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I have been considering this idea for quite a while. I originally began this quest for my family’s history in 1993. It was extremely difficult and I had no idea where to start, so I gave it up; yet, I never lost the desire to know more about my roots. My entire life I have never met any members from my father’s family. All I knew was that he was from Port Huron, Michigan and that we had family in Detroit. I also knew that my grandfather was from Monroe, Georgia and had migrated to Michigan during the 1920s. When I would speak to others about their relationships with their grandparents, I always felt empty – I never had the opportunity to speak with mine. I did not even know their names! After my first child was born, I took him home to California for our “Turn Of The Century” reunion to meet his aunts, uncles, and most importantly, his grandparents. It was a bittersweet experience because it reminded me that I never received this chance in my life. Yet, it was beautiful because my parents were able to hold and bond with THEIR grandson. It was at that time when I decided to rekindle the old desires to find out who my grandparents were and how they lived.
My father always mentioned the fact his parents never really discussed life in Georgia and did not entertain many questions when asked. The attitude was not to ask because you were not going to be told. So obviously, this lack of knowledge led to a huge gap in understanding where we came from and why we were the way we were. Not passing down the history of our family and ancestors, in effect, cut us off from the clan. My understanding for why this happened was because my grandfather did not want his children to experience the type of harsh and brutal living conditions he had to deal with growing up in the South. Especially since he was the first generation of “born free” Hawks in his family. He figured the less they knew the less they would want to go back. There may have been other reasons why this happened, but, it is not my place to pass judgement. What I can do is collect as much information and history available and slowly piece everything together to formulate a logical chain of events shaping and evolving our family history. I know this will not be an easy task. Many people began to feel leery when others start asking questions about their family, especially personal information. My only intention is to create a tool or reference book to pass on to future generations allowing them the opportunity to know and understand their history. Where they came from, as well as, the many adversities their ancestors had to persevere. Also to give them an understanding of how they fit into society’s fabric. I firmly believe if you do not know your own history, you will continuously walk in an endless mist. This site will be the instrument used to hopefully fill this void.
Thus far I have been able to identify five generations of our family line stretching from pre Civil War Era to present day. Our family extends from Georgia to Michigan to California. Also, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Ohio. We are also an international family with lines in Japan, Philippines and Ukraine. We have served our country faithfully in all five generations with family members in the US Army, US Air Force, US Navy and the US Marines. We have seen combat in WW I, WW II, Korea and Vietnam. We have also served in modern day conflicts to include the Persian Gulf and Bosnia, while participating in the war on terror and the rebuilding of Iraq. The family lines are very extensive and at times extremely frustrating to find. When I start feeling overwhelmed, I just think back to my parents and my son – that usually does the trick. So, I invite you to on a trip into the proud history of our family. I hope you can feel and appreciate the dedication and efforts of many beautiful people who helped bring all this together. I extend my most sincere gratitude to everyone involved in this project. Enjoy!
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