I finally found pictures of my great-grandfather!

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17. I don't know what sort of photo this is

I found it on ancestry.com on the tree linked to his daughter.

William Johnston is a history lesson within itself -- a perfect example of an "assimilated" Indian (a red man wearing the clothes of a white man ... )

His daughter raised my grandmother -- a grandmother I never knew.

My mother was adopted an no one ever told her who she was.

It was a major identity crisis for her. My late mother actually drove all the way to the deep south where she was born to try to find out WHO she was. She never found out despite all of those years she searched.

The only link I had to find out who she was was a bogus birth cert. I have with the name of her "real" mother and "real" father on it. It was given to her by her late foster mother who was Indian and my foster grandmother told her, "Don't ever tell your father (meaning foster father) that I gave this to you. If he knew, he'd kill me!". It also had a mysterious business card stapled to it bearing the name of a man whose surname was actually the same as the one on the birth cert. which had a bastardization of his name on it (same surname, different spelling). I found him too and his has quite the family history and lineage and his grandmother was considered to be from one of the "great southern families" of the time. My grandfather was was part Indian too it seems -- same thing too -- Cherokee, but don't tell anyone ok?

I swore on Mother's death bed that I would find out who she is/was and needless to say I have VERY mixed feelings re: the subject of "adoption". My mother was NOT treated well, not treated like a human being hardly and was dumped once the Depression hit.

When the 1930 census was released, I went to the place where she was born and typed in her real mother's name and *bingo* -- her mother was there!

I was able to trace her real mother, my grandmother back and found the line and all the cousins I have that I never knew existed; all of them are mixed blood Indian, likely Cherokee/Choctaw and/or Seminole too I think. My first cousin called me on the phone on Xmas eve in 2008 and said to me, Hello and BINGO! My 80+ year old first cousin has written a book about the family and sent it to me. How is that for a huge WOW!? She had no idea that my mother existed so it was a shock for her too!

It took 70+ years to find this info. I'd always suspected I was part Indian being most of my mother's friend were either part Indian or married to an Indian. My only wish is that I had found this info. out before my mother passed away but I kept my promise to her despite it all.

It seems that no one wanted my mother to find out that she was part Indian. The woman that adopted her was Indian too and was also Cherokee (and Choctaw). Doesn't our country do a good job covering up the truth of what they have done to our Native peoples?

I'm now working more on my father's line again, a fascinating ancient/old Irish line. I just heard from someone the other day in fact that is directly related to the line of priests in my late father's family (that I never knew existed!). These priests founded many of the Catholic churches in northern California during the Gold Rush years, including two of them that are not far from where I now live.

My father was from an old San Francisco family which is a whole fascinating story within itself.

I really should write a book!

That is an amazing portrait you have there. You were lucky to find it!

And yes, seek and ye shall find alright!