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I am a part of a very large maternal family from Maryland's Eastern Shore. My father and his family are originally from the Carolinas (North and South). I thank God, every day, for the parents he gave me--even if they were mid teens. My father is older than my mother.
 
My published memoir. (2012).
 
My maternal family's foundation . My great grandmother's 96th birthday. She is no longer with us on earth. My great grandfather passed away many years before this picture. A truly, real married couple in our family history. We all have different skin tones, but we are of the mixed-race group, Black Indians.
 
Baby Me, Little Black-Indian Child. One day, on our way to church, it surprised me when my maternal grandmother called me her "chocolate doll [baby]". It was the first time I learned that I was brown skin tone (never discussed by my light-skin tone mother).
 
Me Again
 
And Again
 
Former Marriage Years: My then-husband, and four biological kids. High-school couple and 16 yrs. of marriage relationship. I, a home-schooling mom/teacher college student/gov. employee, was given 15 min. to leave my kids and him for the local societal-experience script. -The Script in My Box: A Journal of Forgiveness.
 
Former Hometown Church, Aaron Chapel (United Methodist Church). Between Edesville and City of Rock Hall, Maryland
 
My Youth Choir Robe
 
Childhood Home
 
My Great Grandparents' Wedding Anniversary: From this union came 15 children. Pa Pa (Oscar) 4/8/1899 - 9/22/1989; Grandma (Ethel) 11/1/1900 - 9/20/2004.
 
My [Maternal] Great Grandfather. His grandmother was of mixed-race identity (Native American, white British heritage, and maybe African American). We don't have any info about his mom or external family sets.
 
My maternal great grandfather became blind later in life. He was never able to physically see his great grandchildren. I spent quality time with him and often was his sitter, during my childhood years.
 
Ethel (Rochester) Hicks. My great-grandmother
 
One of our Family Reunions - great grandparents, great aunts and uncles. My grandmother is wearing white, and the only one looking in another direction :)
 
This is my maternal grandmother (5/8/1939 -10/1/2016); many in the community called her Aunt Nora or 'Momma Nora.' The 2nd youngest daughter (8 girls including two deceased several months after childbirth and 7 boys) of my great grandparents. During her teen years, her black-Indian hair was so long that she would sit on it. This is the hairstyle/length that I've always known her to have. She said "her long or medium-sized hair length felt too heavy around her neck (sweat) and false teeth". She was a consistent United Methodist church member for over 65 years, a former wife of a preacher's kid for a short time, and she also told her off-springs to think; It's okay to be a faith believer with its rituals, use the sciences and nature in your being, too. So many jobs she worked including State of Maryland Health Dept. for many years until retirement.
 
This is my step grandfather/father via informal adoption (3/11/1932 - 4/21/2019); many in the community called him 'Uncle Joe.' He was a veteran of the Army, and a former long-standing line supervisor at Campbell Soup Company. He retired just before the brand was closing in our area. He was always referenced as Uncle or Uncle Joe. He loved tending to his garden, eating fried fresh fish that he would scale himself or pig hock, listening to the oldies, and watching t.v. including baseball (outdoors or televised). He was a tall man and a Native American of Color like my grandmother.
 
These are the generations from my maternal grandmother's work. She is wearing the green shirt. Just some of my immediate family. I have four siblings on my maternal (mother's) side and three siblings on my paternal (father's) side. Of all, I am still the oldest!
 
My, kids (the twins), they do grow up fast.
 
My half-brother (maternal) and his three girls.