African American Cornutes A Family History

We created this book to fill the enormous void of Cornute family lineage, history and ancestral connections while creating a repository for future generations to reference. It focuses on ten generations of the Cornute family, with a particular emphasis on those family members who have passed away.

It's a journey into the Cornute family's past, tracing our roots from Grayson County, Virginia to all present locations. We embarked on this project to preserve the stories and memories of our ancestors, hoping to connect future generations with their heritage and ensuring their legacy is remembered. Our research involved countless hours poring over old documents, interviewing family members, and exploring historical records. This book will explore their lives, their triumphs and struggles, and the world they inhabited. Presented are stories of courage, love, and sacrifice, brought to life through documents, photographs, and oral histories. We hope it will not only inform but also inspire a deeper appreciation for our family's heritage and the individuals who shaped it. Serve as a testament to the strength and spirit of our ancestors while being a source of pride and inspiration for all who read it.

As a young girl growing up and attending school in rural Ohio, I was underwhelmed by the representation of African Americans in history books. African Americans were usually depicted as people who voluntarily worked as servants and to be African American was to be without pride and self-worth. Even at the age of nine, I had an inkling that these depictions lacked truth and lacked substance. My great-grandmother, Nanny, always told me fascinating stories about the family members who were posed distinguishably in the framed photographs in our living room. The contrast between my family stories and the stories portrayed in history books ignited a curiosity in me. I felt compelled to learn the truth about my history and my family. The more I learned, the more I became enthralled. Little did I know; the goal I set in grade school was the beginning of a lifelong journey.
When I met Tracy, She was running into roadblocks, as to be expected with genealogy research. She had journals filled with mostly leads and some family stories. As I developed my career as a communication systems engineer and businessman, I developed the technical skills to help find the answers she were missing and to digitally document her research. Also, being a seasoned traveler, I was able to help her make trips to places where we could find more information. We spent many nights scouring the Internet for answers, and many days traveling across country to meet with historians and newly-discovered extended family members. Through all of this, a history bond was formed between us. Today, I'm arguably just as passionate about Genealogy as Tracy. Success with her family research has inspired me to produce several forms of media through which we share our discoveries with the family. I have also become inspired to research my own family from the West Indies.
Milan Denae Thomas is an emerging writer and editor based in Southern California. She is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, and hold a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing with a minor in Business. While building her body of work, she contributed to the editing of the family passion project African American Cornutes: A Family History. Inspired by the written art in any form, Milan is currently developing poetry collections and a future autobiographical project that explore themes of identity, culture, mental health and more.