The Chowan Discovery presentations about the Winton Triangle, its Civil War history and Chowan Discovery historical markers attracted many enthusiastic attendees at the annual conference of the African America Genealogical and Historical Society (AAGHS) in Greensboro. Included in the audiences were history professionals and authors.

One of the joys of having three presentations at the conference was that the reputation of each lecture fed the attendance of the next.  This also gave more people the opportunity to hear about our work.  And then there are those increased sales of Carolina Genesis and the CDG mugs.  Hawking those mugs are fun, whether they sell or not – and they sold.  I enjoyed all of questions and comments.

Among the participants, I saw growing awareness about tri-racial people and free people of color in North Carolina at the conference.  This is an important trend for our mission.

I was among many friends.  CDG advisor Earl Ijames of the North Carolina History Museum was the keynote speaker.  Alice F. Harris, another CDG advisor, served in her role as a chapter president and the recording secretary of the AAGHS board.   Lisa Crawley, a curator at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore,  attended my one of my presentations.  Lisa has Gates County roots.

New friends include authors Margo Lee Williams and Willie Cooper (Bertie County native), Michelle Lanier of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Lamar and Cheryl Deloatch of the host chapter of AAGHS.  Despite their endless responsibilities, the Deloatches could not have been kinder.

On the way to the conference, I met with Darryl Stover at the North Carolina Council of the Humanities who showed me a copy of CDG advisor David Cecelski’s new and long- awaited book about Abraham Galloway. A mighty fine visit.

In addition to all of the conference hosts and guest that made this conference trip so fruitful, there were all of my relatives who visited and took me to their homes.  Cousin Edith Reid Patterson was a conference volunteer.

The Chowan Discovery and Winton Triangle presence have been greatly expanded from this trip.  Coming up next for Chowan Discovery is a historical panel at the Critical Mixed Race Studies conference in Chicago.

– Marvin T. Jones