Hello, my name is Shawntrell Washington. I am the son of Shawna Redman and Terrell Washington Sr., and I am one of six children. When I was about nine years old, my great-aunt passed away. God rest her beautiful soul. While they were making her obituary, I overheard that my great-grandmother had a son who passed away three months after birth. So, I started asking questions like where he was buried and what his name was. My great-grandmother told me he was her only son, his name was Ronald Anthony Twyman, and he is buried in Thorn Rose Hill Cemetery, which is right up the street from my grandmother's home.

I asked my mother to take me there, and she did. When we arrived, there was no headstone or marker made for the baby. So, when I reached the age of 12, I was old enough to walk there by myself. I have always enjoyed cleaning up graves and putting flowers back on them neatly, and I would collect flowers thrown on the side and put them on the graves of people who did not have any trivial things like that. In 2015, I was able to get together with some friends, and we made my grandmother's son a wooden cross. One time, we were having a family occasion at my great-grandmother's home, and they had sent me up there to make sure she was okay.

When I got up there, I saw an old photograph of a white woman. She had brown eyes and grey hair. I asked my great-grandmother, "Grandma? Who is this white woman?" She looked at me and said, "Sweetheart, that white woman happens to be your great-great-grandmother." I started asking all kinds of questions about her, like what her name was, who her parents were, and how many siblings she had.

So, she told me, "Well, dear, I called her Mom. She started laughing, but her name was Cora Lee Redman. Her father's name was Arch, and her mother's name was Anna. She was one of 13 children." From there on, my insane urge to want to do family history began. I was so obsessed that I asked some of my hometown friends who their grandparents were, and I would talk to their parents and more. Would you believe some of their great-great-grandparents were a sibling to my great-great-grandma Cora? Some people from my hometown were related to me even farther down the line. People would always ask me, "Shawntrell, what is your obsession with your family tree for?"

I would always respond to this and still do. It would be such a shame for me or a far-down-the-line relative to be in the hospital and not know there was a family member right around the corner. It is also a respectful thing. I do it because you should always know your family roots. When it comes to "Black History," a lot of sacrifices were made. Some involved babies being taken away from their mommies for absolutely no good reason at all. No matter what color, race, or branch I have broken from, I have tried my hardest to learn them all.

I am only 20 years old now and am still digging for more. Also, anyone who needs help in their search for family, I would be glad to help you on your search as well. I will transfer memorials I have made to other families' memorials to other living family members. But if you are my relative, then if you are more immediate than I am, I will consider transferring the memorial to you!