When I was growing up, I didn’t know I had Irish ancestors. Since my family was African American, I focused on my African ancestry. Though I didn’t know anything about her, I daydreamed about the first female in my family line who I was sure had come from somewhere on the African continent. But then I met a great-great aunt, Cleopatra Montgomery, who told me about my third great-grandparents Frances and Theodore. Theodore was an African American man born in Virginia. But Frances was Irish, born in County Cork, Ireland. In the middle of the nineteenth century she’d immigrated to the United States as an indentured servant.

In 2009 I traveled to County Cork, Ireland to see where my third great-grandmother Frances came from. On a blustery day I stood in Cobh Harbor, the point of departure for many people bound for America in the 19^th century. I tried to find out more about Frances, what her parents’ names were and the address of the house where she lived as a child in Ireland. I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet. But I’ll keep trying.

Through a cousin’s DNA I was able to track my African ancestors to the Tikar, Fulani and Hausa tribes in Cameroon. Since receiving the results of the test, I’ve made two trips to Cameroon, the first in December 2010 and a second time in December 2011.
During my first trip, a Tikar king honored me with a Tikar name: Yangke.

On my second trip, a Cameroonian citizen gave me the deed to a small plot of land. My Tikar name and plot of land have helped deepen my connection to my African ancestors. Even more significant, are the Cameroonian people I’ve met who’ve reached out to me in friendship.

After the king gave me a name, he wrote it out, along with its meaning, on a small piece of paper:

“Yangke, princess born in the kingdom and chief of women.”

I keep the piece of paper with my Tikar name on my desk. It’s a precious possession. Until I discover the name of my African ancestor, I’ll call her Yangke, too.

On my first trip to Cameroon, I took my book “Something Beautiful” with me. After reading it at Cite de l’enfance School in the city of Kribi, I donated the book to the school’s library. I can’t wait to send them “The Granddaughter Necklace!”