We're Booker T. Washington's White Relatives: Geneology Reveals Surprises
Four or five years ago we took a trip to the Carolinas, Virginia, and Tennessee, where we did some genealogy work. One place we made a point of going was to the Booker T. Washington memorial in Virginia, which was built on the farm of James Burroughs.
We arrived there to find a small family cemetery in front of the main park building. In the cemetery, we found the graves of some of the Burroughs family who had owned the farm. They had also owned Booker T., his mother, brother and sister.
Inside the building, we saw pictures of some of the Burroughs family. The young woman working there said a former employee had done a lot of research on the Burroughs family, and she went to the files and pulled out a folder of information. In it we soon found that the family had a daughter named Ellen America Burroughs. I recognized that name from my husband's information in the family tree program. It was not an easy name to forget.
He went to our vehicle and retrieved a print-out of his research on the Burroughs family and sure enough, there was the entire family, including the same Ellen America. We soon figured out that the owner of the farm and the slaves had been a brother to my husband's great-great grandfather.
That sounds like a long way back, but if my dad, who died in 1997, were still alive, he would be a great-great grandfather many times over. And his brother, whom we still visit in California, would be the same relation to our seven-month-old great-grandson as this slave owner was to my husband.
My father-in-law was the only older member of the Burroughs family I ever knew, and he was the epitome of gentleness and kindness. It was hard to picture relatives of his having owned slaves. Needless to say, neither of us was happy about having slave owners in the family background.
We bought a book written by Booker T. and one written about him and his family. There was some interesting information in those books.
It seems Booker T. was half-white, and the man who fathered him was reputed to be the "no-account son of a neighbor." Booker T.'s brother, John, also half-white, was said to have been fathered by Benjamin Burroughs, who was the obviously "no account" son of John's mother's owner, James Burroughs. From Booker's account, John was a wonderful brother and son. In one book I found a picture of John, took it to my husband and asked, "Who does this look like?"
"My brother George," he said. And John did, indeed, bear a strong resemblance to my husband's oldest brother, in spite of having a beard and darker skin.
One thing that impressed me about John was his willingness to suffer discomfort for his younger brother, Booker. Booker wrote that the only garment he remembered owning till after the slaves were freed was a long shirt made from the leftovers of flax, which he said was so scratchy when new that it was almost unbearable to wear. He said that when his old shirt would wear out and he would have to break in a new one, John would wear it for him long enough to soften it up.
Booker's mother apparently was a Godly woman, but of course she had had no say in who took advantage of her. She was married, but her husband had been sold and transported to another state. His last name was Washington, so Booker T. took that name for his own.
After being freed from slavery and traveling to where their step-father lived, both boys worked at numerous jobs till Booker was finally able to attend school and later, college. Although Booker worked all through college, John would send him every penny he could spare to help him out. After Booker T. had graduated from college and had become the director of Tuskegee Institute, he sent for John and a boy his mother had adopted, put them through school, and later gave them good jobs.
As for the Burroughs family, Booker wrote that although the "master" was not as hard on his slaves as some were, he apparently still whipped them when they displeased him. One of the Burroughs daughters took exception to that statement when she read the book years later, saying that her father was "no harder on them than he was on his own children."
Booker commented that the youngest Burroughs son, Billy, used to plead for leniency for the slaves when his father was set on punishing them. When Billy was killed in the Civil War, the slaves mourned for him as much as the family did. Billy is buried in the family cemetery in front of the memorial building.
We learned a lot about the Burroughs family on this trip. Most of them were apparently good people, including James Burroughs' brother who was my husband's great-great grandfather and a medical doctor, and a business owner who lived in McMinnville, TN.
But what impressed me most was that someone who started out with absolutely nothing but the shirt on his back, and a scratchy one at that, could become such a wonderful example for the world to follow. Booker T. Washington must have possessed an incredible amount of integrity, wisdom, and a hunger for knowledge.
Today so many people whine about their lack of opportunity in life, using that as an excuse for never amounting to anything. They should read Booker's T. Washington's "Up From Slavery." He's the perfect example for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world.
