Southern Recollections, Southern Roots
How a simple memory can stir up feelings for one's ancestral heritage.
As many do when they approach the half-century mark on this earth, it is normal to reflect and ruminate on experiences from the past. To look back and examine influences during one’s upbringing and early life that have shaped who they have become, and to see where they stand in this world. A summer vacation taken in my youth has occupied greater significance in my mind lately on the importance of remembering who we are as old stock Southerners.
“We’re going on a road trip,” my mother replied when I asked what we were doing shortly after school let out for summer break. This was not a surprise as our family went on these excursions regularly in the summer to visit family around Texas. With friends and family spread across the state, a few hours’ drive (ok, more than a few) to see the West Texas cousins and other kin is a staple of my childhood memories. That was why it came as bit of a shock when she told me where we were traveling; Nashville, Tennessee. I immediately looked at a Rand McNally map of the itinerary and saw this was going to be a monumental journey of around 1200 miles round-trip. Other teens might have felt angst at having to be in a vehicle for two weeks on the road, but I have always enjoyed traveling and was excited.
On the Road
Our trip took us from East Texas through Arkansas and into Tennessee with plenty of stops along the way. It is an exaggeration; but as a kid, it felt like we stopped every 40 miles to see a Civil War battlefield or historical marker that denoted something of significance that took place. A major highlight that sticks out to me all these years later would have to be seeing Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion in Memphis. The guitar-shaped pool, the buses, planes, and zebra print carpeted walls in the basement were…interesting. While not old enough to experience his careers heyday of the 50s and 60s, my parents were huge enough fans for me to know his songs and life history. To go from a poor upbringing in Mississippi to the heights of fame and fortune was a Southern fairy tale in my mind.
Once arriving in Nashville, it was a flurry of activity for us. There was the required visit at a Grand Old Opry show where I still remember seeing Minnie Pearl perform onstage along with other country stars of that early 90s timeframe. We even went to a Nashville Network television series taping where none other than Dolly Parton happened to be a guest. Another highlight was a paddleboat steamer journey down the Mississippi. Thinking about how the mighty Mississippi River was (and still is) a major transportation hub providing access through the South gets fully realized as one travels it. Also, the cultural impact the river had on the writings of Mark Twain, a man who William Falkner described as “The Father of American Literature.”
Looking back on that trip, I now understand how significant that family vacation was, and still is, into the psychological formation that went into building my identity as an old stock Southerner. Interacting with people across the region, whether it was fellow Southern tourists visiting historical sites, or even at the hotels we stayed, there was a collective sense of communal identity and affection to each other. Families remarking at Civil War battlefields, who in their lineage fought, gave more weight and significance to those historical events that I did not understand at the time.
As I have gotten older, reconstructing the family tree and researching my lineage became an important endeavor. Besides the Texas and Louisiana roots that I knew about, finding out that we essentially began in Virginia in the 1600s before branching out to the Carolinas and Tennessee over the centuries brought new meaning to my recollection of our family vacation in ways I had not anticipated. Knowing the names of kin who participated in the monumental event that was the Civil War truly brought the history alive to me in a way that wasn’t apparent at the time. Visiting the battlefield sites across Tennessee brings new questions to my mind on what my ancestors faced during that conflict and what they must have thought. During my research, I even found a copy of the declaration of allegiance to the Union card that one captured Confederate ancestor was required to sign after hostilities ceased. Yet while the Civil War is a big part of Southerners history, it is important to remember it is not the only defining aspect of Southern culture and traditions.
Riding the steamboat down the Mississippi River during that childhood trip brought new meaning to me as I reflect now on how our forefathers shaped and conquered this land. Seeing the numerous family farms and locally owned businesses showed the resilience that Southerners have upheld during our presence in America. I recall my great-grandfather tipping his hat to any black-eyed pea plant he came across. When asked why, he would smile and say that he was thankful for them keeping him alive during the Great Depression.
Our Heritage is something to be proud of
Being an American Southerner in the 21st century has a different connotation than it did only a few decades ago in the national mind. Something that represented a sense of pride in one’s ancestry, customs and traditions for this region is now treated as a pariah to feel shame about. For such a turnaround to happen in mere decades is a shock. In most of the 20th century, the South and her symbols were a constant presence in the nation’s conscious through pop culture and the American mind. TV series like The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, and yes, even Mama’s Family brought a flavor of the South into the living rooms of millions. This influence on American television was even greater before the “Rural Purge” of the early 1970s, a decision made by Northern network executives. Many still very popular rural, heartland-centric series were cancelled in favor of more urban, gritty fare. Yet one could still see programming that treated the history and people of the South with nuance and not outright hostility. Ken Burns created an excellent documentary on The Civil War with fantastic insights from Shelby Foote (which now is all but denounced for being made). Hollywood even lent grace to the South and her rich past with high-production movies such as Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. The current self-flagellation from some who want to condemn their ancestors is an obscene display of virtue signaling.
Some roots of sanity have begun to sprout amongst the jihad against all things Southern. This story from CNN about a Virginia school board reclaiming Confederate names is a nice start. Too often we allow outsiders to define who we are and our history.
It is time to begin taking that heritage back.
Great work Arthur!
Wonderfully written frend.