Finding family

It is quite simple to find your family these days, as all it requires is a DNA swab!
However I am getting a lot of pleasure finding mine the good old fashioned way, ie. word of mouth and direct connections.

Some of my cousins residing in Seattle

What is interesting, is that for decades I was under the impression that I had a very small family and even envied my ex-husband at times, as his family was so large and together. It is only over the last decade that I have discovered that I too have quite a big family, from my father's side too. 

Big sister Flo

Interestingly, that is where the deficiency always was, I thought, for I only met my paternal grandfather once and that occasion was terrifying to me. As I recall, he wore dark glasses and had a long white beard and at about four years old, I had never seen anyone else with these attributes, so I was  deathly scared of him.

He died shortly after that frightening encounter, so that could be the reason why over all these decades, I showed no interest in his side of the family. That is, until my brother who lives in Canada informed me that our paternal grandfather was one of fourteen siblings, scattered all over the world including Cuba.

I was especially thrilled to hear I had relatives in Cuba, for that neighboring island is to me, one of the most beautiful places on earth (natural beauty but spoilt in part by terrible government) and I had already visited it three times, without realizing the family connections.

 So in 2014, off I went to the island just 90 miles away from my home in  Jamaica, to meet those relatives and was thrilled to meet 17 cousins living there. 

The matriarch had quite a bit of information about our family, informing me that,at the turn of the 20th century, two sisters travelled from Jamaica to Cuba to take advantage of job opportunities in the neighboring island. However, one sister later moved on to the United States (USA) but her mom remained on the island, hence my 17 cousins from three generations.

Posing with Judy and Cheryl

On another occasion, while visiting my cousin Sheila who also resides between Canada and Jamaica, I had the pleasure of meeting two cousins who live in Seattle, USA and were searching for their Jamaican roots. 

Well my latest trek was partly to see them in Seattle and meet the rest of their family, as I was in nearby Vancouver , Canada and was going across to stay with a long-time Jamaican friend who lives there and has not been in the best of health.

My instincts were on target, for the sisters Judy and Cheryl welcomed me with open arms and gave me the opportunity to meet so many more wonderful relatives, including their step-mother Mrs. Braxton, their big  sister Flo, her grandson Jacob and brothers Jerry and Trevor. Interestingly, that side of the family is intermarried with Japanese, Aleut Indian from Alaska and Jews.

We all had such a pleasant lunch together at a Jamaican restaurant which was not short of photos of our well known celebrities including the one above of the fastest man in the world, standing on a globe. I had seen many posters of Bolt all over, but the one of him posing on top of a globe which is most appropriate, was new to me.


Before the luncheon, we had visited UMOJA FEST 2019, an annual event which celebrates the almost 140 years that the Black community of Seattle has called the Central District their home.

 Naturally, Jamaica featured big there too,  as a stall operated by Lorna, a Rastafari from  the parish St. Thomas, was prominent there, offering Jamaican food which was  bubbling when we arrived.

A political booth at the festival

I was thrilled to see politics playing a part there too!

I had long heard of the TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL who claim to be original Jews,  so was curious to learn more about them. They also had a stall at the fair and some members were there, decked out in their uniforms.

They quote extensively from Deuteronomy and their message is totally crazy, as set out in pamphlet entitled; "The truth about slavery."  

It declared in part that "Ham, the youngest son of Noah, born probably 96 years before the flood, he became the progenitor of the dark races NOT THE NEGROES, but of the Egyptians, Ethiopians, Libyans and Canaanites." Africans " (Ham  is the father of all African nations NOT HE NEGROES!!!)

They further added to my confusion with the claim "AFRICANS SOLD THE NEGROES FOR GUNS."!!!

Buffalo soldiers

They totally lost me although I found their uniforms very attractive.

Also in the parade was a band representing the Buffalo soldiers. 

The crowing glory of my time with cousins Judy, Cheryl and Jerry was when they took me to the fabulous concert at Jazz Alley, downtown Seattle, featuring award winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum whose band traveled the world  for seven years, while backing the late, great Whitney Houston .

I was totally enthralled by the performance, though it was interspersed with the Christian messages, as Mr. Whalum is a  minister of religion I understand.  But I did  not find his message offensive, as I usually do!

With the great Kirk Whalum

In fact his rendition of some well known gospel songs was really thrilling.

He also interspersed his performance with social commentary, calling on the audience to go out and vote to get rid of the millstone around the neck of the American nation.

 I was honored to meet him after the concert and get a gift of a copy of his CD, from Jerry. 

The pianist John

That was when I learnt that his pianist John, who sings like the late Marvin Gaye, has Jamaican roots, in St. Catherine to be exact, through his father.

 He tells me he has a family reunion there every other year.

It was an absolutely wonderful day with my relatives in Seattle who I have to keep in touch with for years to come.