2010 Sprinkle Family Legacy

Back To Our Roots – The Spirit of Ned

This year is our official first ‘Sprinkle’ family reunion where the banner represents all branches, last year was our first gathering hosted by our Sprinkle-George branch. So here we are,Packed and on I-95 and in six hours we will be in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Charlene & Shauna Sprinkle are hosting this years Sprinkle Family reunion for their father Samuel Sprinkle the son of LC Sprinkle, great grandson of Malichi Sprinkle. South Carolina is the foundation of the Sprinkle family’s largest growth and settlement, and this makes this a historical event for us all, it is in the low country of South Carolina and along I-26 where we were separated and sent to other farms, and now we are coming together after now 211 years off I-26 to be restored once again.

In God’s infamous mercy and favor a granddaughter (Josephine Sprinkle Addison) of a man named James Sprinkle was born and grew up in Mississippi, remembers pieces of conversations and old faces of and about her people from South Carolina and a name NED. It has been fifteen years since Cousin Thelmarie Sprinkle Jones and I were together. She started looking for our family over thirty years ago and taught me about genealogy and passed the baton on to me, it was a colossal blessing to see her look out at her family, and to hear her say to Aunt Marie…Mom we picked the right one. For me it was waves of confirmation and emotions Aunt Josephine seeing her family that she only prayed and hoped someday she would meet, the prayer answered. Cousin Adrina taken me to Target Cemetary and showed me the gravesites of our family that she knew from her childhood, she is the great grand daughter of Ned (Edward Ned Sprinkle) and his wife Alice is buried along with several of his children and In-laws all together in a little walled off area. As a child Adrina remembers they not only made trips to Target for burials, but they also returned to wash the headstones, and clean the gravesites. To quote Adrina “to my family even though they were buried, they were not gone.” On Sunday cousin Charles Sprinkle took me to Holly Hill to meet our elders, just by chance, or GOD’s hand we were talking to a elderly friend of the family, and out of nowhere a car drives up, a man gets out cousin Charles breaks out in a big smile, and both men say ‘is that you Charles?’ Both of their names are Charles and we are kinfolks…not only that but the man in the car cousin Charles Green has been the Caretaker of the Target Cemetery for fifty years, and he knows the history and where everyone is buried.

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Meeting our Elders Norman Brown Sr. his wife, children, and sister Essie (lived in California and New York), his father Manny Brown was the Mayor of Holly Hill. In Holly Hill the Browns are known as the historians, and especially of their roots from the Brown, Sprinkle, Bunch, Hunt, Sweat, Green, Robinson, Richardson, Owens, and few more names. They shared the family history starting from a little boy named Utesey (one male in every generation is named Utesey) he landed from Africa in Newport, Va to St. James, South Carolina, he was 'sold one time and whipped one time'…our elders who are known as the families historians told a trail of events of marriages, deaths, separation (families broken and placed on other farms) and that we were strong hard working and that is why we were always picked to be sent to other farms. In meeting our elders in Holly Hill they were estactic and proud to provide our family history and moved that our history is valued, and no nonsense. When I shared with them how overjoyed I was to meet them, Norman Jr. (lives in Maryland) said listen here cuz…we are too!!! And followed up with ' Does death ask Questions?
Essie and her brother Norman knew of or about all the people on the census records, and of the ones I just found in the Orangeburg County Probate Court Records. She shared with me that many of us only had initials for first names, and everyone went by nicknames, “folks would be big or grown before u knew their given names.” This is true in our culture, my first day in Kindergarten I was sent home over a heated argument with the teacher about my name, and I remember it because it was a story told over and over. The teacher called my name Willene Sprinkle (roll call) and I did not answer, she told me that my name was Willene Sprinkle. I do remember telling her repeatedly that… my name is Stink Dirty Poppy Sprinkle, and she called my home, and my great grandmother came and got me and explain that my name was Willene my father Will Sprinkle namesake, I do remember I was furious with that teacher about my name.

Essie shared another memory of many that day about a game they used to play called…”Massa & Bossman”…she could barely tell it for laughing about how they would argue with who was going to be the ‘Massa.’ It is through the spirit of Ned who is Malichi Sprinkle baby son that we are here reading this. He looked for family to the point that even though he was born in the 1800′s there were still memories of him from New York, South Carolina and Mississippi in the 21st Century. Memories that provided me the pathway to follow, and we may become scattered and separated again by many events out of our control, and these moments, these events of coming together is what will maintain that pathway for our family to find one another again, and again, and again. We are mightily favored and blessed and to God be the Glory! It will take a while to write and record their memories, we have been living twelve hours and less from each other for 211 years, and now cherishing every moment of it. Family continue to be blessed, and a blessing, and a blessing, and a blessing!

Back to Our Roots – The Sprinkle Legacy

…Thinking about the ten-hour drive as I enter Interstate 95, going ‘back to our roots’ to meet the family. What a historical benchmark in life for us. In the year 2010 the Sprinkle Family will have a Reunion. It has taken 210 years, possibly more, to disconnect our family. Imagine the process of a family having children to gain freedom, and our family had a lot of children.

