

It is believed that she moved to Hanford, CA around 1914.

This is well worth the attendance. I'm so excited to be attending this conference on Feb 25th. The registration was a birthday gift from my mother. My birthday is February 9 as is my departed great grandfather's. If you would like to attend the Discover Your Roots Conference just click here

It's so disappointing when I ask a relative about my roots, about our family history and all I get is hearsay and rumors. It's not their fault. If you don't know what the Holy Grail is then click on the link. These are the affects of the slave trade people. Hundreds and hundreds of years later. I visited the website African Ancestry and the price of the DNA kits has reduced. This is a good thing although it's still not in my budget.
BTW, I received two more generic rejection letters today. It's all good.

Hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois professor of the Humanities and chair of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES, an unprecedented four-part PBS series, takes Alex Haley's Roots saga to a whole new level through moving stories of personal discovery. Using genealogy, oral history, family stories and DNA analysis to trace lineage through American history and back to Africa, the series provides a life-changing journey for a diverse group of highly accomplished African Americans: Dr. Ben Carson, Whoopi Goldberg, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dr. Mae Jemison, Quincy Jones, Dr. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Chris Tucker and Oprah Winfrey.The series works to restore the participants' lineages in reverse chronological order. Starting with the oral histories of the individuals' families, and drawing on photographs, film clips, music and early personal records, Professor Gates begins to trace their family trees back through the 20th century. Noted historians and expert genealogists around America help fill in missing branches, in the process explaining how such major events as Jim Crow segregation and the post-World War I "Great Migration" from the South to the North helped shape African-American families.Professor Gates' genealogical research becomes increasingly difficult as he works back through the Reconstruction, Civil War, Colonial and early slave trade periods in American history. When the genealogical road comes to an end, he turns to some of the country's leading scientists who are involved in cutting-edge work using DNA samples to trace ancestral roots to Africa. Finally, Professor Gates joins one series participant in the last leg of the journey, across the Atlantic to the western coast of Africa. There, they visit an area where genetic, historical and anthropological evidence suggests the participant's ancestors lived.For some Americans, the essential question -- "Where do I come from?" -- cannot be answered; their history has been lost or stolen. But through genealogical research and groundbreaking DNA analysis, AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES not only provides a transformational discovery for several prominent African Americans, but also serves as an example for all Americans of the empowerment derived from knowing their heritage.


Please check out the programming http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/