Willie Charles Barwick ~ my Maternal Grandfather

Most of you don’t know that I am in the process of purchasing 150 glass-plate negatives from the historic Rensler’s Photography Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Willie Charles Barwick

Rensler’s opened its doors in the early 1900’s and closed-up shop in 1989. With the closing of the family-owned studio, thousands of historic images and/or glass-plate negatives were sold.

Many named images with associated records, from the years 1950-1989, went to Cincinnati Historical Society. These images live in storage, uncatalogued and totally unavailable to the community.

Hannah Barwick

Thousands of unidentified images, pre-1950, were sold to Cincinnati locals and I am working with two of these gentlemen to identify and purchase 150 African-American Rensler images from the earliest years through 1950.

Elizabeth {Ella} Barwick

Why do I care? Aside from having a soft-spot for unnamed Ancestors, my Georgia and Alabama lines intersected in Cincinnati by way of my Maternal Grandparents, Fannie Louella JACKSON and William Charles BARWICK.

Lena Barwick

At the time, Rensler’s was one of the few studios willing to photograph African-American people, so over the years my family often turned to the studio to capture special moments. My cherished 1930 Catie WINGFIELD DORSEY Rensler image allowed me to see my 4th Grandmother for the first time and the BARWICK siblings original Rensler images {seen throughout this post} from the late 1930s are my prized possession!

Yes, I’m hoping my purchase of the unknown, will reveal more of my missing family to me. However, should I receive 150 Ancestors with no ancestral connection to me, I will be just as content.

James & Mary Barwick

I will believe whoever comes to me was intended to and I will honor them by sharing them with the genealogy community in the hope they can be identified and eventually returned to their loved one.

We shall see what happens… I’m uber-excited to say the least!:-)

Also expect future updates on the larger effort underway by me and a few Genea-Friends, to preserve the several thousand remaining glass-plate negatives.

A descendants work is never done…

Luckie.

[Note: Both Great Aunt Hannah and Lena are still living in Cincinnati. I hope to travel there to see them this month!:-]

The Barwick Sisters, all five – Aunts Lena, Dorothy, Ella, Helen and Hannah.

Cousin Glenza, this is for you because I know how badly you wish to see the living Sisters {Lena, Hannah & Helen}.

Looking forward to July 2010.

Luckie.

It has truly been a SUPER-busy but blessed week for me! Seems like my formal name change on Tuesday switched on a light & I’ve been in motion ever since — putting my promises of progress/change in 2010 to action.

At the top of my list – honoring my commitment to the LowCountry Africana team to provide coordination support for the collection of Georgia [Low-Country] records.

Well I’m happy to report, early this morning in the wee-hours, the LowCountry Africana – Georgia Records Collection went live! Yep, that’s right — we’re gearing up to kick some Georgia genealogy *brick wall* booty!:-)

In the upcoming months I’ll take on several genealogy projects that will have a deep impact and benefit to the African-American researcher tracing slave ancestry in Georgia — trust me. And as part of my genealogy commitment for 2010, I’ll continue to assist descendants of slave holding families with sharing their Ancestors slave data.

This work is essential to connecting our collective “genea-dots” and bringing historical peace to our Ancestors.

For my Friends and Family who have supported me here at Our Georgia Roots for almost 2 yrs now (wow – that long?!) – THANK YOU. One day you will know, in full transparency, just how much I depended on this community to pull me through one of the toughest periods of my life.

But let me also challenge you to keep up the work of supporting genealogy blogs as a whole, and Slave/African-American Ancestry-based dialogues specifically.

As a community, we have a lot of “catch-up” work to do and a very unique task that differs from the average researcher — that of researching the slave AND the respective slave holder.

We must TALK, we must SHARE, we must CONNECT and while I love OGR @ Twitter, it is your support on the blog(s) that has posterity. Tweets are what they are meant to be — brief, fleeting connection points.

Support of a blog and/or community, not only encourages the author, it binds him/her to the community and many times is instrumental in beating down a long-standing brick wall.

