My Great Grandfathers

As I embarked on this assignment I was unsure how to begin and what stories to tell. I did not know if I should commence with how my family came to America, my family tree, or a fascinating story about how my grandparents met. In order to complete this assignment I convened with my grandfather, Earl W. Stafford Sr., who knows a lot about our family history, to learn as much as I could.

ntroduction: Family is an integral part of many American’s lives it shapes how we grew up, how we interconnect with society, and how we choose to live our lives. “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz is an essay comparing the way of the family from several points in time to show what changes have come about for better or worse. Her points may be biased and in order to seek confirmation of her points, the memories of individuals who have lived through the longer span of time will provide incite as to whether others agree with her. I have conducted such an interview with my grandparents Linda Jolliffe, being 70, and Earl Jolliffe, being 73. By reading Coontz’s essay aloud I was able to record and analyze their thoughts and opinions from their perspective, and compare theirs with mine while taking a look into why bias has such an effect when writing.

Ever since I alongside my mother and younger brother emigrated to the United States from Haiti, I have noticed that my family has influenced me one way or another. My family history is present through the strength I continue to emulate from watching my mother work a minimum of three jobs to provide for my brother and I so we would be able to have a chance at carrying out "the American dream". It's present in the stories I hear of ancestors who through their braveness fought alongside Toussaint Louverture in the Haitian Revolution against France or the memories of my mother's childhood as a young girl in the farmlands of Môle-Saint-Nicolas. In learning of my family members bravery or seeing my mother work hard with no complaints, my family's

Looking back to the past, before I was born, I never really knew where my ancestors came from or why they even came here in the first place. It was never made a big deal in my family to talk about our history and the reasons why they came to American. So, I decided to do a little research and find out a little bit about myself, my culture, and my communication styles. I asked for a little bit of help from my grandmothers from each side of my family. I got an abundance of information that opened my eyes to a new past that I didn’t even know about.

It is important for young people to learn about the struggles and adversities that their ancestors went through in order for them to be aware and take advantage of the opportunities that they made possible for them. In fact when students are conscious and mindful of their ancestors struggles countless beliefs and perceptions become to shift and new ones are generated. They are able to use their ancestors struggles as a constant reminder and motivation when wanting to overcome a hardship. Exposure to a more profound aspect of their past creates alertness on why their family may have a particular belief or tradition. Overall acknowledgment of their ancestors hardships elicits young people to use and gain the knowledge their ancestors made possible

Family history is something most people do not know much about. This is unfortunate because some people do not or are unable to value their families past. Family history is important for many different reasons. It can be used to meet family members a person never knew about and for educational purpose. I was fortunate enough to have my grandparents still alive to tell me about their great-grandparents and grandparents. I never truly understand how interesting and important it is to know about where my family came from until I did this project. My family consists of Polish and German immigrants.

Ancestors completely shape their descendents’ lifestyles. Family values are rooted deep in the how a person was raised. My great-grandfather was born in 1924 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was the next to the youngest of eleven brothers. After, his younger brother was born, his father left them. He and the other boys were raised by a single mom, during the Great Depression. Saying he was poor, is putting it mildly. He was dirt poor. He was smart, athletic, and willing to work hard. My great-grandfather, J.C. (Jake) Red, was the cornerstone of my family. He is proof that opportunities are endless, if hard work and determination remain the focus. I only remember bits and pieces about him, I have learned he was a very respected and revered man.

Throughout this semester, I constructed several writing prompts that supported me in creating detailed assignments. Although each one of these writing prompts have assisted me in producing a solid final product, writing prompt six inspired me to elaborate as thoroughly as possible for my ‘Family Tree Project’. Through interviews and online resources, I have been able to discover a substantial amount of information about generations before me. I learned about my older relatives, the significance my family had in their community, and the diversity of my ethnicity. When discussing with my distant cousin Lonnie Melton about my great grandparents, I discovered my great grandmother was a Cherokee Indian. As I constructed writing prompt six, I dove

During class lecture and discussions, I began thinking about how I have been raised and the social location of my family. Once this paper was assigned, I thought more specifically about myself and the effect my social location has on where I am now and the person I am today. Through the lectures, I found myself relating a lot to the content and studies, which we learned are typically done on a middle class family much like my own. Prior to this class, I had mixed thoughts about my family. We are like most families and we are not like most families. Though these thoughts still hold true, I was able to see why I had both and why they conflicted. While we experience the things a typical family experience, these are unique to us. They are impacted

My family history has two distinct sides in the time since World War 2, my mother’s side hails from the south, primarily Arkansas while my father’s family lives in the north, in Pennsylvania Dutch country. Since the Second World War, the world has undergone some radical changes and has gone through very well defined eras. The fifties saw the rebuilding efforts begin in several war torn countries. In the sixties rapid growth in both economics and population had everyone riding high. The seventies saw a movement in which people preached that people needed to be more down to earth and more in tune with nature. The eighties saw rising crisis across the globe. The nineties saw the internet boom and the bust of the Soviet Union. The turn of the millennia saw a continued fight for freedom from oppression and the attempt to improve the lives of those in conflict zones. In all this, my family saw moments in history, and at certain points, were even involved in history.

Family dynamics have changed in many ways over the past fifty to one hundred years. Recreational activities, including hobbies and holidays have changed as the “small world” seemed to expand with inventions of things like vehicular transportation and the internet. The development and sharing of ideas that resulted from increased communication over geographical areas led to changes in some values and beliefs over the years. Economic atmospheres have fluctuated, and with this so did employment opportunities. My paternal grandmother died when I was very young. Complicated relationships between my paternal grandfather and his family lead to a level of estrangement. Unfortunately, these reasons meant that I had little communication or relationship with the eldest members of my father’s family. Instead, over time, the relationships with my mother’s side flourished. For the purposes of this assignment, the maternal side of my family will be discussed.

History isn’t always the glamorous and fast paced events like war, but sometimes it's just explaining things the average Joe might experience during his time on the Earth. This paper will not have any war or conflicts that are life or death for the delicate system of a community, but it's history nonetheless. The History of my family and how it connects to bring us decades later to where we are today.

When I first started this project I didn’t know a lot about my family history. I was told that my mom’s side was from Germany and that my dad’s side is from Ireland and while I was able to verify that I also learned so much more. I was about to located two different 4th great grandparents on Ancestry.com and uncover over 40 relatives that I never knew about dating back until 1800. I am grateful for what I have learned in the process of writing this paper because without it I may have never learned about my true culture and the family I come from.

As a young man, I was raised by my Grandparents. It was from my Grandfather that I learned how to be a man. From him, I acquired the value of a great work ethic, the importance of truthfulness, and of living a life that not only you but, of one that your family could be proud. My Grandfather would always say something impressing that having a good name would carry me further than anything else in life. There is an essay in Ideas Across Time: Classic And Contemporary Readings For Composition, by Igor Webb, in which Socrates makes a statement that reminds me of the words that I would often hear from my Grandfather. Plato writes, in Socrate’s Defense (Apology), after being sentenced to death, Socrates tells the jury that “nothing can harm a

Saturday mornings was our time or more like my time to debrief. The trees hovered over us, along with the identical apartment buildings across the street. Children played games on the sidewalk without a care in the world. Music played out loud from a neighbor’s window, and an ambulance wailed in the distance. Men strolled around, and cigarette aroma filled the air. There, outside of her apartment complex, on the concrete steps we talked. Talking to my grandma was my safe place where I could speak freely. She would make things make it easier with her advice or sometimes just listen. Although she couldn’t relate to many of my issues, she never failed at giving the best advice.