We are on the road. It seems like a blur—Maryland, then Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. This morning, Alabama. Every place has a different story in my family tree and another set of stories and meanings for the Ancestors who lived in each state and county. I am overwhelmed with the thought of just seeing the places that my Ancestors were and imagining the lives they lived.
Our first event was in North Carolina hosted by Flyleaf Books, an Independent Bookstore in Chapel Hill. Sponsored by ChopNC and UNC Chapel Hill’s Southern Historical Collection, I gave a talk on enslaved foodways in colonial and antebellum North Carolina. The reporter covering the event for the Durham Herald-News was named Cliff Bellamy–a white guy. If you’ve been keeping up with the blogs, you know that was the last name of my great-great-great grandfather Richard Henry Bellamy, born to planter families in northeastern NC. His Bellamy’s were part of a line that went to South Carolina from England and then to North Carolina. Essentially, if you went way way way way back you’d probably find we have a common male ancestor. I’m fully prepared for more of these “coincidences” as we make our way further on the tour.
In the upcoming days I will profile my experiences cooking at Somerset Place and my first time back in Alabama since age 14. Until then, enjoy a few shots from the tour as it has progressed!
The Cooking Gene 