Family Reunion

I’m feeling quite good after attending the Drakeford, Gaskin, Kirkland family reunion this weekend in Charleston, SC. I had an amazing time conversing with family members that I haven’t seen in almost 10 years and it was great to see my 95 year old great aunt moving around as if she was at least 20 years younger.

We took a tour of Drayton Hall Plantation on Saturday which was extremely mind opening. The guides explained the lives of the enslaved Africans at Drayton Hall and also some of the history of the plantation. I learned that my ancestors (on the Kirkland side) originated from Kershaw County South Carolina and the one of the owners of my ancestors was a man by the name of Daniel Kirkland who’s father John Kirkland was born in Scotland in the 1750s. I also learned about the Gullah people who were the African Americans who lived in the Lowcountry and that night we had some Gullah cuisine which was phenomenal.

It was amazing to look at my family tree and see the connection that I have to the men and woman of my family who lived during the slavery era of the United States. The slavery era seems so long ago but I’m only about 5 generations separated from it. That’s mind blowing to me to say the least.

The little that I learned this weekend about my ancestors was amazing and definitely motivated me to learn even more about them. Overall, I had a great time this weekend with family and friends, and I definitely am looking forward to spending more time with them in the future.

Fred