Middleton Reunion, paradox and irony
Friday morning I’m leaving for the Middleton Reunion. It is a reunion of the descendents of Middleton Place, a plantation near Charleston South Carolina that was the birthplace of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, presidents of the Continental Congress, revolutionary soldiers and several governors of that state, of whom I (maternal line) am a direct descendent.
They were also slave-holders. This is the beginning of the irony and paradox.. only the beginning…
Our entire nation lives with the paradox of founding patriots who fought, wrote and created a nation for liberty… and owned slaves. It’s my heritage. Two of my great grandmothers (maternal) were raised from long lines of these ancestors on these planations. My other maternal great grandmother was from the Berkeley Plantation in Virginia from whom I get other direct ancestors: a president, several Virginia governors (including the first), another signer .
My paternal great grandmothers on the other hand were descendents of Native Americans (and some African American slaves) and German immigrants.
Interesting paradox to have one side of your family the founders of a nation that eventually nearly decimated the culture of another side of your family.. and then another side immigrate in.. and .. well, it’s all so fascinating.
But this descendent of the founders of our nation (for which I’m grateful) and slaveholders (which I wish I could go back and say.. “how could you?”), now has a daughter who is, well…
a descendent of slaves (and a few freemen, including French and Native American, but that’s all the mix of this isn’t it? this paradox).
Now the Middleton Reunion comes in.
This is the first reunion in which the descendents of the slaves from Middleton Place are invited. Yes, it’s the 21st century and this is the first time. It has something to do with ‘documentation’ and proving one is a descendent (which is difficult if not impossible for most African-Americans) and I’m sure latent (and not so latent) racism. But there you have it. ALL the descendents of that place are now going to be there.
THis is my first Middleton Reunion. It’s a private affair of only family. My mother and step-father are going.
Guy, I and Emma were also going to go.. and so the paradoxes really start.
First, South Carolina just passed its ‘anti-gay equality’ amendment yesterday by huge margins and now I’m going to the state.. the center of it’s culture and history in fact.
But more than that, Emma was going. But she wasn’t going as a descendent of the slaves of Middleton Place, but rather as a descendent of the slaveholders (by adoption of course).. though she is a descendent of slaves.
Damn weird world.
I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around it. What should I feel about it, and how am I going to talk to Emma about this in the future.
The one good thing that would come of that visit is to show that world that _the_ world is changing. Two men with a daughter, transracial family… changing the face of that reunion.
But, Guy and Emma aren’t going. In the end, we couldn’t afford it.
So it’s just me. Probably for the better, it will give me time to think about it, experience it and eventually make it part of our ’story’.
About The Author
Greetings,
Looking for any information about slave that were owned by the Middleton family and upon being given freedom were sent of chose to go to Liberia.
Any information would be appreciated.
Tim
Reply to Tim GilmanI know of none, but there was a book that we learned about at this reunion about the story of slaves of this region. I’ll have to look it up.
Reply to Trey