6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (Genesis 6:1-6 KJV)

          There are a great scramble people trying to trace the lineage of themselves and their family. In this blog I will write mostly about Black peoples (this is Black History Month) and their quest to trace their lineage. Most Black people have a mixed and, sometimes, suspect ancestry.

          While not going back to the beginning of time, I will focus on the beginning of slavery in the United States until the present time while making this short. Everyone knows about our slavery but relatively few know the intricate workings of the trade, nor do they know about the intentional mix of the Black people.

          The intentional mix of the different African tribes is because the White people did not want those that spoke the same language to plan an uprising or escape. That is also the reason they did not want Blacks to read and write. To keep them ignorant was intentional and, in some cases, still the norm.

          Most people never heard about the breeding plantations that was very profitable for those Whites that established the business. That way the plantations had a source of labor that they could quickly buy.

          I said all of that to say this. There is no way a Black person can say exactly who their ancestors are, nor can they say exactly which plantation the ancestors were born. A lot of children were sold to other plantations and men and women were separated and sold.

          Then there is the fact of kin marrying or cohabitating with kin with or without their knowledge. Also mixed in this is the White owner, male or female, having their way with the Black male or female and the resulting children sold or kept to work within the house. That happened more than any White person want to admit.

          I think about Genesis, and I see incest. Two begat whatever the number of children. Those children have nowhere to go to find a mate but between themselves which begat whatever the number of children and the multiplying began to get larger and spread out. So as it was during the United States slavery days.

          I would love to trace my family tree, but I know much would be missed. Only God know for sure, and I know that my family tree contains White people and Cherokee Indian. Therefore, my family is the family I have now. The tracing of a family tree becomes cloudier when infidelity, etc. is included. Is there any assurance that a marriage is not a marriage between kin? Only God knows for sure.