BURLINGTON, Ky. — The restaurant is closed, and the windows are covered up. Cordel George ate here once.
It wasn’t good.
But this isn’t a restaurant review. That’s not why he’s here. George is here because one of his distant grandmothers was born here. And she was born into slavery, according to a death certificate he found at the Boone County Public Library.
WATCH: We traced his family's roots with him
George was an intern when he came to the library for the first time. He was part of a team researching the Underground Railroad and enslaved people in Northern Kentucky. At the time, he’d always been told his family came from Cuba.
He soon discovered that wasn’t true. And while the discovery stirred up a lot of emotions, it ultimately helped him.
I ask him why.
“We survived,” George said. “We’re still here.”
On his grandmother’s death certificate, the words “don’t know” are written under the designation for mother. The father listed is a known slave owner. George found that man’s property records at the library, which included things like animals and tools and land.
And people.
“It really does something to you when you see your ancestors on a list of property,” George said. “At the end of the day, it keeps me going.”
That’s why he’s speaking at the Burlington library, where he made these discoveries. Because the Boone County Public Library helps people trace their ancestry and research genealogy.
But a lot of libraries do that.
What makes this different, staff there tells me, is that employees track and document the results. To continue shedding light on a time in history some would rather forget. A time when records are often incredibly hard to find.
“That’s the story of America that we need to tell and learn from,” said Larry Richmond, the manager of the library’s archive and history center. “That’s why we’re here.”
And that’s why George is here. At the property that likely holds a lot of pain for his family.
“When I put my feet on the ground, I felt something,” George said. “I might be the only person in my family line to touch the ground since.”
Now, George teaches history and genealogy at Northern Kentucky University — about 15 miles from where his ancestors once lived. It’s something he never thought he’d accomplish.
“I can’t really take the credit,” George said. “I come from some incredible people.”
Want to learn more?
Cordel George will speak at the Burlington branch of the Boone County Public Library on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The event starts at 6:30 p.m.
