And then I was worried about mental illness, for myself, how that was going to manifest. MN: When I was younger, my attitude was kind of like, wow, no wonder my family is so fucked up, all this history.

The book has three threads - genealogy, genetics, and seeking a (non-Christian) spiritual connection to your ancestors.

But knowing my family, somehow not unlikely.ĬK: As you write in the book, so far you’ve found evidence of 10 marriages to 9 women. I don't think that the 13 number came up until I was a little older and I was like, really, 13? That’s impossible. My mom was more moderate about him, really enthusiastic about how charming and fun he was. My grandmother did not like to talk about him, but she would say things like: he ran around with other women and he drank all the time, spent all his money on booze and I couldn't even buy your mother a toothbrush. Could we start by talking about where the story began for you, with some of the colorful figures in your family, particularly your grandfather, who you didn't know? Don’t miss her insight and discussion with Casey Cep.Carolyn Kellogg: Congratulations on Ancestor Trouble. In her memoir Ancestor Trouble, Newton shares the story of her family and her newfound belief in “the transformational possibilities” that come from reclaiming and reckoning with our ancestors. Her ninth-great-grandmother was accused of being a witch in the seventeenth century. Because of family history, her grandmother warned her to be on the alert for signs of mental illness. She also explored her unconventional Southern roots: grandfathers she never met, known for marrying 13 times and killing a man with a hay hook her mother, who started a holy-roller church in their living room and her father, who was proud that their forebears had enslaved people. On her eponymous blog, Maud Newton wrote brilliantly on a variety of literary topics. In my thirties, I started researching my genealogy through census archives and DNA matches, but a yearning for deeper truths led me over the years into the realms of genetics, epigenetics, and the debates over intergenerational trauma…” “My ancestors have troubled and fascinated me since I was a girl. Moderated by Casey Cep, best-selling author and New Yorker staff writer Presented in partnership with Porter Square Books Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Book ancestor trouble