Published by Pat Burroughs
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19 Comments
Post a CommentTo "RedWingsSuck" if you could get one of Booker's descendants to give a sample of DNA to compare to yours, I'm sure you could have a test done that would work. But DNA tests are expensive. We bought 2 books at the Booker T. Washington memorial and in the one called simply "Booker T. Washington" it says about his father: "In all probability he was the shiftless son of a neighboring farmer named Ferguson." In the other book, "Up From Slavery" which was written by Booker (can't lay my hands on it right this minute) it says his mother gave him the name Taliaferro but doesn't say why. So I'm thinking short of a DNA test, no one will ever know. I'm wondering if some historical or other agency might be willing to fund a couple of DNA tests for the Ferguson and Taliaferro families, as that might make it official as to who his father was. I'm not going to venture a guess on it. The Burroughs man who messaged me that James Burroughs himself fathered Booker could also be right, but Booker sure doesn't look like a Burroughs. His brother John, said to be fathered by James Burroughs' son, looks enough like my husband's great nephew to be his brother. Thanks for writing and if you or anyone else should learn anything definite, please share it with us here.
The T in Booker T. Washington stands for the name that his mother gave him at birth, Booker Taliaferro. He later took his stepfathers first name Washington. The Taliaferro farm was the neighbor farm to the Burroughs farm. I am a direct descendant of the Taliaferro family that lived in Virgina, well acording to my grandparents . My great Uncle said that Booker T. was a Taliaferro, not a Burroughs , I don't think anyone is completely sure who his father is, if i took a blood test would it be able to tell?
Amazing! It's always so exciting to find out about your roots, or in this case, your in-law's roots (same as mine). Thanks for sharing that with me. I'd like to come back to that part of the country and visit the area again. Thanks again.
Rufus Ferguson a farmer is the father of Booker T. Washington His family still resides in the hills of Virginia. I know this because they are my in-laws a few of them strongly resemble Booker T. Washington all though white. My son even has the large head that is known in the Ferguson family as the "knock" head. The oldest living Ferguson who taught 12 grade history for 20 years after retiring from the Navy, has told me all about Booker T. Washington. and the family connection. He has his lineage traced back to the 1400's. He has traveled the world his whole life going to old court houses looking up records, old cemeteries ect... He knows his stuff.
Nick, I'm sorry but I seem to have accidentally deleted your comment while trying to contact you. If you read this, will you please contact me? Thanks!
I'm another white descendant of Booker T. Washington. My mother's family is from Franklin County Virginia. My research was not only interesting, but when I discovered our background... mind-boggling! I was as pleased and proud of this part of our history as finding that another ancestor (Hopkins) was a merchant on the Mayflower. So, interesting to note that Booker T. had ancestors who came over on the Mayflower!
Jocelyn, I'm looking at the family tree. I don't have the detailed info in front of me at the moment. However, Thomas's oldest brother Carolus was born in 1821, next is John Cardwell (who married sarah hatcher and later elizabeth burroughs), then james patrick ferguson, then finally thomas. That puts him fourth born and just guessing, probably around 1830 and easily in the age range.
Hi Jocelyn, I'm a direct descendant of Josiah Ferguson, Thomas Benjmain's father. How are you related?
Hi. I know that there are a lot of rumors about who Booker T Washington's father was. I am a college student trying to find out this information myself. According to the Park Rangers at the Booker T Washington Memorial, which I visited yesterday, they said that it is believed that his father was from a nearby farm. The supposed father according to them is Thomas Benjamin Ferguson. However, doing my own research on him I am finding this hard to believe because Thomas Benjamin Ferguson would have had to have been 68 at the time of Booker T.'s birth. There is also another rumor that they told me about that his father could have been a Tyree, also from a plantation nearby. And that this is a form of his middle name, Taliafaro.
Also from my family there is a story that we are related to him. I have done the research and we are related to Thomas Benjamin Ferguson. According to written down history, Booker T Washington's mother, Jane, used to be a cook for the Duncan's, who owned a prostitut
Note: I received an email from another AC writer who said his family descended from the James Burroughs branch, while my husband's came from James' brother. He said that in his family it was common knowledge that James Burroughs actually fathered Booker T. himself.
Not sure how I feel about that. Not proud that he would do such a thing, but proud to know, if it's true, that my kids actually are related to Booker T. A person could do much worse.