Yes, we are the descendants of Human Trafficking (slavery) in the United States of America’s history. The descendants of Slaves and Human Traffickers (Slave owners), one of the Slavery practices’ loop holes was to have twelve to fifteen children. Having a dozen or more children could provide a parent their freedom. The catch-22 was that the children would not be free. So, many received their freedom and stayed on the Plantations for the sake of their spouses and children, and there was another twist.

The twist to having children to gain freedom was to watch them being sold off for profit, and given as wedding gifts to the Plantation owners family and friends. The majority of ‘runaway slaves’ were not seeking freedom, they were trying to find their children, mothers, fathers, and other beloved family members who had been snatch from their arms, imagine the events.

This is a long, long-awaited moment, it has taken thirty plus years of research to be able to look upon the faces of those who had been taken from me, and me from them. My ancestors’ presence has always been with me, guiding me back to my roots. Driving through South Carolina on I-95 the sign read: Orangeburg and Holly Hill, next year we will be there to meet a host of Sprinkle family members. The billboard read:’ Plantation Museum’, unbelievable that people are still profiting from Slavery (Human Trafficking) in the USA in 2010.

Looking out upon the beautiful lush green fields, and coiling waterways while driving down I-95, the song that comes to mind is ‘Swing Lo Sweet Chariot’ and ‘A Change Is Going to Come’, with eyes tearing and heart aching, my speed increases on I-95, by whatever means necessary in less than ten hours I will be in the arms of my family again.

We are here, there, in Winston-Salem, aging does not ride well on a ten-hour drive, the word is ‘dog tired’, and my tongue wants to hang out. Dog tiredness makes a person want to bite someone, or thing. My adult daughter and I are sniping at each other; the air conditioner is on blast, is this hell? North Carolina is absolutely beautiful and scorching hot. Making calls to family here in Winston-Salem, want them to come and get us, so many emotions and thoughts about my ancestors life here has overwhelmed me, how did they survive in ‘hell’s kitchen’ picking tobacco.

Lawd, have mercy! A car arrives, I know the face, it is Stacy my cousin, I found her a year ago. We have been joined ever since; we met face to face at a Sprinkle-Owens Family Reunion. So tired, barely could smile, but my heart was so full of joy, that moment will never be forgotten. So, now we are off to see how things are going, GOD had a big hand in this and we were trying to keep up. About 300 Sprinkle family members were arriving by private coach, air, and car.

We have booked out the local hotel near downtown Winston-Salem, and booked more rooms in several other hotels. We were amazed at seeing one another, giddy, elated, and overjoyed. Our cousin Janice has been cooking since Monday today is Wednesday, and she went into overdrive smiling all the way. There was a pause with Sprinkles meeting one another, and then something happen , in GOD’s infamous wisdom we knew we were, and are family, we are not some other Sprinkle.

Many of us had only heard of one another through parents, relatives, and Facebook. Many of us had not seen one another for 30 years. By Thursday morning the youth had already plastered photos on Facebook to let those who could not make it see the folks who looked like them, stood like them, sang like them, acted like them, who lives had mimicked one another, powerful genes, a surreal moment back to our roots.

We came from all parts of the United States to Winston-Salem to visit the ole family homestead in Tobaccoville. Camera’s clicking and flashing, cars lined up blocking traffic, no it was not some fancy celebrity, it was a street sign that read: ‘Sprinkle Road.’ Around the bend is the birthplace of Oscar Ralph Sprinkle, the house is over 100 years old.

Five generations have been raised in this home and cared for by his beloved wife Viola George Sprinkle, lovingly called ‘Big Momma’. One cousin from South Carolina broke into a run, jumped into her car and took off. I called her on her cell; Charlene what happen? She said, I felt something, a presence, and she is on her way back to the hotel. Laughing, it made me feel good to know it was not just me who feels their presence.

We went 0.1 miles and visited the Sprinkle family church and burial grounds, dripping in sweat everyone went from grave to grave taking pictures, shouting! Here is another one of us, over here look! Later, we all converge at cousin Janice’s home, yep, there was enough room, not one child was hurt, not one item was broken, we broke bread together, sang together, praised GOD together, and cried together.

Imagine a place filled with about 300 people all smiling, laughing, hugging, children playing, it was hot as hell in Heaven.

Finally on Sunday those that could attended church services in Tobaccoville gathered, this place holds all those prayers of a time before all of us. Reverend Mildred Sprinkle Mack opens the morning service, and song an ole song from the days of Slavery. Her singing was like our ancestors were talking to us, I wept. It was hard to leave, they did not want us to go, and we did not want to go; however, we will all be together again next year.

Out of Many Sprinkles, We Are One! We Are Blessed and Favored by GOD! We Are Here Together!

http://www.http://www.humantrafficking.org/ Combating Human Trafficking