Comments on: Who Do You Think You Are? Episode 7 – Spike Lee

By: HistoryProf

HistoryProf — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:12:39 +0000

This was my favorite episode without a doubt. Susan’s comes in a close second. For those who seem unaware of the harsh realities of slavery – I teach this everyday and while I found Spike Lee’s responses painfully raw, I also found his assumptions to be fairly accurate. Further to number #21 (Pat Adams), I’d urge you to read books on Southern history as well as general books on the slave trade – any slave trade from any era, really. When an owner of any color has a sexual relationship with an entity they own as property – that relationship cannot be viewed through any sort of lens of normalcy.

By: Rebecca Carden

Rebecca Carden — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:17:53 +0000

Gail,
I would also love to get in touch with you. I have a lot of info on the Woodall’s.

You didn’t give an email address, so I don’t know how to contact you.

Like I said, mine is, rebeccacarden@att.net

Please let me know how I can get in touch with you or, you get in touch with me!

I’m very interested in all this.

Do you know who James W. Woodall’s father was?

Please get in touch, or let me know how I can get in touch with you.

Thank you,

Becky Carden, rebeccacarden@att.net

By: Andy Hatchett

Andy Hatchett — Mon, 10 May 2010 06:53:27 +0000

Not forgetting is one thing.

Continuing to be angry about something that happened over 100 years ago to someone one you never knew is quite another. It accomplishes little and is a huge waste of energy.

By: Daisy

Daisy — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:29:54 +0000

So many seems to be so angry at Spike Lee, has times changed?? Slavery did happen, Black women were raped by their owners, maybe not all, but enough to keep some of us upset. Should we forget what happened or is it possible to forget?? I enjoyed all the series, but like Spike I’ll never forget. Times haven’t changed much…..ask Pres. Obama! The COLOR of ones skin still matters, not the content of their character.

By: Rebecca Carden

Rebecca Carden — Mon, 10 May 2010 01:51:55 +0000

Gail Long,
I read your email about your Woodall’s.

Could you get in touch with me.

Maybe there is a connection.

Becky Carden, rebeccacarden@att.net

By: Rebecca Carden

Rebecca Carden — Mon, 10 May 2010 01:29:26 +0000

A little more info. I saw info that the James Woodall, and Mary Kitchens, were married I believe in 1843 in Jones Co. Ga.

Becky Carden

By: Rebecca Carden

Rebecca Carden — Mon, 10 May 2010 01:26:56 +0000

I have to comment on the last episode about Spike Lee.

I have watched every episode, and adore this show!

When, I saw the name Woodall, come up, I got goose bumps.

I descend from Woodalls, and they were all over Ga.

I just had a feeling, there might be some connection going on.

It listed the owner of Mars as James W. Woodall. I looked through all my Woodall, info, and couldn’t find anything, but still felt there was a connection.

A friend, just sent me info, and I have a James M. Woodall, so the initials could have been mixed up.

The info, states, he was married to a Mary Kitchens, and I did see on the census, that James Woodall’s wife was named Mary.

Anyway, it appears, that James W. or M. Woodall, was my GGGGrandfather’s brother!

I also found info, that James Woodall, sold land to the Samuel Griswold, that was Spike Lee’s ancestor.

I feel so terrible about this. It breaks my heart.

The James W.or M. Woodall, was the son of James B. Woodall, and Rebecca Watson, who I directly descend from!

The James W. or M. Woodall, was born in Jones Co. Ga., where a lot of my Woodall’s were, and he died in Terrell Co. Ga.

I’m still in shock!

By: dolores

dolores — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:14:57 +0000

I would love to see a show about how to research native ancestry. So many of us are of the Scotch-Irish heritage mixed with Native American. In my family someone got us struck off the rolls of two tribes. That plus the fact that Oklahoma, Indian Territory, has such sketchy records, it is nearly impossible to find anything. Add to that the shame that many had for being Indian.
Also I would like to add, that regardless of our lineage, the real shame of the past is when we focus only on the misdeeds of our ancestors(some of mine were criminal and incestuous)and not on the rest of our family. We are the sum of more than a few individuals. The damage has already been done-lets shed light on the dark secrets, dispel their power and move forward to honor the others that are worthy of our efforts and attention.
Who won the contest, please let it be me!!!!

By: Annika4

Annika4 — Fri, 07 May 2010 07:21:02 +0000

I would like to know about my (Puerto Rican)maternal ancestry. It has been so hard to find anything, and what I have found is that their names are always misspelled because the forms were written for them due to the fact that they were mostly illiterate. I all ready know from my father’s (Puerto Rican) side so far that they came from Venezuela, Galicia, St. Croix, and the Netherlands…

By: Annika4

Annika4 — Fri, 07 May 2010 07:12:19 +0000

I agree the show should focus on non-celebrities, like my husband, an amerasian child left behind (or maybe he got killed)by his GI father during the Vietnam war. (Thankfully another GI who was stationed in Vietnam married his mother knowing full well she wasn’t carrying his child, and claimed him as his son and brought them to the US.) That’s all he knows about him. Nothing else. I hope there is someway (and that he is living)we can find out about his ancestry, and that of his mother’s side who’s family is unknown because she was “adopted” by another family who escaped from what was once North Vietnam before all hell broke loose.