In 1977, I watched the late Pulitzer Prize winning Alex Haley’s miniseries Roots, the Saga of An American Family. Afterwards, I vowed to someday tell my family’s story of how we fit into the beautifully woven fabric of America. In 2000, while stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii, I attended a genealogy training workshop and joined Ancestry. My research led me to discover both sides of my family potentially knew Simon Alexander Haley, father of Alex Haley. My maternal family (the Noel’s) lived on the Henning Farm, the same farm as Simon Alexander Haley in the 1920’s/early 1930’s. My paternal family (the Reid’s/Nelson’s) knew the Haley’s in Arkansas. Aunt Louise was a student of Professor Haley’s at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff in the 1940’s and she said Professor Haley always talked about Kunta Kinte and Chicken George during lectures. Through Ancestry and DNA data, I’ve successfully traced my African Ancestry to the Fula people in Guinea-Bissau, Kru people in Liberia and Mende and Temne people in Sierra Leone. I've traced my Caucasian roots back to a Virginia planter, Cornelius Noel. Cornelius is from Holland and is attributed with bringing the Noel name to America Circa 1655. If you’re interested in learning more about your family’s roots, email me from my contact page for more information and meeting schedules.