Echoes of Resistance (Part 4)

Read Part 3

It was the mid-2000s, and I was investigating my Cherokee genealogy. Emma was the missing link. She came into my life as an echo, tugging at my heart and soul. She was the link between what I already knew about my great-grandmother, Estelle, and what lay beyond in the person and spirit of Emma’s mother, Annie. Emma was my great-great-grandmother and was born in Georgia in 1859. I remember my grandmother telling me that “three Lenoir sisters married three Roberts brothers.” Emma Elizabeth Lenoir, Annie’s youngest daughter, married Alexander P. Roberts, and she was on the Cherokee Hester Roll of 1883-84.

Emma met resistance in a disease-ridden world. She perished during the Asiatic Flu pandemic of 1889-90. As I write this, I’m making my way, slowly, through a bout of pneumonia. I think about how hard things must have been back when the world lacked the type and levels of healthcare we have today, and I give thanks for what I have. Not surprisingly, in the Echoes of Resistance series, the McNair sisters must confront disease, along with other challenges. Molly’s Trail of Tears retracing journey turns out to be a bit more than she bargained for.

When I think of Emma, I don’t think of the spirit of ugly politics and strained European-Indian relations. Instead, I think of integrity, beauty, and loyalty. Her spirit reminds me of the one pictured in the accompanying photo, my bride of nearly 30 years. The echo of Emma peeks over the top of my world and, smiling, whispers that she’s grateful I haven’t forgotten her or the rest of our Cherokee ancestors for whom the sun has set.

Though there is much to resist today, there will always be more to celebrate.

Gadugi,

Bryan

Read Part 5