Night investigating family lore ...

And boy, what a blow. Throughout all of our lives, we hear all of these amazing stories about our ancestors. Some make us so proud to have been born of such a family ... others, make us believe that there is NO way that we could be related to such monsters.
Well, tonight, after doing a bit of investigative interweb work, I have officially confirmed a horrific story about one of my family members. After growing up hearing about this individual's general nature, I do not doubt that he is guilty of said actions.
My mother's father, my Paw Paw, was a wonderful and kind man. He grew up in Hickory Grove, SC. His mother was a dear and kind person ... I was named Anna after her. Unfortunately, Anna McGill fell in love with and married a man with the last name Pratt. He, too, was a great soul. They lived there in the big family home with her other siblings: Maddie, Belle, Tommy, and Meek.
Stories abound about Meeks ire, attitude, and hatred towards the black community. He was an eternal bachelor that was rumored to have had affairs with several of the married southern bells there in tiny Hickory Grove. The irony in that is that Meek was an asshole (not at all meek) and so ugly he'd make a freight train take a dirt road. I guess it was the "bad boy" syndrome. Why are we women such idiots sometimes?
Apparently, brother Meek was a hand-full and, basically, ran her husband off ... leaving her to raise 3 boys (John, Marvin, and Marion). John being my Paw Paw, Marvin and Marion being his twin brothers. We're not certain what other family members were involved in the ostracizing of the kind and gentle Pratt.
Pratt moved on to remarry and start an amazing family in Florida. I have, by the way, met them. They are such lovely people. And, I am so proud to call them family.
However, lore tells me ... and the few of us that have spoken about it ... that my great, great Uncle Meek was involved in a lynching. Rumor had it, he had killed a black man for having "relations" with a white woman.
WOW! The lore is enough to put ones heart into overdrive and to want to disown such a filthy beast. I don't care if he was sweet Anna's brother.
And, after doing some research tonight, I fear that the "lore" isn't so much an unknown. It seems to be, on some level, the truth. The circumstances are unknown, as I've not been able to unearth them. I, personally, doubt it had anything to do with race-relations, as that was oftentimes an easy excuse for KKK pussies.
But, I looked ol' Meek McGill up on Google.
Low and behold: a publication written by the NAACP (founded in 1910) called "The Crisis" states:
"By the decision of the Grand Jury, Postmaster Meek McGill and Carson Lattimore of Hickory Grove, S.C., have been put in jail for complicity in the murder of W.T. Simms, a colored preacher." Seems it was quoted from local paper, or the like.
MURDER. My great uncle MURDERED a black man. I do believe this. And you best believe he would have NEVER murdered a WHITE preacher.
I'm in awe. Nauseated. I've not been able to find anything out about that poor man, W.T Sims ... God rest his soul.
I wonder if he was married ... or left children behind ... or a Mama ... or siblings.
I imagine that didn't matter to Meek and Carson. I imagine that their God complexes firmly held the blinders over their eyes as they harassed the community and, eventually, took the life of an innocent man. They were and still are cowards and evil, evil men. I may be related (by blood) to this man, but I will NOT acknowledge him as human. He is, truly,a MONSTER.
I need to add that the man that brought this publication (The Crisis) to the forefront of America in the early 20th century was a brilliant African American man named William Du Bois. He spent his entire life fighting for freedoms for blacks and women. He was the first African American individual to graduate with a Ph.D from Harvard. He was integral in many equal-rights causes.
I thank him for allowing me to, finally, know the truth about this horrific family secret. I'm glad that it's secret no longer.
Sims, that poor soul, deserves to have his truth told.
It is the "truth" as far as I can tell. And, I believe it as such.
So, I'd like to personally apologize to him and all of his family for the horrific crime committed against ALL of them. I do this on behalf of everyone related to Meek McGill. My family is chock-full of amazingly loving, kind, and fair individuals that would NEVER accept this act.
I never met my Uncle Meek. Probably a good thing. I feel honored to have NOT met him. He better hope that I don't get an inkling to hunt down his grave when I have a full bladder.
At least, now I know. After all these years of wondering ...
The truth WILL set you free.
xoxo
Anna