How Did I Get Here: From Africa to North Carolina: 52 Ancestor 52 Weeks: #6 Mary Verneace Fuller Becton

Monday, February 10, 2014

52 Ancestor 52 Weeks: #6 Mary Verneace Fuller Becton

Today marks my Mom’s 89^th birthday. My brothers and I are so bless to still have her with us. Although this birthday will be mark with sadness because my sister passed away this past August, I know Mom is happy to celebrate her birthday.

Mom was born and raised in Fremont, North Carolina to Lester and Classie Pate Fuller aka Dafull and Mafull.

Mom and Mafull

Mafull did not allow my Mom to have a lot of idle time, instead she made Mom read the bible or “her lesson” aka homework. Mafull's persistence paid off because Mom was promoted twice: in her primer class (kindergarten) and in first grade. Ironically, another teacher wanted to promote her a third time but Mafull said no.

Her 9^th grade graduating class had 22 students.

Her high school graduating class had 13 members. That's her in the second row, second from the right.

In 2002, the remaining classmates met at a birthday party for Mrs. Annie Frances Wilder Henderson. Seating from the left are Mrs. Annie and Mom. Standing is Mrs. Mary Jane Ray Jackson.

The picture on the left is Mom (far right) with some classmates on the grounds of Winston Salem Teachers College, now know as, Winston-Salem State University. The picture on the right is Mom (second from the right) with her friends in Fremont.

After high school, Mom went to Winston Salem Teachers College (Winston Salem State University) where she stayed for 3 years. Because her boyfriend returned from the “War,” she left school and they got married in South Carolina, that boyfriend was Sylvester Artis.

Although the marriage ended in divorce, Mom and Sylvester had 4 children: LaVonchia, Mercedes Avatna, Dwight Sylvester and Michael Owen.

Mom (left and lower right), Mom with LaVonchia, Mercedes and Dwight.

In 1964, Mom married her second husband, my father, Robert Lee Becton.
This was taken right after they got married in Rockville, Maryland.

Mom submitted her DNA to Ancestry.com and 23andme. Below are her results.

My mom’s 23andme ancestry results

Mom’s Ancestry.com results

23andme provided some unexpected results such as the countries of origin. Besides Africa and Ireland, Mom shares DNA with people from Jamaica and Brazil. During the 1700s, the Carolinas were importing slaves from the Caribbean and Africa.