Authors' Journey

A Divine Connection

Dr. R.T. Kennedy

My journey in writing Colored River began with a prophecy from my beloved grandmother, Annie Beatrice Henderson, in 1972. I was only 21 years of age when she prophesied to me that I would write this story. I had no idea what she was referring to at that time in my life. However, after ten years I was collecting information about my ancestors’ stolen land.  In 2018, as I continued my journey, God brought a cousin into my life, Dr. E. Henderson Lawson. We met on Ancestry.com when our DNA matched up as well as our family trees. There was no way I could continue this journey without her. We are honored to present this story to the world, together.

Dr. E. Henderson Lawson

Four years ago I began my journey as an author of Colored River. My initial motivation was discovering the genealogy of my Henderson ancestors. However, as I continued to research, many family members began providing me with historical information from their parents and grandparents concerning the theft of land belonging to our ancestors. Though I had heard of the stolen land as a young girl, I now was confronted with evidence that the stories were true. I extended my research by visiting various courthouses and libraries to find additional information.  After two years of  research, I was contacted by another family member who happened to be writing the history of our family’s stolen land, Dr. R.T. Kennedy. We soon realized we were writing the same story and agreed to continue on the journey together. The rest is history!

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