A Mandate from the Ancestors

With the beginning of the new year approaching, and an unexpected surgery behind me, and a historical pandemic and subsequent quarantine that forced me both inside and inward, I began to feel compelled to move forward, at any cost, towards a quest that, until then, I had never really had the gall to dig from the bottom of my bucket list. With this compulsion, I fell into the habit of reflecting upon my connections to both the people and the journey that make up my family’s individual and collective identities. This journey has been hard and heartbreaking, steeped in more than 400 years of institutionalized slavery and oppression. It has left its mark on our hearts and souls as well as on our hands and feet. Even today, this cruel legacy sneaks into our destinies, dreams and nightmares.

My paternal grandparents, John Henry and Sally Davison Fountain were born in Monroe County, Alabama and were among the first of my American ancestors to be born free, and they proved what African Americans could accomplish without the shackles of slavery. They were astute and very enterprising people, putting forces in motion for economic pursuits that they desperately hoped to pass on to their children and grandchildren. Court records show they purchased, and held for years, eighty acres of land that was to be the birthplace and the birthright of their progeny for generations to come. These law-abiding, land-owning taxpayers believed in their right to pursue life, liberty and property in a fair manner. So the question now is: how did their land—acquired through their blood, sweat, tears, and hope—fall into the hands of timber and paper companies? I need answers.

 Then, as now, courthouse records often document our administrative affairs, but not the systemic contrivances that often prevail against us. Did racial terrorism play a role in this matter? Was there coercion, intimidation, or any form of unlawful persuasion or malfeasance involved in the transfer of this property? Was there a transaction at all, and if so, was it peaceful, amicable and of their own will? Where are the records that support the transaction? Who were the administrators of this transaction? When? Where?

Because of their devotion to family, their fortitude, and their unshakable faith in God, the Fountain family stands today a strong and proud people. But we have work to do and scores to settle. I need to know what happened to my grandparents’ land.