Part 1: Nuance in the South

Pictures from our hike in Jonesborough, Tennessee, USA

Written Oct 7, 2020

Well I got quite a saga for you!

In developing my program, I have found my own rabbit holes to fall down in. It happened late one night (WELL past a reasonable bed time) while on Ancestry.com…

I was checking new information and came across documents that I have seen before for my Maternal Grandma’s lineage. I clicked on my Great Grandma’s profile and it showed her being born in Greeneville, TN. I knew she had been born in Tennessee, USA but I never looked closely to precisely where.  

Pulling up Google maps showed Greeneville in the Northeast corner of Tennessee.  I saw how close  it was to Asheville, NC and realized it was probably in the mountains.  So I clicked the satellite view, and the screen turned deep green showing mountain ridges all around the valley Greeneville was in.  Instantly, I wept.

See, I knew I was home in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The few times I have traveled into them in the last few years. I would feel my whole body relax and my pelvic floor soften as I rounded the first corner heading up into them.  I never had any way of knowing why, and at that moment I knew. 

Within an hour I had found an airbnb and planned a trip to the area on our next kid-free weekend. I found a cute cottage in the historical town of Jonesborough, TN. 

On arrival, Jonesborough seemed very small but welcoming.  It had a mix of Red and Blue political signs and many art signs supporting #BlackLivesMatter.  I felt safe and comfortable immediately in a way I didn't while driving through Western North Carolina.  The cottage was really nicely done and perfect for my partner and I to spend the weekend relaxing and exploring. 

As any parent knows, no trip is guaranteed.  While the weather on the trip was sunny and mild, drama and obstacles still found a way to creep in and require patience and adjustments.  We had some family issues back home while we were away.  Our young adults handled them in a mature way and did the brave, right thing which meant we didn’t have to cancel my trip and turn around. I am beyond grateful to watch them grow into amazing young men. My cpap machine (people with PCOS often have sleep disorders) wasn’t working correctly and making loud noises that kept waking me up.  Both mornings the kitchen breaker tripped and it wasn’t easy to get the electricity to come back on. This disturbed my usual quiet reflection time and breakfast after nights of little sleep. 

However, with an amazing flexible partner and sunshine, I carried on my mission to place my feet on the land my ancestors had walked. 

To clear our heads and enjoy the wonderful weather, we did a hike in Jonesborough.  It was a lovely trail with wonderfully friendly people on it. Many of the trees were old Grandmother trees. The whole experience in this town just left me loving it.   It was easy to wish the pandemic was over so I could walk downtown to shop in all the little stores.  

Once I researched Jonesborough a little more after we came back home, I learned that this community has deep roots.  It’s the “oldest town” in Tennessee with a court house and a railroad line that still runs. However I was most surprised by this find:

“Jonesborough is often considered to be the center of the abolitionist movement within the states that would join the Confederacy during the American Civil War.  Elihu Embree printed his publication, The Emancipator, from Jonesborough. Publication began in 1820, making The Emancipator the first American periodical to be dedicated exclusively to the issue of the abolition of slavery. While Tennessee would later join the Confederacy, most east Tennesseans had Unionist leanings.” ~wiki

It’s easy for me to think that all Southerners supported the horrific system of slavery.  In fact, it’s more nuanced than that. It makes sense that I come from people in this area, that then migrated to Southern Iowa so they weren’t in the South anymore. It also helped explain why I felt so comfortable in this place right away. 

I have never been to Tennessee and just assumed it would be similar to rural North Carolina.  Which in our current political climate is tense at best. This town touched me and my partner in a way that has us considering it as a place we could move, once our youngest is out on his own. Who knows what the future holds and to think this door opened all because I clicked on “satellite view” on a map.  This is what being curious and exploring is all about. 

Thank you for sharing in this journey with me.