Who might we be?
As an adoptee, a central question animating my life is, “Who am I?” Yet, it was only upon entering Reunion I realized a new question was being born alongside it, “Who are we?”
2026 will mark 7 years of being in some shape of Reunion with each of you. Ann, along with many of her cousins, siblings, and niblings, have been inordinately generous in helping me understand both of those questions down to the DNA coiled around my bones like so many of Betty’s melodies hummed throughout her days. Something happened though, with the passing of Ann, then my own mother within the year, that’s found me with a renewed desire to savor the marrow of these musically-coiled ancestral bones and animating questions. I’ve been in a privileged position in my quest in how I’ve been handed generous artifacts of recordings, blogs, photo albums, email exchanges, and more. Maybe many of you have been gifted these things, too?
Sparked by an idea from Chris, I’ve decided for the sake of other Taylors who need to plumb the songlines of their own ancestral identities to put all of the artifacts together here (for the time being.)
And add more as I can.
2026 will mark 7 years of being in some shape of Reunion with each of you. Ann, along with many of her cousins, siblings, and niblings, have been inordinately generous in helping me understand both of those questions down to the DNA coiled around my bones like so many of Betty’s melodies hummed throughout her days. Something happened though, with the passing of Ann, then my own mother within the year, that’s found me with a renewed desire to savor the marrow of these musically-coiled ancestral bones and animating questions. I’ve been in a privileged position in my quest in how I’ve been handed generous artifacts of recordings, blogs, photo albums, email exchanges, and more. Maybe many of you have been gifted these things, too?
Sparked by an idea from Chris, I’ve decided for the sake of other Taylors who need to plumb the songlines of their own ancestral identities to put all of the artifacts together here (for the time being.)
And add more as I can.
As the only remaining Taylor sibling who not only lived the arc of the nomadic existence of Jim&Betty’s first 10 years of marriage but was also old enough to keep memories from those days, Ken graciously sat down with me to help flesh out what we know on paper. Of the 7 Taylor siblings, they record 5 different states on their birth certificates. Only one of which is West Virginia, the cultural homeland of our people’s people.
What that does to launch a family’s next branch on its tree, then the generation next, and next, and next, is up for each of us to decide, but there’s ample meaning making to be had in the stories and artifacts that remain.
One thing that’s been abundantly clear as I’ve sifted through our stories that come before, is our lives, which tend to feel individualistic in a Baptist, autonomous way, actually rhyme. We may think we have a handle on living an authentic life according to our individual compass, but the chances are high a relative behind us, or beside us, has been walking a life path similar to ours. But we have a tendency to not tie our family ties, so the chances are equally high we'll only know ourselves as alone in our life's quest.
If the other Taylor siblings, or my generation, or the generation next wants to add to this archive with their own audio reflection, let Chris & I know. We'll eagerly fire up the ancestral tape recorder to set it down.
What that does to launch a family’s next branch on its tree, then the generation next, and next, and next, is up for each of us to decide, but there’s ample meaning making to be had in the stories and artifacts that remain.
One thing that’s been abundantly clear as I’ve sifted through our stories that come before, is our lives, which tend to feel individualistic in a Baptist, autonomous way, actually rhyme. We may think we have a handle on living an authentic life according to our individual compass, but the chances are high a relative behind us, or beside us, has been walking a life path similar to ours. But we have a tendency to not tie our family ties, so the chances are equally high we'll only know ourselves as alone in our life's quest.
If the other Taylor siblings, or my generation, or the generation next wants to add to this archive with their own audio reflection, let Chris & I know. We'll eagerly fire up the ancestral tape recorder to set it down.
~ Mary O.
Kenneth Clarkson Taylor
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Jim & Betty
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