09/27/2022
By Dana Cohen
Ancestor Appreciation Day: What About The Unsavory Legacies?
Local, state, tribal, and federal agencies use data about ancestry to plan – and evaluate – government programs and policies to ensure that they equitably serve the needs of all groups. As preservationists, this heritage and history are of interest as we work to protect the diverse culture – and the tangible cultural heritage that comes with it – that fills communities over time. Today, on Ancestor Appreciation Day, we celebrate that cultural heritage, including art, food, clothing, styles of architecture, stories, music and knowledge that are passed down to create a sense of belonging.
It also seemed like a fitting time to share a story from our President & CEO Nicholas Redding on his own ancestry. A tangled – and true – web of false identities, bounty jumping (enlisting during the Civil War to collect a bounty and then desert), horse theft, and time in prison. This is a story about what happens when your ancestors are not crowned with glory, and highlights how fascinating ancestry research can be.
