rss
mobile
Feeds
It's precious to Oriage because facts about his heritage are hard to come by. His forebears came to the Lowcountry as slaves. When a name was recorded, it often was a single name. When last names later were adopted, they were often the names of plantation owners. And in some cases, one person could go by several different names.
But despite the hardships, Oriage can wrap his hands around a thick file on his family. The notebook is a result of his diligence and the proactive volunteers at the private, nonprofit Heritage Library and Research Center on Hilton Head Island.
Oriage, 82, was born on Hilton Head and educated at Penn School on St. Helena Island and S.C. State University in Orangeburg. He spent a career as a social-work case manager in New York City, then returned home, where he is a deacon at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.
Years ago, while preparing for a family reunion, Oriage showed up at the Heritage Library. It's known for its genealogical resources and volunteers who help others trace their lineage, whether it leads to Poland or Pocotaligo.
But Oriage needed information unique to the Lowcountry's history. He and volunteer John Griffin gleaned public records to discover that Oriage is a direct descendant of an islander named Pauldore Fields, who probably lived most of his life as a slave, served in the U.S. Army in the Civil War and later bought land as a free man in Beaufort County.
And he can show a full family tree with names, dates and places invaluable to all of the Oriage and Orage families.
"I wanted my children and grandchildren to have answers to the questions we always had," Oriage said Wednesday after a presentation at the library by Griffin. The lecture -- "Overview and Discussion of Ongoing Gullah Genealogy" -- was part of the 14th annual Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration, which has events throughout the month.
A room full of people heard about resources, databases and special projects that continue to enhance the library, located above The Savannah Bank at 852 William Hilton Parkway. The gold mine comes from U.S. Army pension records, which can include long narratives from interviews conducted by picky pension inspectors.
"Any of you who served in the Army can appreciate that at every step of the process, someone was pushing a pencil," Griffin said.
Those pencils now give voice to "lost" generations, who seem to shout from the darkness their stories of perseverance and courage.
