August 8th was one of the most memorable days for me in that I met my relatives for the first time. They are the Kees family. My biological mother died when I was five years old, and she was from Russellville. Her name was Florene Kees. My mother’s brother, Tom Kees, was a permanent resident of Russellville.
Although I was born and raised in Lexington; I was told that I had relatives in Russellville, Ky. I remember traveling to Russellville and meeting my Uncle Tom when I was a small child, but that was four decades ago. I often wondered about my relatives in Russellville.
In May 2011, my daughter gave me the best Mother’s Day gift ever. She hired a historian, named Michael Morrow of Russellville, and he researched my family tree as it pertained to the Kees family in Logan County. My daughter presented me with this genealogy book when I visited her in New York.
After receiving this wonderful book, I decided to seek out my relatives and found my first cousin, Alvin Kees, on Facebook. I introduced myself to him and left contact information. A couple of weeks later we connected. I was invited to meet them for the first time on Aug. 8, 2011 in Russellville.
It was really nice to meet my family on such a rare occasion as “Emancipation Day” for Russellville. I will always remember August 8th for its significance in African-American History as well as my own personal Family History.
Ruth Slaughter has worked at the University of Kentucky as administrative assistant in the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center for several years. She has three daughters, one in Logan Island, one in South Carolina and the youngest in Lexington. Her great-great-great grandparents are buried in an African American cemetery