So please, if you are not blogging – head to Blogger.com now, you’ll be live in MINUTES. If you are not sharing — jump in to the conversation now. If you are not documenting — pick up the pen, paper or mouse now and get busy!

Our Ancestors have waited long enough to have their memories revived and stories shared. Don’t allow you, the chosen Griot of your family to be the barrier in their way.

Now, enough lectures — go read LCA Georgia Collections Launches! Time To Work! cause we’re gonna shake the tree at the root Baby and gather a bounty of Genea-fruit!:-)

Luckie.
@LCAfricanaGA

The last two living BARWICK siblings, Aunts Hannah and Lena BARWICK.

Aunt Hannah will turn 90 yrs. old on Dec 28th!:-)

Luckie.

Color guard consisting of African Americans Corporal Gilbert Henderson, Staff Sergeant Edward W. Malone, and Sergeant John Pierce, Antiaircraft Artillery and Guided Missiles Center, Fort Bliss, Texas, July 25, 1946.

Honoring our Veterans of past and present, lest we forget…

Luckie.

[Image Source: NYPL, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / Photographs and Prints Division]

This is my FAVORITE picture of all — the BARWICK siblings, my Mom Geraldine & her big brother Walter [both living].

I’ve always gotten a kick how it’s the exact replica of one taken some 30 years earlier of our Georgia cousins, the STRINGER siblings, Johnnie Mae & Elbert!

Wasn’t Little Gerrie adorable?!:-)

Luckie.

Susie King Taylor {1848-1912}

Susie Baker King Taylor was the first African American to teach openly in a school for former slaves in Georgia. As the author of  Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers, she was the only African American woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences.

Learn more…

Each one, teach one…

Luckie.

You talk about a girl with her chest puffed up!

Reading the Obituary of my Uncle James BARWICK {my Grandfather Willie BARWICK’S baby Brother} I recently learned that he was a decorated World War II Army Veteran! WOW!

Uncle James was known for being ridiculously handsome — which we can all see — but I never knew he fought in WW2?!

An excerpt from Uncle James 1994 Obituary:

He was a veteran of World War II, having served in the Army in the Amphibious Tank Corp as a mechanic. He was in the D-Day Normandy Beachhead in France, 1945. His Battalion was one of the first to invade the shore, and they suffered many casualties; he also served in Germany when the war ended. He received an Honorable Discharge and received numerous meritorious awards. 

How cool is that?!

Of course, I couldn’t learn  of all this FABULOSITY & not start snooping around for his military service records! Lucky me {no pun intended!:-} I found the 1943 Cincinnati Enlistment record for  Uncle James!

Okay, now I just won’t be satisfied until I find a picture of Uncle James in uniform!

Stay tuned…

Luckie.

All day I’ve been thinking of a way to pay homage to both the survivors & victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Hard to believe it’s been 4 yrs already! I remember the sting — the devastation, the suffering, the loss, the governmental neglect & fumbles. The children. My anger & cringing EVERY time I heard the word “refugee”!

When not in shock, I would just watch CNN & feel TOTALLY useless. I was so angry with my family for not donating to the displaced families brought to Georgia Tech. I just wanted to do something — anything to help.

But I have to wonder if we as a society have forgotten the suffering & injustice we witnessed? Has Katrina & her aftertaste been put on the social-conscious back-burner?

As I sat down to pen this post, I overheard a random news quote from a CNN reporter covering Katrina:

“If years from now, we don’t gather to discuss race relations, socio economic disadvantages & poverty in America, we the media, have failed to do our jobs.”

I’m still waiting for the conversation. Did I miss it? Will an honest, open, civil dialogue about racial injustice in America EVER take place?

To my Sister who believes “The train has already left the station” & that honest talk is well on its way, I certainly pray you’re right.

In truth, the best way to honor the suvivors & victims of Katrina is to REMEMBER. To take action & prevent the wrongs from ever, EVER happening again.

Lennon’s “Imagine” has been in my spirit the entire day – so I leave it with you now.

Seems appropriate for today… Imagine.

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

Luckie.

Willie C. Barwick {my Maternal Grandfather} – Woodward High School Football Team
Cincinnati, Ohio 1936